AV-8B Harrier Assault
Encyclopedia
AV-8B Harrier Assault is a combat flight simulator
/realtime strategy game developed by Simis
and first published by Domark
in 1992.
The game is set in a fictional conflict between US forces and the Indonesia
n army occupying East Timor
. A battlegroup
led by USS Tarawa
is diverted from a navy exercise along with its escorts and is ordered to aid the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) Marine units engage the Indonesian forces and occupy the island. The carrier group is equipped with a squadron of 16 AV-8B Harrier II
jets, a number of CH-46 Sea Knight
and CH-53 Sea Stallion
helicopters stationed on Tarawa and the escort vessels and a brigade of AAV-7A1 Amphibious Assault Vehicles, tanks and support vehicles aiding the marines and the special forces units.
The game is a cross between a real time strategy game and a flight simulator. Players can literally completely ignore one of the elements and either play a pure real-time strategy game controlling the forces as the battle plan progresses, or alternatively participate only in combat, flying the AV-8B Harrier missions. In practice however, tweaking the battle plan is essential as enemy re-enforcements or lost ground battles can affect the plan as a whole. Similarly, flying some missions is essential, e.g. intercepting C-130 planes carrying enemy reinforcements, something that the game's AI cannot handle properly. Otherwise, enemy forces may overwhelm their target and re-establish control of strategic locations.
The game starts in the Tarawa command center where a battle plan can be designed on the area maps. Player are given the choice of creating their own battle plans or loading the Ocean Sabre plan in the Tactical Amphibious Warfare Data System (TAWADS), containing navy/army deployments and operations spanning a five day period. The battle plan contains every movement of the navy, army and aerial unit planned for every stage of the operation and it needs to take into account all expected enemy strength at various points in the operation area (cities, villages, airports, fuel dumps, etc.). When the battle plan initiates the first combat flying mission becomes available, where the player can attack a number of targets on the island. As the game progresses new missions become available, ranging from bombing enemy bases and vehicles, reconnaissance, air superiority, interception and close air support of friendly units. The game ends when all enemy forces are destroyed and all strategic locations are occupied by friendly forces.
The game's flight simulator quite convincingly portrays the flying characteristics of an AV-8B Harrier II
jet. The fighter plane can take off horizontally or vertically (when payload permits) from the deck of the USS Tarawa
and land vertically when the mission ends. Inside the cockpit, the HUD
and MFD
provide combat information of enemy units along with aircraft and mission data and the point of view
can be rotated left, right and back. There are two external camera views, one following the plane and a stationary flyby camera view, which displays a view of the aircraft as it speeds past the camera.
A variety of weaponry is available to load before each mission, ranging from air-to-air AIM-9 Sidewinder
missiles to air-to-ground GBU-12 Paveway II
bombs, MK-20 Rockeye II
cluster bombs, Hydra
rockets, AGM-88 HARM
and AGM-65 Maverick
missiles. The fighter is also equipped with a GAU-12 Equalizer
25mm gatling cannon which can pack a devastating blow to almost all ground and air targets.
Combat flight simulator
Combat flight simulators are video games used to simulate military aircraft and their operations...
/realtime strategy game developed by Simis
Simis
Simis was a computer game development company founded by Jonathan Newth,Chris Tubbs, Dave Payne and Ian Baverstock in 1989. In 1995 Simis merged with Eidos Technologies, Domark and Big Red Software to form the Eidos Interactive group....
and first published by Domark
Domark
Domark Software was a video games software house based in the United Kingdom. The name was derived from the given names of its founders, Dominic Wheatley and Mark Strachan...
in 1992.
Setting and gameplay
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n army occupying East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
. A battlegroup
Carrier battle group
A carrier battle group consists of an aircraft carrier and its escorts, together composing the group. The first naval task forces built around carriers appeared just prior to and during World War II. The Imperial Japanese Navy was the first to assemble a large number of carriers into a single...
led by USS Tarawa
USS Tarawa (LHA-1)
USS Tarawa is a United States Navy amphibious assault ship, the lead ship of her class, and the second ship to be named for Tarawa Atoll, site of a Marine landing during World War II. The first Tarawa was the...
is diverted from a navy exercise along with its escorts and is ordered to aid the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) Marine units engage the Indonesian forces and occupy the island. The carrier group is equipped with a squadron of 16 AV-8B Harrier II
AV-8B Harrier II
The McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II is a second-generation vertical/short takeoff and landing ground-attack aircraft. An Anglo-American development of the British Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the Harrier II is the final member of the Harrier family that started with the Hawker Siddeley P.1127 in...
jets, a number of CH-46 Sea Knight
CH-46 Sea Knight
The Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight is a medium-lift tandem rotor transport helicopter, used by the United States Marine Corps to provide all-weather, day-or-night assault transport of combat troops, supplies and equipment. Assault Support is its primary function, and the movement of supplies and...
and CH-53 Sea Stallion
CH-53 Sea Stallion
The CH-53 Sea Stallion is the most common name for the Sikorsky S-65 family of heavy-lift transport helicopters. Originally developed for use by the United States Marine Corps, it is also in service with Germany, Iran, Israel, and Mexico...
helicopters stationed on Tarawa and the escort vessels and a brigade of AAV-7A1 Amphibious Assault Vehicles, tanks and support vehicles aiding the marines and the special forces units.
The game is a cross between a real time strategy game and a flight simulator. Players can literally completely ignore one of the elements and either play a pure real-time strategy game controlling the forces as the battle plan progresses, or alternatively participate only in combat, flying the AV-8B Harrier missions. In practice however, tweaking the battle plan is essential as enemy re-enforcements or lost ground battles can affect the plan as a whole. Similarly, flying some missions is essential, e.g. intercepting C-130 planes carrying enemy reinforcements, something that the game's AI cannot handle properly. Otherwise, enemy forces may overwhelm their target and re-establish control of strategic locations.
Flight Simulator
AV-8B Harrier II
The McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II is a second-generation vertical/short takeoff and landing ground-attack aircraft. An Anglo-American development of the British Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the Harrier II is the final member of the Harrier family that started with the Hawker Siddeley P.1127 in...
jet. The fighter plane can take off horizontally or vertically (when payload permits) from the deck of the USS Tarawa
USS Tarawa (LHA-1)
USS Tarawa is a United States Navy amphibious assault ship, the lead ship of her class, and the second ship to be named for Tarawa Atoll, site of a Marine landing during World War II. The first Tarawa was the...
and land vertically when the mission ends. Inside the cockpit, the HUD
Head-Up Display
A head-up display or heads-up display is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints...
and MFD
Multi-function display
A Multi-function display is a small screen in an aircraft surrounded by multiple buttons that can be used to display information to the pilot in numerous configurable ways. Often an MFD will be used in concert with a Primary Flight Display. MFDs are part of the digital era of modern planes or...
provide combat information of enemy units along with aircraft and mission data and the point of view
Point of view shot
A point of view shot is a short film scene that shows what a character is looking at . It is usually established by being positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction...
can be rotated left, right and back. There are two external camera views, one following the plane and a stationary flyby camera view, which displays a view of the aircraft as it speeds past the camera.
A variety of weaponry is available to load before each mission, ranging from air-to-air AIM-9 Sidewinder
AIM-9 Sidewinder
The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried mostly by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. The missile entered service with United States Air Force in the early 1950s, and variants and upgrades remain in active service with many air forces...
missiles to air-to-ground GBU-12 Paveway II
GBU-12 Paveway II
The GBU-12 PAVEWAY II laser-guided bomb is an American aerial bomb, based on the Mk 82 500-pound general-purpose bomb, but with the addition of a nose-mounted laser seeker and fins for guidance. A member of the PAVEWAY series of weapons, PAVEWAY II entered into service c. 1976. It is currently in...
bombs, MK-20 Rockeye II
CBU-100 Cluster Bomb
The CBU-100 Cluster Bomb is an American cluster bomb which is employed primarily in an anti-tank mode. It weighs 490 pounds and carries 247 Mk 118 Mod 1 bomblets....
cluster bombs, Hydra
Hydra 70
The Hydra 70 rocket is a weapon derived from the 70 mm Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket developed by the United States Navy for use as a free-flight aerial rocket in the late 1940s.-Overview:...
rockets, AGM-88 HARM
AGM-88 HARM
The AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile is a tactical, air-to-surface missile designed to home in on electronic transmissions coming from surface-to-air radar systems. It was originally developed by Texas Instruments as a replacement for the AGM-45 Shrike and AGM-78 Standard ARM system...
and AGM-65 Maverick
AGM-65 Maverick
The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground tactical missile designed for close-air support. It is effective against a wide range of tactical targets, including armor, air defenses, ships, ground transportation and fuel storage facilities....
missiles. The fighter is also equipped with a GAU-12 Equalizer
GAU-12 Equalizer
The General Dynamics GAU-12/U Equalizer is a five-barrel 25 mm Gatling gun-style rotary cannon. The GAU-12/U is used by the United States, Italy and Spain, which mount the weapon in their fighter jets such as the AV-8B Harrier II, airborne gunships such as the Lockheed AC-130, and land-based...
25mm gatling cannon which can pack a devastating blow to almost all ground and air targets.