On this page
Unfamiliar word? Select a dotted-underlined term for its meaning.
Read it in ASMA
- Once an ordinary operational session opens, select ASMA or press M with the default bindings. Training uses the lesson’s Objectives panel instead of a handover brief.
- Choose YOU and find HANDOVER BRIEF. It is a coaching message, so it can be hidden by an aircraft or ATC filter.
- Check whether the text refers to the current situation or your last session. The previous-session assessment describes earlier play.
- Read the current threats, active aircraft, support aircraft, radars, airspace and supplies. Open the relevant panel for anything requiring action.
- Compare the summary with the current picture before giving an order. The brief is a snapshot from when it was written; it does not continuously rewrite itself.
Turn the summary into useful checks
| The brief mentions… | Check next |
|---|---|
| Aircraft already flying | Use ACTIVE OPS for their current tasks, fuel and status. Select the right communications channel for the flight you are following. |
| A hostile, suspect or unidentified track | Read the identity letter, its information and the identification procedure. The message is not a substitute for checking the track. |
| A radar or coverage problem | Use the radar-site controls and the AWACS checks to establish what is reporting. |
| Airspace restrictions | Read the airspace status and controls. A summary line does not close or reopen the airspace. |
| Fuel, weapons or aircraft readiness | Use the base resources, ground servicing and supply procedures. |
Why a new session says the picture is building
At the start of a new session, the brief allows for radar sweeps still building the picture. A loaded session can already have tracks and aircraft in progress. Use the first-session checks for a new watch and the load checks when resuming one.
Use the assessment of your last session
The brief can refer to earlier identification, threat response or use of support aircraft. Pick the matching guide and review that procedure. A comment about an earlier session is not a new aircraft task, and its summary figures should not be treated as a complete item-by-item score statement.
Why an earlier session may not be mentioned
The game keeps a summary of qualifying activity, not a transcript of every menu visit. A very short or inactive session may not replace the previous summary. Check the wording before assuming it describes the session you have just closed.
What about Basic Training?
The normal handover message is suppressed while a training session is active. Follow the lesson instructions and objectives instead. A missing HANDOVER BRIEF in training does not mean the lesson failed to start.
If the brief disagrees with the game
Check when it was posted, whether you are reading a previous-session section and whether the world has moved on. If it is wrong immediately after starting or loading, capture the full message, affected track or base and the original save for a report.
SHIFT HANDOVER is a different report
At the start of an ordinary new watch, ASMA → INTEL can contain SHIFT HANDOVER. It says that some contacts have already been marked A — Assumed Friendly — and that the remaining contacts need identification. Check their current letters and information rather than marking every contact A.
This is separate from HANDOVER BRIEF under YOU. It is not a new aircraft order or proof that the whole air picture is friendly. If a contact still needs investigation, follow the normal identification checks.