Fixed-Wings (showcase)

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Learn how to effectively operate a fixed-winged aircraft and use them to improve the strategic position of your troops. Mission Description

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Fixed-Wings
Time	03:15 PM
Date	09-08-2035
Location	Altis International Airport, Altis, Republic of Altis and Stratis

Fixed-Wings is a playable showcase mission in ArmA 3.

Overview

The player controls U.S. Air Force pilot Captain Nichols, callsign Avenger-1. NATO forces have succeeded in pushing back the AAF to the north-east of Altis, though the front line remains at a standstill with both sides holding their ground.

However, a CSAT convoy has been spotted heading inbound to the front with fresh supplies to assist the Altians. Capt. Nichols must intercept the convoy before the AAF are given the opportunity to counterattack.

Role/class:

• Air / Pilot

Default loadout:

• Primary weapon: None
• Secondary weapon: None
• Equipment: Smoke Grenade (White) (1×), Smoke Grenade (Blue) (1×), Chemlight (Green) (1×)
• Backpack: None

There are no alternate pieces of equipment to choose from.

Objectives

Primary

• (1) Preparations
• (2) Get In
• (3) Destroy Support Vehicles
• (4) Destroy Self-propelled Guns
• (5) Return to Base

Optional

• (6) Interception
• (7) Support FIA
• (8) Resupply

Mandatory

• Nichols must survive
• Avoid collateral damage/friendly fire
• Your jet must not take critical damage
• The convoy must not reach the city of Paros
• Do not leave the AO

Walkthrough

Primary 1: Preparations

Head straight for the marked hangar with an ammo crate nearby. Retrieve all of the necessary gear.

Note that only the helmet is required for this objective. The weapons and extra items are optional to equip.

Primary 2: Get In

Now move to the hangar where your attack jet is being prepared. Jump into the cockpit and fire up the engines. Taxi onto the main runway as advised by the control tower and take-off. Don't forget to retract your landing gear once you're in the air.

Primary 3: Destroy Support Vehicles

Time to attack the supply convoy. Fly straight to their marker. You don't have to worry about anti-air batteries but do be concerned about short-ranged surface-to-air missiles and IFVs.

Once you're in position, switch to any of the anti-ground weapons of your choice:

• Gatling Cannon 30 mm (HE)
• Air-to-ground anti-tank missiles (Macers)
• Unguided high-explosive rockets (Shrieker HE/AP)

The second choice is somewhat overkill given the unarmoured nature of your targets, but it greatly simplifies the targeting process since it's just locking on and firing away the AGM. For the first and third choices however, you will need to possess decent aiming skills...or rely on the Wipeout's targeting cursors provided by its Heads Up Display (HUD).

The convoy is protected by a few MRAPs armed with heavy machine guns. While they aren't much of a threat, a few direct hits on the glass canopy can potentially penetrate and kill you instantly. Since they are fairly inaccurate at high altitudes you can avoid getting shot out by not flying too low, thereby preventing this from happening.

Regardless of whatever approach you take, the objective will be complete once all the trucks (not the MRAPs) are neutralised. Make sure they do not reach Paros or you will instantly fail the showcase.

Primary 4: Destroy Self-propelled Guns

Remember to look at your Sensors panel. Pay attention to the orange cone; this is the facing direction of your IR sensor and is needed for locking on with Macer AGMs.

Instead of a mobile convoy, you must now destroy two hidden artillery howitzers somewhere deep within enemy-held territory.

Switch to your targeting pod and toggle thermals if you need help in spotting either battery. Their engines are warmed up so you can detect them via the camera's thermal vision. Since these howitzers are heavily armoured, you will need to utilise either the GBU-12 laser-guided bombs or Macer AGMs to destroy them; Shrieker AP rockets and the 30 mm cannon will barely scratch them even with direct hits.

In the case of the former, bear in mind that you can self-designate the vehicles with your own targeting pod. Just be sure to lock the camera first on the vehicle (Default keys: Left Ctrl + T) before you transition out of it. Do not forget to fly at a stable altitude/speed prior to switching over to the pod as well, or you may end up crashing into the terrain by mistake.

A friendly ground unit, callsign Hawkeye, will also inform you that they're laser designating either one of the vehicles for you once you fly within range of a howitzer. You can rely on their laser spot to bombard the howitzers with GBUs.

Once both howitzers have been successfully eliminated, the objective will be marked as complete.

Primary 5: Return to Base

Head back to base. Once you've landed on the runway and slowed down, taxi back to your hangar and stop at the indicated position then turn your engine off. Mission complete!

Optional 6: Interception

NOTE:

• Always fire missiles at the helicopter from behind rather than from the front as the likelihood of the missile missing at this range is high.
• Falchion-22 missiles have poor manoeuvrability and will not be able to adjust their heading quickly enough if they are fired from the front.

A transport helicopter carrying a CSAT recon team has been detected on radar, inbound for the shoreline north-east of the airport. This objective is pretty simple and straightforward to complete, though you can easily miss it if you take too long during the early stages of the mission.

Fly straight to the target and then circle around and begin tailing it from behind; don't forget to reduce power to the engines by 50% and adjust flaps. Lock-on with either your infrared-guided Falchion-22 missiles or pepper it with 30 mm shells; either weapon will work well and bring it down after one or two direct hits.

You will fail this objective if the helicopter manages to reach the coast, so make sure you intercept it quickly before it's too late.

Optional 7: Support FIA

A cell of FIA guerillas have managed to trap an AAF squad at a compound along the coast. The troopers are pinned down but the rebels lack the firepower to finish them off. Divert to their position and attack the marked structures (a half-finished building and brick house) with whatever air-to-ground ordnance you have left.

If you have any GBU-12s remaining from the previous primary objectives, self-designate the buildings and drop a bomb on each to raze them instantly. Shrieker rockets also work well, though make sure you are using HE and not AP rockets.

Alternately, pepper both houses with a generous helping of HE shells from your 30 mm Gatling. You may require several passes to eliminate all the targets, however, so be prepared to constantly fly in circles if you're not good at performing gun runs with the Wipeout.

Do be careful when engaging both structures and keep an eye out for friendlies near the target. "Accidentally" hitting any of the guerillas at the marked positions will instantly fail the objective. Heading straight back to base after finishing the primary missions will also cancel this objective.

Note that this objective also will not appear until you have completed both primary objectives (Destroy Support Vehicles/Destroy Self-propelled Guns).

Optional 8: Resupply

Should you run out or be close to running out of ordnance after neutralising the convoy, you will be presented with the opportunity to rearm/refuel/repair back at the airport.

This objective is automatically cancelled if you finish the mission without returning to base.

Tips

• There is a high chance of your IR-guided Falchions missing the enemy helicopter if you attempt to hit it from the front. Always circle around behind the helicopter before launching either missile.
  • Be sure to also launch both simultaneously once a lock-on is acquired. It will increase the odds of having at least the second missile intercept successfully (the first missile will almost always be countered by flares).
  • You can also force the enemy AI to dump a few flares early if you maintain a lock-on but do not fire the missile. Just keep in mind that this does not guarantee that the Falchion will hit its target even after firing.
• Keep in mind that GBU-12s function as lock-on after launch (LOAL) munitions and not lock-on before launch (LOBL). Be sure to give the bomb enough time and space to adjust its own course after you drop it and "lock" onto Hawkeye's laser spot (or your own).
• It is not mandatory to bombard the howitzers by locking onto Hawkeye's laser spots. The objective can be easily completed by self-designating both with the Wipeout's own targeting pod. If you destroy the howitzers quickly enough, Hawkeye's assistance will not come at all.
• Destroying the tanks stationed along the front line (or CSAT tanks for that matter) is not required for a successful completion of the showcase.

Trivia

• Fixed-Wings was not initially available in ArmA 3 and was only included following the addition of the main campaign's third episode.
• Until the release of the Jets DLC which introduced targeting pod functionality for all ground-attack capable aircraft, it was not possible to bombard the howitzers without relying on the laser spots provided by callsign Hawkeye.
  • Players could attempt to hit both targets by free-falling the GBUs, though it was notoriously difficult to hit them in this way even with assistance from the Wipeout's CCIP.
• Similar to the Fighter Jets showcase from the Jets DLC, Fixed-Wings strangely depicts CSAT forces directly engaging with NATO troops and even supporting the AAF with supplies. By this point in the canon timeline, CSAT leadership were proactively being careful to avoid direct conflict with the NATO brigade.
• If the player destroys any of the roaming MRAPs in the area, Crossroads will briefly chide them for wasting their missiles on lightly armoured targets.
• Should Nichols be forced to eject from the Wipeout, he will utter a unique comment about the terrain type below depending on the trajectory of his parachute (landing in water, in a forest, etc.).