Last Hope 08 – Line of Fire
OPERATION: LINE OF FIRE
Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 Stars)
Situation Update: The Libyan Standoff
October 26, 1985. The diplomatic channels have gone completely cold. Following the catastrophic destruction of the Soviet Slava-class flagship at the Tunisian choke point, Washington launched an immediate, high-stakes diplomatic offensive to force Libya into signing a separate peace and completely exiting the war. However, despite the heavy losses their air force suffered while assisting the Soviets in the previous days, the Libyan regime has refused to back down. Emboldened by Soviet military advisors and a heavily reinforced air defense network, Colonel Gaddafi has chosen to double down on his hostile stance.
Task Group 41.2, having rapidly replenished fuel, ordnance, and air wing complements at Sicily after the brutal clash with SAG ‘Yug’, has re-deployed to the sector. However, the tactical reality has changed. Due to the severe, lethal threat posed by Libyan mobile ‘Redut’ coastal anti-ship missile sites, your surface fleet is currently pinned down near the southern coast of Sicily, utilizing the island’s terrain and distance to stay out of the enemy’s coastal engagement envelope.
You cannot count on land-based air support from Sicily. Allied air assets on the island remain completely tied down, trading blows with heavy Soviet aviation sorties operating out of Albania. However, Moscow is currently too overstretched by internal chaos to offer direct assistance to Tripoli, leaving Gaddafi to face this looming hammer blow largely on his own. To break the deadlock, Strategic Air Command has routed a massive, two-wave strategic bombing force flying out of bases in France.
The Opportunity:
Intelligence reports indicate a growing tide of civil unrest and political instability brewing within several Soviet republics. While there is no sign yet that this is impacting the stalemate on the Central European front, it confirms that the Kremlin’s domestic grip is fracturing. Knocking Libya out of the conflict right now is critical. Unlike our brutal, grinding experience against the fanatical Cuban forces in the Caribbean, the Pentagon believes that Gaddafi’s inner circle lacks that ideological madness. A swift, devastating showcase of tactical supremacy directly on Tripoli’s doorstep will break the regime’s resolve and force a total Libyan withdrawal from the war. Securing the western basin immediately will allow NATO to shift its naval power eastward and apply decisive pressure on the Soviets’ vulnerable southern flank while they are distracted by internal chaos.
The Strategic Hammer:
With land-based fighter support unavailable, the Pentagon has authorized a brutal, two-phase strategic bombing operation. The first wave consists of four B-52 Stratofortresses carrying secretive AGM-86C CALCM cruise missiles. They will strike from long-range safety to overload the Libyan SAM grid and blind their radar network. Once the airspace is suppressed, a second wave of four B-52s, packed with heavy conventional ordnance, will arrive to systematically flatten the airbase infrastructure. In the meantime, you are tasked with achieving aerial dominance, using A-7s and A-6s to strike smaller targets like mobile ‘Redut’ coastal launchers.
Your Orders:
Admiral, TG 41.2 "Full House", centered around the USS Nimitz, is maintaining strict EMCON near the shores of Sicily. You are entering a multi-layered, four-star tactical nightmare.
Blind the IADS: Locate and destroy the Libyan Integrated Air Defense System command vehicle (KShM) near Mitiga airbase, neutralizing their Chief of Air Defense. Concurrently, you must eliminate the mobile ‘Redut’ coastal launchers along the dunes to restore fleet freedom of maneuver.
Intelligence Report:
Aerial Threat: High. The airspace above Tripoli is highly lethal. Aggressive Libyan Air Force French-made Mirage F1s and high-altitude MiG-25 Foxbat interceptors are actively scrambling out of Mitiga to screen the sector and hunt down our strike packages. Expect highly coordinated electronic warfare and rigid radar discipline from Soviet-trained personnel.
Naval Threat: Severe. The Libyan Navy is deploying aggressive surface elements to intercept our fleet. Expect their Soviet-built ‘Nanuchka’-class missile corvettes and Italian-built ‘Beir Grassa’-class fast attack craft to mount a desperate, head-on charge against your position near Sicily.
Subsurface Threat: Moderate. Intel confirms the presence of Libyan ‘Foxtrot’-class diesel submarines in the theater. However, our anti-submarine patrols have successfully hemmed them in, and they are currently believed to be too far south to pose an immediate threat to the carrier group.
Shore Defenses: Lethal. The western Libyan coastline is heavily fortified. Mobile ‘Redut’ missile sites armed with heavy, supersonic anti-ship missiles threaten any capital ship drawing too close to Tripoli, while a dense network of SA-2, SA-3, and tactical SAMs protects the primary radar installations.
Victory Conditions:
Destroy the Libyan Air Defense Command Vehicle near Mitiga, neutralize all active ‘Redut’ coastal anti-ship missile sites, take out P-14 ‘Tall King’ radar to the east and ensure the survival of the USS Nimitz. Break their wall of fire, Admiral. The path to the Eastern Mediterranean must be opened.
