Basic Tutorial: Submarine Operations

Guide with a few more complexity for who are new to(or looking to buy) this game

Scenario: Basic Training: Submarine Operations, 2014

Introduction

Originally in this mission, it only intends to teach some basic mechanics, how to define zones, planning patrol, etc. but, I'll made little more complex approch for micromanaging tutorial.


In this mission, we have four phases to get. three is easiest, but third one is the personally toughest one even risk replaying it many times.

1. vs Nuclear Submarine
2. vs Surface Warship
3. vs ASW Specialized Warship
4. vs Land Installation


You have Virginia Class Nuclear Attack Submarine in disposal, the underwater ninja armed with torpedo, tomahawk missiles, but no anti-ship missiles, no SAM either. means you can't standoff Destroyer, can't attack Helos. you have to strike high risk target at subtle.

Phase 1 : Attacking Submarine

scenario indicates to set a ASW patrols to active search on OPFOR Submarine, but doing that makes this guide really useless. so let's get passive approch instead. Phase 1 is easy one, but those submarine will found you first when it is not on proper setting.

it is important to get creep speed(5kts), just over the thermocline layer(Layer in short)

Virginia has Towed Array Sonar, so it can search under the layer while lurking on layer, making it effective for underwater search.


as it is, ship spotted but it didn't found us. manually set it as unfriendly(ctrl+H), and approch to torpedo range.


it is Han class, 80's Chinese Nuclear Submarine. if you set course as this setting, you must be targeted Han while undetected. when han nears under 8nm, launch torpedo and get him.

Phase 2 : Attacking Surface Ship

Really?

I bet you must be making this surface score without a tutorial.

but well, you better get under Thermocline layer('Layer' in short) and head to zone B(1-4) as cruise speed. that's because many ship's have little capabilities to penetrate deep sea under layer, you are hardly spotted by just one surface ship unless it has MPA support, or it has a ASW specialized. deep depth also conceals cavitation so not like diesel sub, Nuclear sub can make a fast maneuver underwater.

after reaching B, slow down to creep, maybe ship is in search pattern, shooting sonar all over the place.

but you arn't spotted yet, let's get to the database after this one identified as 'Luhu'



this ship's only ASW armament is a Rocket propelled Depth charges, ranges in 1nm.

drive the sub within 8nm as your guided torpedo can outrange Luhu, sink it to the bottom.

really, it is a piece of cake of cource, then what is this tutorial for? because,




This one must be real concern. happened to many armchair captain including me :(

Phase 3 : Attacking ASW Specialized Warship

• Disclaimer: This guide does NOT guerantee a safe tactics against Udaloy. I sunk my ship several times while writing this guide.

So, What made a Udaloy as a brutal nemesis?




First of all, it carries a Large ASW Helicopter, Ka-27 Helix.



capable of light torpedoes, dipping sonar, sonobuoys, and MAD. all kind of armaments ready for hunting sub they see. any fast approches to ship would be spotted and targeted by sonobouys, when they flew directly on you, may be detected by MAD.

so, direct approch is in hazard. maybe we could dive under layer and pop-up and run?



No good. this brute also has a Towed Array Sonar System('TASS' in short)
it keeps under the layer and serveillancing the deep water sonar signature. you may be spotted targeted by ship itself. not like Luhu, what had a ASW weapon like Rocket Depth Charges



It has a SS-N-15 Starfish(RPK-6 Vodopad) Anti-Sub Missile, ranges to 22nm, actively search nearby subs.

both over the layer and under the layer is possible trap. and what do we have?



most safe approch method is, 'inside' thermocline layer. TASS under layer won't find you, chopper over layer won't find you with dipping sonar and sonobuoy. of course you will be blind and deaf because you can't hear them either, but they have the high ground and Udaloy is in creeping speed to get clear underwater sound, so we do not have much chance.

the second weakness is this sonobuoy is a non-directional passive. they won't spot you unless you make a screw running fast, and it could only choose either under or over the layer.

so, sail inside layer, and creeping speed. and pray for helix would not be over your head.


when you got inside to Zone C, emerge up just over the layer and passive search for any ships. little more risky but better then collide with udaloy.


and then, unknown ship spotted. as you put a cursor over SKUNK, it says DDG. got it, but for better id and targeting, approch creep for little more.


Ship id'ed as Udaloy, so what now? classic hit and run?

won't recommand. those ship will immidiatly blind fire their torpedo to expected launch point, we should not be detected unless got confilmed kill on Udaloy and escape the AO.
remember what I said earlier? they won't hear sound clearly in layer. that's it.



make a submarine depth inside layer, you may be deaf, but unless russians found torps too early, they are slow and too late for run.



launch one or two salvo but don't emerge upside! when the ship founds out torps inbound, they will be ping active sonar for found out who stabbed his back. instead wait and make a torps to find a running ship, it must be taking evasive maneuvers so they will make a loud noise,




so, torpedoes skimming in swallow, when it catched by ship, it is too late. they pushed a ping but our sub is too far away. so Udaloys chose to just run, no reactive fire.




but, one torps go dud, one got hit. and NO confirmed kill. that's why I recommended TWO salvo.

when it happens, don't emerge. I bet this one should be in rage, emissioning active sonar madly. believe me. one ASW missile CAN BE FATAL. as it hasn't ran far away. so I fired another shot before it got away,




now it's confirmed kill, so we need to run at high speed, maybe helix could attempt revenge. so go deepest and full ahead, get out of there.

of course, this one could fail. but compared to hit & run strategy, or long range BOL launch, this was the safest.

Phase 4 : Attacking Land Installation

after hitting the Udaloy brute and alive, it should be much easier to operate a cruise missile on land installations.

first of all, to fire a VLS cruise missile(Tomahawk in this scenario), emerge to swallow, or periscope range, or surface but since you are operating nuclear sub so you have no need to entirely surface.

Press F1 and pick munition cache. tomahawks on air, kaboom on cache, mission accomplished.

but, it's not complexive and what if enemy air defence tries to intercept out tomahawks?
what if some neutral nations accuses us by 'violating their airspace with missile' and could consider us hostile? that's the way Plotting comes in.



press Shift+F1 and target munitions and allocate our missile manually,
but do not just unpause, pick 'Plot course'



and click any location for waypoint, for missiles take a detour or circle around your target.

it's better for some enemy early warning radar watches their vicinity, so you have to follow ground terrains for missile concealment.




Munition depot is down, mission completed. maybe I skip ship tutorial as almost everything teaches in that was a deja vu.

[Sober Mans Secret]

An excellent start point for beginners. Very well written and takes a lot of the pressure off learning everything at once. I'm a seasoned user of CMANO but always look out for helpful beginner guides to share with others who may be put off by the sheer amount of information that is available. Excellent work!

[Carnifex]

Nice guide. The Udaloy and it's Helo are a bitch.

I managed to take out the Udaloy but not without being disabled. Fortunately my tomahawks had enough range to take out the last objective and finish the scenario.

[velikiy99]

Very informative guide! I've just get the first victory against Udaloy using inside-thermocline tactics. Thanks a lot!