Red Tide Campaign Briefing

Operation Red Tide — Campaign Briefing Handbook

The 414th's working reference for Germany - Red Tide (GermanyCW, 13 July 1988). This is the brief-builder: accurate friendly order of battle, a fill-in mission-brief template, package recipes, comms and code-word cards, a phased campaign plan, and threat-defeat references you reuse every op night. Print it, fork it, scribble on it.

The Red Tide doc set — use the right tool:

1. This handbook — the operational working reference. Real ORBAT, brief templates, package recipes, comms cards, phase plan, threat-defeat. Start here to build a brief.
2. red-tide-intel-assessment.md — the in-fiction intel pack: backstory, enemy ORBAT with lore, courses of action, the read-aloud spoken brief, and the one-page pilot threat card. Use it for narrative colour and the mass brief.
3. red-tide-visual-briefing.md — the picture brief: theater map, SAM-ring profile, target-priority flow, ORBAT diagrams. Use it for the screen-share.

Everything tactical here is grounded in the actual red_tide.yaml / red_tide.miz files. The regiment names, callsigns, and "ZAPAD" operation name are Red Storm Rising-style fiction and freely editable.

🟢🟡 Provenance & confidence — read this. The three companion lore docs above were written ahead of the build as narrative; treat them as flavour, not spec. In this handbook:

• File-confirmed (trust it): friendly & enemy ORBAT (squadron names / airframes / sizes / bases), economy & settings, supply routes — all read straight from red_tide.yaml; the enemy SAM/EWR/Scud/naval list — read straight from russia_1980.json.
• Designed but not yet flown (verify in-game): the IADS networking behaviour (whether killing a base's C2/power actually drops its SAMs), the dedicated red EWR coverage (markers added 2026-06-28, headless-validated only), and the Combat SAR capture/rescue mechanics — all carry open items on the in-game-pass checklist. These are flagged 🟡 where they appear. Don't promise them as facts in a mass brief until someone's flown them.

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Table of contents

1. Campaign at a glance
2. Win conditions & how the front moves
3. Friendly order of battle (real, from the campaign)
4. The enemy in one screen
5. Campaign CONOPS — the phase plan
6. Weekly op-night runbook
7. The mission brief template (fill-in)
8. Package recipes (build a package fast)
9. Comms & code-word card
10. Threat-defeat quick reference
11. Combat SAR — when a pilot goes down
12. Loadout & role pairing notes
13. Appendix A — blank one-page brief sheet
14. Appendix B — mission log / debrief sheet

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1 · Campaign at a glance

Item	Value
Campaign	Germany - Red Tide (fork of Crossing the Rubicon)
Theater	GermanyCW (Cold War Germany)
Date / setting	13 July 1988 — Red Storm Rising-style WP–NATO war, gone hot
Our side	Blufor Late Cold War (80s) — the 414th Joint Fighter Group, multinational NATO wing
Enemy	Russia 1980 — 16th Air Army + Frontal/Naval Aviation + Baltic Fleet
Posture	NATO counteroffensive. The Soviet thrust has culminated; we attack to roll it back
Required module	Heatblur F-4E Phantom II (campaign assumes it active)
Economy skew	Blue favoured — start $800 / income ×1.3 vs red $400 / ×0.7
IADS	advanced_iads: true set in the YAML; per-base C2 statics placed in the .miz. 🟡 Networked "kill-C2-to-drop-SAMs" behaviour is unverified in-game (see §4/§10)
Auto-planner	Tuned human-led: blue AI flies cautious so your sorties are the spearhead
Op night	Saturdays, 8 PM EST (squadron op)

The one-sentence situation: the Warsaw Pact opened the war, took Hamburg and Copenhagen, then ran out of fuel and air cover; the line held; now we take it all back before he can dig in.

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2 · Win conditions & how the front moves

Red Tide is a dynamic campaign — the front line moves turn-to-turn based on what happens in the air and on the ground. There is no scripted ending; you win by capturing red control points and pushing the FLOT east until the red salient collapses.

The objective set (geography):

• Near term: clear the Fulda → Haina axis (the front line runs through it) and take Haina (161), red's forward air hub on the western tip of the salient.
• Mid term: roll the centre — Wittstock, Templin, Schönefeld, Sperenberg (the Berlin cluster rear) — and retake Hamburg (17) on the northern shoulder.
• End state: liberate Copenhagen / Kastrup (41), break the Baltic Fleet's sea denial, and reopen the Straits.

What makes the front advance: winning the air-superiority fight over a sector, killing red ground forces (BAI/CAS on the convoys and the FLOT), and starving red's economy (the factories at Sperenberg/Schönefeld feed red convoys down toward the front; the depots arm them). Knock those down and red can't replace losses, so each turn his line gets thinner.

The blue economy advantage is deliberate — you out-produce and out-buy him. Spend it on the fights that move the line, not on vanity strikes deep in the IADS.

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3 · Friendly order of battle

Exact, from red_tide.yaml. "P" = player-flyable airframe in this campaign; "AI" = support/filler the auto-planner flies. Sizes are starting squadron strength.

Ramstein (165) — main fighter/strike base, SW

Squadron	Airframe	Role	Size
81st Tactical Fighter Squadron	A-10C (Suite 3)	CAS	8	P
480th Tactical Fighter Squadron	F-4E-45MC	SEAD Sweep	6	P
37th Bomb Squadron	B-1B Lancer	OCA/Runway	4	AI
Ala 14	Mirage-F1EE	Escort	6	AI
VA-34	A-6E Intruder	OCA/Aircraft	6	AI

Spangdahlem (162) — fighters + Fulda-Gap helos

Squadron	Airframe	Role	Size
VMF-29	F-14B Tomcat	Escort	8	P
GAF JG 74 "Mölders"	F-4E-45MC (Luftwaffe)	TARCAP	8	P
526th Tactical Fighter Squadron	F-4E-45MC	BAI	8	P
493rd Fighter Squadron	F-15C Eagle	TARCAP	6	AI
414th Aviation Detachment	UH-1H Iroquois	Air Assault	4	P
HMLA-167	AH-1W SuperCobra	Escort	4	P

Hahn (155) — the strike & SEAD powerhouse

Squadron	Airframe	Role	Size
414th Voodoo Squadron	F-16CM (Block 50)	DEAD	12	P
414th JFG Hornets	F/A-18C (Lot 20)	SEAD	12	P
414th Tactical Fighter Squadron	F-15E Strike Eagle (Suite 4+)	BAI	12	P
512th Tactical Fighter Squadron	F-4E-45MC	OCA/Runway	8	P
Jagdbombergeschwader 31 Boelcke	Tornado IDS	SEAD Escort	8	AI
20th Bomb Squadron	B-52H Stratofortress	Strike	4	AI

Frankfurt (163) — support, lift & enablers

Squadron	Airframe	Role	Size
910th Airlift Wing	C-130J-30	Transport / King / EW-ISR	2	P
5th Bn 159th Aviation	CH-47F Block I	Air Assault / Jolly Green	4	P
12th Combat Aviation Brigade	AH-64D Apache	Escort	4	P
1-17 Cavalry	OH-58D(R) Kiowa	Escort	4	P
126th Air Refueling Squadron	KC-135	Refueling (boom)	2	AI
340th Expeditionary ARS	KC-135 MPRS	Refueling (drogue)	2	AI
NATO E-3A Component	E-3A	AEW&C	2	AI

Fulda (166) — forward FARP in the Gap (flipped neutral→BLUE)

Squadron	Airframe	Role	Size
1-1 Attack Reconnaissance Bn	AH-64D Apache	CAS	4	P
1-6 Cavalry	OH-58D(R) Kiowa	Armed Recon	4	P
159th Aviation Det (Fwd)	UH-1H Iroquois	Air Assault	4	P

Reading the roster for tasking:

• Air superiority / escort: F-14B (VMF-29), F-15C (493rd), GAF JG 74 Phantoms. The Tomcat is your long-stick escort; the Eagle is the AI sweep.
• SEAD/DEAD (pry the IADS open): F-16CM Voodoo (DEAD — kills SAMs), F/A-18C Hornet (SEAD — suppresses), F-4E 480th SEAD Sweep, Tornado IDS escort. This is the deep bench — Hahn is your SEAD airfield.
• Strike / interdiction (move the line): F-15E (BAI), F-4E 526th (BAI) & 512th (OCA/Runway), A-6E, B-1B, B-52H.
• CAS / front: A-10C (Ramstein), AH-64D (Fulda + Frankfurt), OH-58D, AH-1W. Fulda is your forward rotary base — short legs to the Haina front.
• Enablers & special: C-130J (the King on-scene commander + EW/ISR jammer), E-3A AWACS, KC-135 boom + KC-135 MPRS drogue (drogue feeds the Hornets/Tomcats/legacy receptacle jets), CH-47F + UH-1H lift.

⚠️ Tanker note: the boom KC-135 feeds the F-16/F-15/A-10/B-1/B-52; the drogue KC-135 MPRS feeds probe jets (F/A-18C, F-14B, A-6E, Tornado). Build packages so each striker has a compatible tanker on the route, or plan a hot pit.

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4 · The enemy in one screen

Full enemy ORBAT, lore, and courses of action are in red-tide-intel-assessment.md. The working summary:

Priority kills (worth a squadron each):

Target	Where	Why
924th GMRAP "Baltic Backfires" — Tu-22M3 (AS-4 anti-ship)	Copenhagen / Kastrup (41)	Reaches the reinforcement convoys. The single highest-value set on the board.
A-50 "Mainstay" (144th)	Schönefeld (26)	His GCI eye. Kill it and the fighters go dumb.
Il-78M "Midas" (203rd)	Schönefeld (26)	His tanker. Kill it and the Flankers/Backfires lose reach.

Fighters — respect at the merge:

• MiG-29A Fulcrum (Hamburg, Copenhagen, Peenemünde) — R-73 + helmet sight. No turn fight — kill BVR or extend.
• Su-27 Flanker (831st, Sperenberg) — long-range barrier CAP; respect the R-27ER.
• MiG-23MLD / MiG-21bis (Haina / Templin) — GCI-dependent, dangerous only in vectored mass.
• His Su-24M Fencer doubles as his SEAD shooter — it hunts the same SAM-killers you push forward.

SAMs — it's a range fight, not an altitude one (you can't out-climb these):

System	Type	Play
S-300PS (SA-10)	Fixed, long-range (~45 nm)	Established & on. Route the ring or dedicated SEAD.
S-200 (SA-5)	Fixed, very long range	Reaches AWACS/tankers. Keep enablers back.
SA-11 Buk	Mobile shoot-&-scoot (~22 nm)	Rides with the spearhead. Catch in transit; fly today's recon.
SA-6 Gainful	Mobile shoot-&-scoot (~13 nm)	Don't trust yesterday's picture.
SA-2 / SA-3 + KS-19	Fixed belt	In depth around fixed assets.
SA-8/9/13 + ZSU guns	Mobile low (~9 nm)	Don't loiter low near the FLOT.

The IADS is set advanced/networked (advanced_iads: true), and each red SAM base has a command center + comms + power cell placed in the .miz (some on real destroyable map buildings). 🟡 Caveat: that laydown was designed against the old Skynet range-mode engine — which has since been replaced by MANTIS as the fork's sole IADS engine — and the "kill the C2 and the wired SAMs go dark" effect is not yet confirmed in-game on the current build. Treat killing C2/power as a probable way to degrade a base's net, not a guaranteed one, until it's been flown. What is solid: the faction fields dedicated 1L13 EWRs (markers added 2026-06-28) plus the A-50 — killing the EWR/AWACS picture to make the net reactive is the dependable lever.

Naval: Tarantul/Grisha SAGs in the W. Baltic and off Copenhagen — no organic air beyond the Copenhagen fighters. Kill the fighters, then the corvettes are anti-ship fodder and the Straits reopen.

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5 · Campaign CONOPS — the phase plan

The campaign target deck (intel assessment §IX) becomes a phased plan. Phases overlap; the FLOT and red's reaction will reshuffle priorities, but this is the spine.

Phase 0 — Win the air over the Fulda front (turns 1–2)

• Objective: local air superiority on the Fulda → Haina axis so strikers can work.
• Fly: BARCAP/TARCAP (F-14B, F-15C, JG 74) forward; DEAD/SEAD (Voodoo F-16, Hornet F/A-18) to start peeling the western SAMs; A-10C/AH-64D on the FLOT.
• Win when: you own the sky over the front and Haina's CAP stops contesting it.

Phase 1 — Pry the lid off (turns 2–4)

• Objective: punch a SEAD corridor through the western IADS belt; kill mobile Buk/SA-6 in transit; suppress or route the fixed S-300 rings.
• Fly: DEAD packages (F-16CM + Hornet, Tornado escort), recon to find the movers, BAI on the convoys feeding the front. Hit red's C2/power at Haina to unplug its net.
• Win when: strikers can reach Haina and the western convoys without running a SAM gauntlet.

Phase 2 — Take Haina & blind him (turns 4–7)

• Objective: capture Haina; kill the A-50 Mainstay and Il-78 Midas at Schönefeld.
• Fly: OCA/Runway + BAI to strangle Haina; a deliberate AWACS/tanker-hunt (escorted long-range intercept on the enablers); CAS to push the FLOT past Haina.
• Win when: Haina is blue, and red's GCI/refuelling picture is broken (fighters go reactive).

Phase 3 — Roll the centre (turns 7–12)

• Objective: the Berlin cluster — Wittstock, Templin, Schönefeld, Sperenberg.
• Fly: sustained interdiction of the rear factories/depots (Sperenberg, Schönefeld) to choke red's production; strike the heavy iron (Tu-95/Tu-22M3) on the ground at Sperenberg; keep the SEAD corridor open as the FLOT advances.
• Win when: red's economy is broken and the centre is collapsing.

Phase 4 — Retake Hamburg (parallel with Phase 3)

• Objective: Hamburg (17), the northern shoulder.
• Fly: OCA on Hamburg's MiG-29/Su-25; BAI/CAS on the A24 supply corridor feeding the salient; strangle the air bridge (An-26).
• Win when: Hamburg flips blue and the northern shoulder is secure.

Phase 5 — Open the Straits, liberate Copenhagen (end game)

• Objective: burn the 924th Backfires at Copenhagen, kill the Copenhagen fighter umbrella, then the Baltic SAGs, then take Kastrup (41).
• Fly: the big set-piece — escorted anti-ship/OCA strike across the water with full SEAD and tanker support. This is the campaign's climax.
• Win when: Copenhagen is blue and the Baltic Fleet is neutralized.

Carry this rule through every phase: tempo is ours now. Every turn red gets to re-site SAMs and dig in, the next phase costs more. Keep him reeling.

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6 · Weekly op-night runbook

A repeatable Saturday flow. The mission commander (MC) owns the plan; everyone else fills it.

Before op night (MC, in the Retribution tool):

1. Sync the save, read the SITREP on last turn's debrief / kneeboard cover page (losses, captures, rescues) and the current FLOT.
2. Pick this turn's objective off the phase plan (§5). One main effort, maybe one supporting.
3. Lay the packages (§8): main-effort strike/OCA/DEAD + escort + SEAD + tanker + AWACS, plus a CAS/front package and a Combat SAR alert package if helos are available.
4. Set player slots — assign the human flights to the packages that move the line; let the AI fill BARCAP/filler.
5. Generate the mission. Confirm tanker types match the receivers, AWACS/tanker orbits are on the front anchor, and kneeboards generated.

At the brief (MC, ~10 min): run the §7 template. Use the spoken brief for colour and the visual briefing on screen.

Flight leads: brief your own flight's game plan, comms, and contracts off the package brief.

After the flight (MC): run the §Appendix B debrief, fly the turn forward in the tool, capture the SITREP for next week.

Role slate (assign each op night):

Role	Typical airframe	Job
Mission Commander	any	Owns the plan & timeline
Strike/OCA lead	F-15E / F-4E / A-6E	Puts bombs on the target
DEAD lead	F-16CM Voodoo	Kills the SAMs in the way
SEAD escort	F/A-18C Hornet	Suppresses pop-up threats for the package
CAP/Escort lead	F-14B / F-15C	Owns the air picture, protects the package
CAS/FAC	A-10C / AH-64D	Works the FLOT with the ground commander
King (on-scene cdr)	C-130J	EW/ISR + Combat SAR command (talking player)
Sandy lead	A-10C / AH-64D	Combat SAR rescue escort

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7 · The mission brief template

Copy this for each mission. Fill the brackets. This is the standard package brief — flight leads brief their slice off it. A stripped one-pager is in Appendix A.

========================  RED TIDE — MISSION BRIEF  ========================
OP / TURN / DATE: Red Tide · Turn [N] · 13 JUL 1988 (+[turns])
MISSION #: [____]      OP NIGHT: [date]      MC: [callsign]

1. SITUATION
   Last turn (SITREP): [losses / base captures / rescues from the kneeboard cover]
   FLOT now: [where the front is]
   Enemy: [what red did / is expected to do this sector — see intel §VIII COAs]
   Friendly: [adjacent packages, ground push, who else is airborne]
   Weather / light: [ceiling / vis / wind / day-night]

2. MISSION (who-what-where-when-why)
   "[Package callsign] will [task] [target] vic [location] at [TOT]
    in order to [phase objective — e.g. open the SEAD corridor to Haina]."

3. EXECUTION
   a. Commander's intent / main effort: [the one thing that must happen]
   b. Scheme of maneuver (package flow):
        - Push: [time]   Marshal/IP: [point]   TOT: [time]
        - [Flight] — [role] — [push order, ingress, what they do, egress]
        - [Flight] — [role] — ...
   c. Game plan vs. threats:
        - Air: [CAP contract — who owns BVR, commit/abort criteria, bullseye]
        - SAM: [DEAD/SEAD plan — corridor, route the fixed rings, kill the movers]
        - Floor/ceiling: [hard deck, no-lower-than near the FLOT]
   d. Weapons / loadout per flight: [§12]
   e. Success criteria / abort criteria: [what "done" looks like; when to bug out]

4. COORDINATION & COMMS (§9 card)
   AWACS: [callsign / freq]      Tanker: [callsign / freq / type / track]
   Package freq: [____]   Inter-flight: [____]   Guard: 243.0
   Code words — PUSH: [____]  SUCCESS: [____]  ABORT: [____]  THREAT: [____]
   Bullseye: [name / where]

5. ADMIN & SAR (§11)
   Bingo / Joker: [____]   Divert: [field]
   Combat SAR: King [callsign/freq], Jolly [callsign], Sandy [flight]
   If you eject: [SAR contract — squawk, get to high ground, comms]
   ROE / IFF: [____]

6. CONTINGENCIES ("what if")
   - Tanker no-show: [plan B]
   - SAM corridor closed: [reroute / abort target]
   - Package CAP committed away: [strikers' fallback]
   - Blue air down: [Combat SAR trigger, who covers]
===========================================================================

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8 · Package recipes

Fast templates for building a package in the tool. Scale flight counts to what's available and to the threat. "+tkr/+AWACS" assumed on every offensive package.

Package	Core	Escort	SEAD/DEAD	Notes
DEAD (kill the SAM)	2× F-16CM Voodoo (HARM/Mav)	2× F-14B or F-15C	self-escort + 2× F/A-18C SEAD	The lid-opener. Lead with this into a new sector.
Deliberate strike / OCA	2–4× F-15E or F-4E (PGM/dumb)	2× F-14B TARCAP	2× F/A-18C SEAD escort	Strike the fixed target after the corridor's open.
OCA/Runway (airfield)	F-4E 512th or B-1B	2× F-15C	2× Hornet SEAD	Strangle Haina/Hamburg fields.
BAI / interdiction	2–4× F-15E or F-4E 526th	TARCAP as needed	as needed	Hit convoys/echelons feeding the front — moves the line.
BARCAP / TARCAP	2–4× F-14B / F-15C / JG 74	—	—	Own the air over the sector before strikers push.
CAS / front	A-10C + AH-64D	OH-58D recon/FAC	—	Works the FLOT with the ground commander. Fulda helos are closest.
Enabler hunt (A-50/Il-78)	2× F-14B (long stick)	+2 escort	—	Deliberate, escorted intercept on Schönefeld's high-value enablers.
Anti-ship (Baltic SAGs)	F/A-18C or A-6E (Harpoon)	F-14B escort	Hornet SEAD	End-game; kill Copenhagen fighters first.
Combat SAR (§11)	1× King (C-130J) + 1× Jolly (CH-47F)	2–4× Sandy (A-10C/AH-64D)	—	Stand it up when a pilot is down; can be a standing alert.

Put the C-130J King up on any deep/contested push as the EW/ISR + on-scene commander — it jams, builds the ELINT picture, and is already overhead if someone goes down.

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9 · Comms & code-word card

Fill the blanks per mission; the structure stays constant. Brevity below is the squadron-standard subset — keep it short on the radio.

NETS
  Package (primary) ....... [____]      Guard ................... 243.0 / 121.5
  Inter-flight ............ [____]      SRS (squadron) ......... [____]
  AWACS ("Magic"/[name]) .. [____]      Tanker ([name]) ........ [____]
  King (Combat SAR) ....... [____]      JTAC/FAC ............... [____]

CODE WORDS  (set fresh each mission — these print on the kneeboard cover/game plan)
  PUSH ......... [____]   (commit / start the run-in)
  SUCCESS ...... [____]   (target serviced / objective met)
  ABORT ........ [____]   (knock it off, egress)
  THREAT/TOP .. [____]    (high threat up — defensive)

BULLSEYE: [name] @ [where]    — all BRA/bullseye calls reference this

KEY BREVITY
  PICTURE / DECLARE ... ask AWACS for the air picture / ID a contact
  BOGEY / BANDIT ...... unknown / confirmed hostile
  FOX 1/2/3 ........... SARH / IR / active missile away
  SPIKE / NAILS ....... RWR lock / search emitter (give clock + type)
  MUD [type] .......... surface (SAM) radar on you (give type + direction)
  MAGNUM .............. HARM away (everyone deconflict)
  DEFENDING .......... in a SAM/AAM defensive (drop everything, support)
  WINCHESTER / BINGO . out of weapons / fuel to RTB
  POPEYE ............. in the weather/clouds

Keep Combat SAR on its own contract: the King (C-130J) is a talking player over SRS who runs the on-scene picture. Scripted aids (TACAN beacon, F10 LARS survivor locator) complement his voice — they don't replace it.

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10 · Threat-defeat quick reference

Carry this on the kneeboard. "Defeat" = the practical play in this campaign.

Fighters

Threat	Defeat
MiG-29A	No turn fight (R-73 + HMS out-stick you close in). Kill BVR with AIM-7/120/54, or extend and re-attack. Use AWACS picture; don't merge alone.
Su-27	Long-range R-27ER — respect first-shot range. Crank/notch after your shot; don't drag straight. Numbers + AWACS.
MiG-23MLD / MiG-21bis	GCI-dependent — break the picture (kill A-50, jam) and they go dumb. Dangerous only when vectored in mass.
Su-24M (as SEAD)	It hunts your SAM-killers. Escort the SEAD package; watch your six on the egress.

SAMs — route the fixed, catch the movers

Threat	Defeat
S-300 (SA-10)	Fixed, ~45 nm, all-altitude inside the ring. Don't out-climb it. Route around, terrain-mask, or dedicated DEAD (HARM + standoff). Kill its C2/power to unplug it.
S-200 (SA-5)	Fixed, very long range — keep AWACS/tankers/high-flyers outside the ring.
SA-11 Buk	Mobile ~22 nm, shoots & scoots with the spearhead. Fly today's recon; catch it in transit; pop-up + HARM.
SA-6	Mobile ~13 nm. Same play — don't trust yesterday's picture.
SA-2/SA-3 + KS-19	Fixed belt in depth. Notch, chaff, terrain; HARM if it's in the way.
SA-8/9/13 + ZSU	Mobile low block ~9 nm. Don't loiter low near the FLOT; stay above the gun floor or treetop-fast.

The IADS levers: the dependable one is killing the picture — drop the 1L13 EWRs and the A-50 and the net goes reactive instead of cued (the faction fields both; confirmed). 🟡 The C2/power cells at each base are placed to let you unplug the SAMs wired to them, but that networked behaviour was built against the retired Skynet engine and isn't yet confirmed under the current MANTIS engine — try it, but don't bet a package on it until it's flown.

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11 · Combat SAR — when a pilot goes down

Red Tide has the airframes to fly the 414th's Combat SAR package (the C-130J, CH-47F, A-10C and AH-64D are all in the roster — confirmed), and the design has red race to capture downed aviators. 🟡 Status caveat: Combat SAR is built but still in in-game testing — several of its pieces are UNTESTED on the checklist and the AI auto-rescue actually failed a flight on 2026-06-28 (a fix landed; a re-fly is owed). So fly it, but brief it as a capability we're shaking out, not a guaranteed safety net. The mechanics below are the intended design.

The package: 1 King + 1 Jolly Green + 2–4 Sandy.

• King — C-130J-30 (910th AW). On-scene commander: flies the HC-130 "King" overhead orbit, a TACAN-only air-tracking beacon + F10 LARS survivor locator, and runs the rescue over SRS voice. Also the EW/ISR jammer.
• Jolly Green — CH-47F (5-159) or UH-1H. The rescue helo that picks the survivor up.
• Sandy — A-10C / AH-64D (2–4). Protect the downed pilot, suppress the threats around them, and walk the helo in (the SCAR "Sandy"/RESCAP role).

The capture race: on ejection, a CJTF_RED snatch party may race to seize the survivor.

• Kill the snatch party and a surviving rescue → the aviator is spared at debrief (the airframe is still lost, but you keep the pilot).
• Lose the race → the pilot is CAPTURED, held as a POW at an enemy airfield, and offered back as a CSAR objective. A surviving CSAR raid — or recapturing the field — frees them. A POW abandoned past the 4-turn clock is killed.

AI safety net: with auto_combat_sar on, an AI King + Jolly + 1 Sandy is designed to stand alert and go after downed pilots you don't reach. 🟡 This is the exact path that failed its 2026-06-28 flight (fix landed, re-fly owed) — don't rely on it yet; fly the human SAR package.

Pilot SAR contract (put it in §5 of the brief):

• Eject → get clear, get to high/defensible ground, conserve.
• Comms on the SAR/guard freq; King runs the show — follow his calls.
• Squawk / authenticate per the day's plan.

Stand up a Combat SAR alert package any op night you're pushing into contested airspace — and put the King overhead anyway for the EW/ISR picture, so it's already on station if it's needed.

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12 · Loadout & role pairing notes

General pairing guidance — tune to the threat and what the tool offers per turn.

Role	Airframe(s)	Typical load	Notes
DEAD	F-16CM Voodoo	AGM-88 HARM ×2 + AGM-65 Maverick + AIM-120/9	Kills the SAM. Lead the corridor.
SEAD escort	F/A-18C Hornet	HARM ×2 + AIM-120/7/9	Suppress pop-ups for the package; reactive HARM.
SEAD Sweep	F-4E 480th	HARM/Shrike + AIM-7/9	The Phantom Weasel — corridor sweep.
Strike (PGM)	F-15E, F/A-18C	GBU/Maverick + A2A self-defense	Precision on fixed targets after SEAD.
OCA/Runway	F-4E 512th, B-1B, A-6E	runway-cratering / cluster + dumb	Strangle the fields.
BAI / interdiction	F-15E, F-4E 526th	CBU/Mk-82/Maverick	Convoys & echelons — moves the line.
Air superiority	F-14B, F-15C	AIM-54/7/120 + AIM-9	Long stick. F-14B = your reach.
CAS	A-10C, AH-64D	Mav/Hellfire + gun + rockets	Work the FLOT with the ground cdr.
Sandy (CSAR escort)	A-10C, AH-64D	gun + rockets + Mav/Hellfire	Suppress around the survivor; walk the helo in.
King / EW-ISR	C-130J-30	EW pods (per the C-130 systems)	Jam, ELINT, on-scene SAR command.

Receiver/tanker pairing (don't strand a striker):

• Boom (KC-135): F-16, F-15C/E, A-10, B-1B, B-52H.
• Drogue (KC-135 MPRS): F/A-18C, F-14B, A-6E, Tornado IDS.

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Appendix A — blank one-page brief sheet

Print one per flight lead.

RED TIDE  ·  TURN [__]  ·  MSN #[____]            MC: [______]

CALLSIGN: [______]  AIRFRAME: [______]  #SHIP: [__]  ROLE: [__________]

MISSION: ________________________________________________________________
TARGET / AREA: __________________________  TOT: [______]  PUSH: [______]

ROUTE:  IP [________]  →  TGT [________]  →  EGRESS [________]
HARD DECK: [______]   BINGO: [______]   JOKER: [______]   DIVERT: [______]

THREATS (air): _________________________________________________________
THREATS (SAM): _________________________________________________________
GAME PLAN: _____________________________________________________________

COMMS:  PKG [264.0]  AWACS [251.0]  TKR [______/type]  GUARD 243.0
CODE:   PUSH [____]  SUCCESS [____]  ABORT [____]  THREAT [____]
BULLSEYE: [_____]

LOADOUT: _______________________________________________________________
SAR: King [______]  Jolly [______]  Sandy [______]   If down: ___________
NOTES: _________________________________________________________________

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Appendix B — mission log / debrief sheet

One per mission; feeds next turn's SITREP.

RED TIDE DEBRIEF  ·  TURN [__]  ·  MSN #[____]  ·  [date]

OBJECTIVE THIS TURN: ____________________________________________________
RESULT:  [ ] MET   [ ] PARTIAL   [ ] NOT MET

BLUE LOSSES:  a/c ____  pilots ____ (KIA __ / RESCUED __ / POW __)
RED CLAIMED:  air ____  SAM ____  ground ____  ships ____
BASES:  captured ______________   lost ______________
FLOT MOVEMENT:  ________________________________________________________

WHAT WORKED: ___________________________________________________________
WHAT DIDN'T: ___________________________________________________________
NEXT TURN MAIN EFFORT (per §5 phase plan): _____________________________

OPEN SAR / POW (4-turn clock): _________________________________________

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Companion docs: in-fiction lore & spoken brief → red-tide-intel-assessment.md; picture brief & maps → red-tide-visual-briefing.md. Build/edit notes for the campaign itself → ../dev/design/414th-red-tide-campaign-notes.md. All regiments, callsigns, personalities, and the "ZAPAD" operation name are fiction in the Red Storm Rising tradition and freely editable.

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This page is the online copy of docs/campaigns/red-tide-campaign-handbook.md in the repo. Edit that file; the wiki is mirrored from docs/wiki/ on merge to main.