Evan somehow convinced me to play yet another aerial wargame called Missile Threat by Ostfront Publishing. Like most game related things Evan was right. It’s fun. Very fun. As per our usual MO we decided to stoke the flames with a campaign. Missile Threat has a really well conceived Mercenary Air Campaign PDF. It gives you the tools to run and manage your very own group of guns for hire. Evan had jets for the somewhat esoteric and exotic Ogaden War which took place in late 1977 and early 1978 in Ethiopia. Already having minis was a good excuse to use the time frame for our fledgling campaign. Check out our setting article here.

After settling on the Ogaden War for our mercenary campaign Evan set up some appropriate aircraft markets for us and we rolled to populate them. As I was serving the “Soviet backed government” of Ethiopia I was granted access to the Eastern and Black Aircraft Markets. I started with a budget of 160,000,000 Rubles. For those accounting majors out there it’s a 4:1 conversion for Rubles to Dollars in Missile Threat.

Next we each needed a company and pilots. The pilot skills and personalities were rolled randomly believe it or not… We both got hilariously accurate mercenary pilots.

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Every war breeds people who see dollar signs in the destruction. One of these groups is the South Sudan based группа черного потолка – Gruppa Chernogo Potolka (English: Black Ceiling Group). While the central African nation housing their home jungle aerodrome is a bit “turbulent” it undeniably brings the opportunity for work at their doorstep. When tensions flared in nearby Ethiopia it was time for wheels up.

Founded by Kirill Sidorov, an Ex-Soviet fighter pilot, the Black Ceiling Group is an aggressor for hire unit. Small countries’ air forces, such as Ethiopia’s, will pay a small fortune to have unrestricted access to Soviet tactics and to fly against Soviet trained pilots. Over three years Sidorov has slowly expanded the organizations roster, only hiring pilots who would put money on the table. While “in country” training local air units BCG has been known to accept “off the books” sorties from their employers. While far from inexpensive the group’s pilots get results with minimal (ish) collateral damage.

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Starting Pilot Roster

Kirill Sidorov

Callsign: “Букля – Buckle”

Contract Type: Founder

Quality: Competent

Place of Birth: Moscow, Moscow Oblast, Russia

Age: 35

Motivation: Wealth (Connections)

Special Skill: Ironman; Pilot can take three wounds instead of two

Kirill Sidorov enlisted in the Soviet Airforce at age 18 and became an Interceptor pilot flying MiG-21s in Eastern Germany. A keen observer of his surroundings, his Russian military service has taught him one thing, money talks. Those who have more are heard more. A slight man covered in scars, Sidirov has survived two aircraft crashes. Following these incidents his fellow pilots jokingly began calling him “Buckle.” While they poked at him, he was revered for having survived his crashes. He decided to keep the callsign after defecting.

At age 30 he left his post on a transport aircraft to Africa and slipped away once he hit the ground. He was able to secure a MiG-17 from a local warlord/ general in Somalia. He dreams of owning a yacht and retiring to fish on the Mediterranean. He has contacts in Russia which he uses to great effect, making sure his Soviet built planes are in peak condition using “found parts.” As he says, “money talks, no one is unable to be bought.”

Ivan Pankratov

Callsign: “Фотон – Photon”

Contract Type: Founder

Quality: Competent

Place of Birth: Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia

Age: 28

Motivation: Position (High Performer)

Special Skill: Deadeye; +1 to bomb and strafe runs

Like Kirill Sidorov, Ivan Pankrarov enlisted in the Soviet Airforce at age 18. After training he was assigned to fly Su-7B fighter bomber aircraft. Ivan takes particular pride in his ground attack accuracy. He is competitive and enjoyed staying as a (self-proclaimed) top performer in his unit. At age 25 with 7 years of service he found himself disillusioned with Soviet ideals. He didn’t like that “top performers” like himself pulled along all the incompetent pilots to a shared success. He hung up his government issued helmet and began seeking someone who truly appreciated his skill. He met Sidorov at an airfield in Egypt while working for the Egyptian state as a consultant. Kirill was impressed by Ivan’s flying and offered him a position. After a healthy amount of flattery and a promise to make him second in command Ivan accepted. For Ivan earning money is a happy side effect of having people respect and admire him. He figures he can lead a group of pilots better than anyone besides, maybe, his new friend Sidorov.

Alexei Knyazev

Callsign: “Будильник – Alarm Clock”

Contract Type: Founder

Quality: Competent

Place of Birth: Seelow, East Germany

Age: 25

Motivation: Wealth (Status and Cutting Edge)

Special Skill: None

Alexei is the son of a minor Russian official who was stationed in East Germany at the time of his birth. He grew up in relative luxury and has an affinity for fine liquors. Alexei was conscripted into the East German Airforce. He flew a MiG-19 interceptor but was always envious of his Russian counterparts using the latest military hardware. In March of 1976 he was shipped to the Middle East as a MiG-19 trainer and advisor.

One day he stumbled across a uniquely painted SU-7 in a hanger at an Egyptian airbase. While he was studying the plane and its black and red mysterious markings, he was approached by Kirill Sidorov. Sidorov was on a talent scouting venture and he and Alexei struck up a conversation. As it turned out they were both working for the Egyptians as advisors, albeit on different sides of the exercises. Knyazev impressed Sidorov with his ability to handle his older MiG-19 against several Egyptian MiG-17s and MiG 21s. He offered Alexei a job flying the newer, faster Su-11 under the Black Ceiling Group flag. Alexei, excited by the opportunity to fly a newer aircraft, agreed and left with Kirill after the exercises were concluded.

Dmitri Vasiliev

Callsign: “Атропин – Atropine”

Contract Type: Founder

Quality: Average

Place of Birth: Odesa, Odesa Oblast Ukraine

Age: 23

Motivation: Revenge (Avenging Son)

Special Skill: None

Dmitri’s father, Viktor, was a Soviet pilot in the 1950s. He was an “advisor” in Africa and was shot down in Angola and killed by rebels once his feet touched the ground. Dmitri followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the Soviet Airforce as soon as he was old enough. Vasiliev was assigned to an interceptor unit where he flew a Su-11. His military record didn’t show anything special other than a being clearly motivated to move to an advisor role himself. He became impatient, requesting multiple transfers to an African advisory post. He had been denied half a dozen times due to his young age and “lack of experience.”

Six months ago, he went AWOL when visiting his mother who still lives in Angola. He met Sidorov by chance in a dingy bar in Luanda, Angola. The pilots connected over beers and Vasiliev shared his burning desire to use his skills to “make the world right.” After a night of heavy drinking he signed on with BCG in the hope of bombing some rebel encampments to avenge his father. Sidorov promised a slightly used Su-7B, some ordinance, and some lucrative work for the young and angry pilot.

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Starting Plane Roster

Above is the randomly populated starting Eastern Aircraft Market. I was allotted ₽160,000,000 Rubles to start with. I could not spend all ₽160M on planes as ordinance and fuel are recurrent expenses during the campaign. I decided to try to keep 20-25% of my budget for those consumables. You’ll notice some planes have differing prices for the same model. Discounts/ markups were rolled randomly and potentially reflect airframe condition and ease or lack of availability.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 PF

NATO Reporting Name: Fresco – D

Role: Fighter

By 1977 the MiG-17 has developed a reputation for itself based on its use against the Americans in the hands of the North Vietnamese Air Force. While it was introduced in 1952 the Fresco is a sturdy airframe with a trio of 23mm cannons and the ability to carry a pair of bombs. The PF is a radar equipped all-weather version of the MiG-17. It has the range to stay and play with its wingmates with a game range of 9 (9 game turns).

As she’s an older airframe, built in 1954, Sidorov was able to buy this particular Fresco – D off of a Somali General for 22.5 million Rubles. The general didn’t have the resources to keep the plane airborne and ever keen to swing a deal Kirill convinced him to part ways with the MiG. While simple and well worn Sidorov figured the MiG-17 PF fit his tough knife fighter flying style.

Sukhoi Su-7B

NATO Reporting Name: Fitter-A

Role: Fighter Bomber

The Fitter-A was designed as a low altitude interceptor but quickly moved to a more fitting ground attack role. It is rugged but consumes a lot of fuel very quickly. It usually needs to carry external fuel tanks which limits its full payload potential. Optimally it can carry 12 bombs or two K-13 missiles on four hard points. If I can’t afford missiles or have dropped all my ordinance the Su-7B has two 30mm cannons for some close range punch. I was able to pick one up for 33.6 million Rubles and a second one for 36 million Rubles. They should serve Black Ceiling well as designated ground hitters as well as being able to tangle with enemy fighters.

Sukhoi Su-11

NATO Reporting Name: Fishpot-C

Role: Interceptor

The Su-11 is essentially an upgrade to the older Sukhoi Su-9. It has a longer body to accommodate a larger more powerful engine which gives it the “powerful” trait in game. It has the least range of my starting line up at range 4. While it’s very fast and relatively new it doesn’t have a cannon and thus relies on missiles. Missiles aren’t cheap and the Fishpot could be a pricy aircraft to fly and fight with. Hopefully the pilot is a good shot with his missiles before it’s time to turn and burn. Basically the idea is to run in, fire missiles before anyone can stop it, and run home quickly before it runs out of fuel. An interesting addition to my roster indeed…

Next Moves

I am pretty happy with my pilots. Three of the four are rated as competent which is the 2nd highest level of training. They also have personalities that fit for a merc outfit. Money, fame, revenge. Black Ceiling will be a tough contender (or get blown out of the sky trying.)

My planes are unsurprisingly Soviet and offer a decent starting point with good air to air fighters and decent ground attack assets in the Su-7Bs. The MiG-17 is a slow but nimble fighter. With Sidorov at the controls will be a tough nut to crack, having an extra two wounds between pilot and plane. The Su-11 was an interesting choice for me but I wanted something fast to swoop in and swat any encroaching aircraft. Time will tell if that was a good decision or not.

My plan is to print and paint my starting aircraft and a pair of Somali MiGs. I want to run a few missions before our mercenaries find themselves in the same patch of sky. Luckily Missile Threat has solo rules for just such an occasion. Stay tuned for an update on the aircraft in the near (ish?) future. I need to finish my Adepticon obligations first. Vegetables before pie!