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  FINNMARK HOLDING ACTION / MISSION 01 (M01)
  THE BALLOON GOES UP
  PILOT BRIEFING: NATO UNCLASSIFIED // RELEASABLE TO ASSIGNED AIRCREW
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Distribution: Aircrew & flight leads: read prior to step / engine start.
ATO reference: Finnmark M01 (spin as issued by Banak DO).

1. SITUATION
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Date/Time:   14 March 1996, first light (~0730 local); Zulu as per kneeboard card.
Weather:    Twilight; low overcast ~6,000 ft; freezing fog in valleys;
            visibility about 5 km; temperature about −5 °C.

Border posts at Storskog have gone dark. Early warning is painting large
Russian air transport movement from the Kola. This is a major incursion,
not a probe.

Reinforcement from outside theatre is days or weeks away. Your task is to
buy time: blunt the leading edge, support the Tana Bru fight, and attrit
the vanguard of the 200th Motor Rifle Brigade pushing west on Highway E6.

Rule of engagement (summary): fight on NORWEGIAN soil only. Do not cross
into the USSR / Kola bases. Escalation into strategic targets is off the
table; keep the war conventional and contained.


2. MISSION
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Commander's intent:
  • Clear enemy forces holding Tana Bru so friendly engineers can demolish
    the bridge.
  • Simultaneously, strike and delay the enemy armoured vanguard on E6.

Success is measured by bridge clearance / demolition and disruption of the
lead enemy battalion, not by holding every grid indefinitely.


3. TASKING
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FAST / Perseus flight (F-16C Viper x2)
  Callsigns:  Perseus 1-1, Perseus 1-2
  Base:       Banak Air Station (hot crew / strip alert as posted).
  Loadout:    AIM-120B x 2, AIM-9M x 2, CBU-97 x 4,
              ECM pod x 1, Fuel Tank Wing x 2,
              Litening Pod x 1
  Other available weapons: CBU-87, AGM-65D, AGM-65H
  Concept:    BAI: maintain SA on IADS (SA-10 arc to the east, SA-11
              with the vanguard). Terrain-mask and altitude discipline:
              stay low to limit exposure to long-range SAMs; remain outside
              SA-11 WEZ unless cleared by Overlord. Rearm and execute SEAD
              if impossible to strike Vanguard

ROTARY / Reaper flight (AH-64D x2)
  Callsigns:  Reaper 1-1, Reaper 1-2
  Base:       FARP ALFA (south of Tana Bru; grid on your map folio).
  Recommended load: Hellfire, 2.75 in rockets, 30 mm per armament card.
  Concept:    Close fight at the bridge; expect MANPADS and SHORAD in the
              VDV objective area.


4. ENEMY (INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY, AS OF H-6)
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Objective ALPHA: Vanguard (200th MRB lead)
  Armoured battalion tactical group on E6 (west from Kirkenes direction).
  Tanks, BMP, Shilka; SA-11 battery may trail the column (expect emitters
  when you are within their engagement envelope).

Objective BRAVO: Tana Bru (VDV)
  Strongpoint on/near the bridge: IFVs, infantry, SA-9, Igla teams.
  Expect SHORAD around the objective.

Red rotary QRF
  Possible Mi-24 / Mi-8 VDV reinforcement or CAS from the Luostari
  complex. Low-level, fast approach toward Tana Bru is the likely profile.

Fixed-wing Red air
  MiG-29 / Su-25 activity from Severomorsk-3 is possible along the
  battlespace; coordinate with friendly CAP and Overlord for picture
  updates.

Logistics / rear area
  Large soft-skinned convoys and division-level sustainment traffic are
  reported northeast of the vanguard. A second F-16 cell from Banak is
  tasked under the same ATO against that depth target set; deconflict
  altitudes and timings on the strike freq or via Overlord.


5. FRIENDLY FORCES (COORDINATION)
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  • Norwegian CAP: standing fighter cover from Banak; expect blue
    fighters on station or rotating through the CAP points on your chart.
  • AWACS: E-3 Sentry (callsign Overlord); mission control and fighter
    control from the Bardufoss tasking line.
  • Strike coordination: Banak F-16 package in the same time block is
    executing interdiction against Red logistics and rear-area movement.
    Stay clear of their ingress/egress corridors unless cleared.
  • Swedish Air Force: CAP and barrier patrol on their side of the border;
    do not cross into Swedish airspace without explicit clearance.


6. COMMS / DATALINK
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  AWACS (Overlord):  251.000 MHz AM
  (Secondary / strike coordination as on ATO card.)

7. REARM / RESUPPLY
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Battle damage and bingo fuel: recovery at Banak. Munitions availability
as of this brief:
A/A missiles
  AIM-120B, AIM-9M
Unguided bombs
  CBU-97, CBU-87, Mk 82 (additional Mk 82 tails reported en route)
A/G missiles
  AGM-88C, AGM-65D

8. ADMIN
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  • Expect degraded weather and short visual ranges under the deck.
  • S2/S3 hold at Banak ops for last-minute changes to aimpoints or
    restricted areas.

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  END OF BRIEFING / GOOD LUCK, PERSEUS / REAPER
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