World War III: Israeli Air Support

World War III: Israeli Air Support By Donald Archer With the release of the Israeli book and forces for World War III: Team Yankee, it felt like the perfect time to explore what support is available for them (and others) when it comes to in the air, and dealing with this threat. Air support in WWIII: Team Yankee can be wildly more destructive than in Flames Of War, yet can be far more easily countered. Most nations have access to at least one aircraft, one helicopter, and a whole host of dedicated AA to boot, focusing on what's in the new Israeli book I'll look at these units in detail, plus a few of my favourites alongside.

Whilst they have a number of force organisations available to them, I'm sure like me, many will be looking at the Merkava tank companies with the sleek design of the tank (and the new kit). Regardless of which company you pick however, you will have a varied number of aerial-related support options to choose from.

M163 VADS The first unit we will take a look at is the M163 VADS AA, a lightly armoured and curious vehicle. The benefit of this vehicle is its very high rate of fire, as a dedicated AA unit, taking 4, or even two of these can put out a number of shots to threaten any aircraft. While the limited range of 20” may not be able to catch every enemy aircraft, and you cannot guarantee an opponent will choose to go near them, you can use these to create an exclusion zone around anything you wish to protect from airborne threats. With this unit I would go for the maximum size, optimising the weight of fire and playing to its strengths.

ZSU-23-4 Shilka The ZSU-23-4 Shilka fulfils a similar role to that of the M163, albeit with a slightly reduced rate of fire and less armour. At first the limited range of these vehicles seems to relegate them to the role above, however they can also serve another role, that of anti-infantry, the high rate of fire can put enough damage through a unit of infantry to beat off an assault or carve through a defensive line. However, they will be sitting ducks for most Anti-armour weapons and will not survive any heavy return fire. Moreover, the ever so slightly higher top armour can give you an edge when fending off smaller man portable artillery such as mortars.

M48 Chaparral Whilst the previous two units rely on weight of fire, the M48 Chaparral SAM is more akin to a sniper. This soft skin 72” vehicle can pick off most aircraft on the table. While it may not be able to fire on the move, this is not an issue and can be mostly left at the rear of the table to target anything that tries to fly by. Whilst not the toughest vehicle by a longshot, firstly you won’t be putting this anywhere near the line of fire if possible, and secondly the vehicle save of an unarmoured unit can often surprise you!

Redeye SAM The Redeye SAM Platoon gives you access to a more conspicuous AA unit. Not being a flashy vehicle or large gun these man-portable units often get overlooked, and this is where their strength lies. Able to slip in and not treated as priority, you can use their respectable 48” range to target and knock out any aircraft that threaten the main body of your infantry, or use them as support for an armoured thrust.

AH-1 Viper (‘Tzefa’) The AH-1 Viper has two loadout variants that we’ll look at together, as the main difference is just the AT rating of their missile. With a respectable AT missile, gatling, and one-shot salvo weapon, it has a balanced loadout able to deal with most units you will find on the battlefield. As a helicopter with a 5+ save though however it will still fall prey to heavy flak and aircraft guns, so as with all air units ensuring its counters are neutralised will help it fulfil its role to the maximum.

AH-64 Cobra (‘Peten’) If you want a gunship that can take more punishment, the AH-64 Cobra is the one for you. With a save and hit rating of 4+ for both, this unit is one the most survivable on the game. With a strong missile and gun, it can get close and deal out a great deal of punishment, though this does not come without a high points cost, so use them wisely as if this unit is knocked out you’ve lost a good chunk of your army list in one go.

Skyhawk Fighter Moving onto the actual airplane available to Israeli forces we are greeted with the Skyhawk fighter. This nimble fighter has similar stats to most but lacks AT missiles to hit armour at range, with a dependable 30mm gun it is still a threat to helicopters but its real party trick is with its cluster bombs. While needing to be much closer than an AT missile, this attacks can target whole groups armour (and anything else) and threaten almost any unit. However, this attack takes it very close to any AA support that has not been neutralised, so be careful and use this unit at the right moment to strike.

Enemy Aircraft Now that we have looked at the aerial units and aerial counters that the Israelis have to offer, lets take a look at some of the aircraft they may have to face on the tabletop, and a few of personal favourites at that.

Viggen I could not help but include the Saab Viggen in this, as a great plane on the tabletop and one of my all-time favourite jets. Whilst for me at least a huge part of their draw is the Delta wing/canard design, the weapons they can bring to table are not to be sniffed at either. The 30mm cannon can threaten most helicopters and the maverick missile can put out of action most tanks in the game, especially hitting side armour with the AT 27 shot. They also have a one-shot salvo attack from the rocket launcher, however, with their aircraft save of 5+ they can be a glass cannon if AA is not neutralised beforehand.

SU-25 The SU-25 does everything the Viggen does but slowed down, and turned up to 11. While easier to hit, the SU-25 has a higher aircraft save allowing to shrug off a great deal higher incoming fire. With a similar loadout of 30mm cannon, AT missiles and rocket launchers it can do better at attacking armour without knocking out the AA first, great if you’re playing it, not so great if you’re playing against it. While better though, that save will still only work half the time so it’s not invulnerable, just tougher than most.

Tornado The final air unit we’ll look at is the Panavia Tornado strike aircraft. While it lacks the survivability of the SU-25, and the missiles of the Viggen, the submunition dispenser can be a powerful threat to any armoured unit, able to hit and penetrate the top armour reliably (as long as you hit), and while it offers no in-game bonus, swing-wing aircraft just look cool!

Final Thoughts In conclusion, I hope this has given you some ideas on how to tailor your support for a new Israeli force, or even just some inspiration on air support for other nations’ forces. For me there’s nothing cooler than air support swooping in on the tabletop, so I may be biased, but I hope you manage to play some games where you get to do just this!

~ Donald