In the previous AGM-154A JSOW video, we looked at the employment process. In this video, we’ll go a bit more into what type or target you would use it for.
The primary task would be against air defense sites, and to a lesser degree unarmored and light-armored targets. The AGM-154A is a great Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses (DEAD) weapon, whereas the AGM-88C HARM is a Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) weapon.
Although it can be effective against lightly armored vehicles like APCs, IFVS, and self-propelled artillery, heavily armored targets, like main battle tanks, are best attacked with Mavericks and sensor fused munitions like the CBU-97 and CBU-105 (coming in August).
Introducing DCS: Mi-24P Hind and new free map DCS: Marianas by Eagle Dynamics.
DCS World
AI refueling. AI Dropping basket often and sometimes gets stuck - fixed.
AI refueling. JF-17 refueling procedure corrected.
DCS: Mi-24P by Eagle Dynamics
Fixed several crashes
Added RU and EN voiceovers to ATGM training mission
Fixed: No control from front seat in multicrew
Petrovich AI: added commands, subtitles and delay.
Petrovich AI: added subtitles for RoE state change
Petrovich AI: added ASO-2 automatic SET switch for countermeasures cassettes
Fixed: IA "Syria: H-4 Take Down" spawn point
Fixed: Player on commander place loses control after firing ATGM from operator place
Fixed: adjusted engines throttle and correction sync in multicrew
ASO-2 default state changed to - Interval:2, Series:4, Both SIdes ON, SET I
Default weapons presets were adjusted and updated
Fixed: If ATGM launch button used out of LA zone, Pilot's LA sound disappear
Fixed: RI-65 does not warn about generator failure
Fixed: ZPU-24 AP route azimuth rotary 40 increment block
FIxed: emergency stores release logic
Fixed: Multi monitor setup Petrovich AI interface placement
Fixed: FWD cockpit ARC-15 channel switch inverted
Ammo counter panel implemented
Fixed: sight doors and headlight sync for multicrew
Separate commands for OBSERVE ON and OFF added
Fixed: launch permission sound stays after missile was launch
Fixed: Fuel Delimiter Valve indication inverted
Fixed: incorrect KMGU indication
Fixed: Indicator "APU ON" not operational on electrical panel
Russia liveries added to USSR
Petrovich AI: added maximum altitude limit
Petrovich AI: added distance check for ATGM launch. Dynamic error +/- 300m. When in range subtitle will appear. (WIP)
Fixed: Countermeasures used by Operator in multicrew desync
Fixed: ATGM sight renders at the center of multi monitor setup
Adjusted textures for lighting
Petrovich AI: added subtitle about "Simplified AI" active state
Fixed: countermeasures not working after rearming
Fixed: 2UT-6K Gas Temperature gauge scale adjusted
Fixed: second row of signal flares order inverted
Fixed: AFT cockpit PO-750 Inverter Switch, Flips FWD cockpit Explosion on Jettison Cover
Adjusted several keybinds duplicates
Fixed: RPM decrease command not working if mapped
Fixed: Hover and low-speed indicator not showing vertical speed
KMGU-2: adjusted circuits logic and drop interval
Fixed: While in ATGM sight activating Petrovich AI is blocking mouse controls
Course set rotary speed adjusted
Fixed: Spinning fan is present on ALT+F1 view
ASP-17 Test function adjusted (WIP)
Known issues:
Engines are not starting up for Operator at Cold start if operator joined before engines start.
If Operator in cockpit and rearming of ATGMs is done then Operator losing launch authorization tone.
To avoid these issues second player as Operator should join Mi-24P after its engines are running and weapons are rearmed.
DCS AV-8B N/A by RAZBAM Simulations
Fixed: Flare Salvo release is too fast.
Fixed: TPOD Laser safes itself when slewing with the TDC.
Fixed: TPOD Laser keeps firing indefinitely. Now it safes itself after 2 minutes.
Fixed: TOO target cannot be selected for JDAM.
Fixed: JPT Limiter not operating correctly in some cases.
Fixed: MFS fuel flow metering not being limited correctly in some cases.
Fixed: KC-130 crew are visible when not used or as static AI.
Fixed: Invisible SEL buttons under clouds.
WIP: MPCDs text visibility.
DCS M-2000C by RAZBAM Simulations
Fixed: Fixed CAD AR waypoint display on VTB
Fixed: Smoke trigger
Fixed: VTB loadout display for pylons 6&7
Fixed: DEC locked on the ground
Fixed: Fuse Switching
Fixed: GBU Laser code not updating in kneeboard.
Fixed: smoke generators accounting as charges.
Added: Show pilot body at startup if DCS MISC option is set.
DCS: C-101 Aviojet by AvioDev
Added a fix that prevents from reaching other seat clickable elements with any position of the camera set in the cockpit.
Extended 6DOF head movement limits in the cockpit.
Fixed DF/test tone aerial transmission in multicrew for ARC-164, V/TVU-740, and VHF-20B. It will start working in a forthcoming DCS version.
Fixed “autotrim due to airbrake movement” function, which was broken in previous update.
Engine anti-ice is now synchronized in multicrew.
Stall test is now synchronized in multicrew.
Mirror position is now synchronized in multicrew.
Fuel used digital counter reset is correctly initialized when entering the second seat, and is not synchronized with the forward seat counter anymore.
DCS JF-17 by Deka Ironwork Simulations
Fixed incorrect DTT hpt/spt switch after missile launch
DCS: F/A-18C Hornet by Eagle Dynamics
Fixed: Radar issue when low priority (5th) target locked in TWS
Fixed: Locking/unlocking jamming target resets radar to 160nm
Fixed: A2A Radar elevation moves up and down without input while trying to move the azimuth
Fixed: Attack page bullseye to L&S BRA changes with range scale
Fixed: Check FPAS Behaviour above M 0.9 - should not show range at current mach and altitude
Fixed: Clouds: In F/A-18 CASE II Training missions carrier fully is covered by clouds
HUD NIRD circle readability improvement
Updated: FA18C Hornet QS Missions - clouds update
Added: DCS: F/A-18C Normandy FA-18C-Armed Recce mission
Added: 3 Marianas Instant Action Missions
DCS: F-16C Viper by Eagle Dynamics
Fixed: TWS showing two ranges on top of each other in MFD
Fixed: RADAR Cone in HSD extends to infinity
Fixed: Dogfight Mode not in NO RAD
Fixed: EXP Mode shouldn't have Azimuth Lines
Added: Marianas Instant action missions
DCS: Mi-8MTV2 Magnificent Eight
Fixed: Mi-8MTV2 can raise a heavy cargo without increasing collective
DCS: Combined Arms by Eagle Dynamics
Replaced engine sound for MLRS "Uragan"
Fixed: desync tracks if the player used an isometric view.
Fixed: indication of readiness for launch on VAB Mephisto
Added: inertia after critical damage - Moving vehicles will gradually roll to a stop after critical damage received
DCS: F-14 Tomcat by Heatblur Simulations
Ranges and range rate gates are now displayed on the DDD in STT modes
Adjusted Altitude Hold PID controllers
Fixed radio guard modulation - now AM is in the 225-400 range
JESTER will no longer report its own missiles
Fixed JESTER menu showing incorrect selected destination waypoint
Changed emergency hydraulics handpump - handpump is now automatic when clicked and held
Handpump pressure contribution adjusted - you now need to pump much more for the same amount of pressure
Removed unused options when displaying Jester BVR menu in STT modes
Fixed TWS PH TID targets not blinking on multicrew pilot side when approaching launch zone
Fixed Datalink waypoints not showing information on TID when hooked
Added JESTER option to set aspect switch, defaults to nose
Tweaked ACLS to better handle the carrier burble (further tweaking required)
Tuned down the intensity of the turbulence in the carrier burble
Reduced burble vertical reach
Own lat and lon from CAINS is displayed also before the INS switch is moved into INS
Added two new liveries from livery competition by Schmoo
Campaigns
DCS: F/A-18C Rising Squall Campaign by INVERTED
M02. Reset pre-recorded control for AAR.
M05. Fixed a bug causing the mission to finish at start.
M08. Reset pre-recorded control for AAR.
We are pleased to present the progress to the engines, transmission and rotor head. As you can imagine, the propulsion system will be visible when the fuselage is damaged during combat or when under maintenance.
The twin 2,400 hp Klimov TV3-117VMA turboshaft engines are mounted high on the fuselage above the wings. Note how the semicircular air intakes and exhausts are turned outward and the level of detail the modellers have put into these components. Everything is being recreated using exact drawings to a real-world scale.
Perhaps one of the most complex and confusing aspects of operating the Hornet is correct use of the air-to-air radar. The APG-73 is a mechanically scanned, pulse Doppler radar that is not a magic sensor that detects anything in front of it. Rather, there are several factors that determine what it can detect.
Many of these same principles will also apply to the F-16 radar.
RANGE
It probably goes without saying, but the range setting simply sets the scale of the radar format, it does not affect the actual range at which the radar can detect a contact. If you wish to display a target at 40 nm for instance, you will need to have the scale of the radar set to at least 40 nm.
AZIMUTH
Because the radar searches in front of your aircraft in a cone pattern, with you at the pointy end, contacts left or right of the cone will not be detected. To detect such contacts, you can either increase the azimuth setting of the radar, and thereby increasing your scan volume, or slewing the radar azimuth to the selected location of the contact.
If you increase the azimuth though, recognize that contact updates will be slower. Combined with a low target aging setting, the contact will disappear.
BAR
The bar setting controls the total vertical scan volume of the radar, and this can be 1, 2, 4 and 6 bars in a repeating raster scan. A 1 bar setting provides the fastest contact updates, but the smallest vertical scan volume, whereas a 6 bar setting results in the lowest contact updates but the largest vertical scan volume. Just like the azimuth setting, a large volume can result a dropped contacts when combined with a low target aging selection.
TARGET AGING
If a contact is not detected in the set target ageing time, it will be removed from the radar format. So, if you searching a large volume based on azimuth and bar, contacts can easily disappear from the display because they have aged out.
You may find that 16 or 32 works best for you when searching a large volume.
ELEVATON
Just as with the azimuth setting, the contact will also have to be vertically within the acquisition cone volume of the radar. If a contact is above or below the cone, it would not be detected. To solve this, you can either increase the bar setting to increase vertical scan area or tilt the radar up or down with the elevation control.
PRF
The radar can operate in three pulse repetition frequency, or PRF, modes.
In High mode, the radar is putting out the most energy and is best at detecting closing, high aspect contacts at long range. However, High is greatly limited at detecting low closure contacts that are flying away or perpendicular to you.
Medium mode has less detection range against high closure contacts flying toward you, compared to the High, but it is superior at detecting contacts at low closure rates with lower aspect.
Interleaved alternates High and Medium PRF in each bar of the raster scan and is thus a compromise between the two.
Given this, optimal detection range is based on expected contact aspect / closure rate and then matching that with the best PRF. So, for a likely contact flying at you, select High, for a contact beaming you are away, select Medium, and if you have no idea, go for Interleaved.
NOTCHING
When a contact is below you and flying near-perpendicular to your flight path, there is no Doppler shift difference between the contact and the ground, and the contact can be lost. This is termed the look down Doppler notch.
For optimal detection range and maintaining a track, a look up scenario is your best bet. However, this needs to be balanced with the advantages that a medium to high altitude missile shot affords.
RADAR CROSS SECTION
The Radar Cross Section, or RCS, is the radar return value of the aircraft. These can vary based on shaping, materials, intake shape, and more. For aircraft with no RCS-specific reductions, it often comes down to the general size of the aircraft.
Given this, in general, large aircraft like bombers, tankers, and AWACS, will have a much larger RCS value than a small fighter like an F-16 or MiG-29.
The higher the RCS value of the contact, the further out you’ll be able to detect it.
DATALINK
To make things a bit more complicated, let’s also throw datalink into the mix.
When in Latent Track While Scan or Track While Scan modes, the position of friendly, unknown, and hostile contact symbols can also appear on your radar format.
An AWACS datalink contact is indicated as a small diamond that you cannot not lock on to because your radar does not see it.
When performing a cold and dark start up of the Hornet, you will want to perform a JHMCS alignment for best HMD accuracy. This is not though needed for a Hot Start or Air Start.
I hope this video will be useful in understanding the BIT TEST, coarse alignment, and fine alignment process.
Based on our roadmap, we are pleased to announce that the Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD), or “Wick-Mid”, will be coming to DCS: F-16C Viper later this summer.
The WCMD is cluster munition that will correct for wind effects and errors during a ballistic fall and turns a "dumb" cluster munition into an accurate "smart" weapon. With the addition of this weapon, you will be able to independently assign multiple WCMDs to targets in a single pass (using multiple steerpoints as targets). WCMD versions include the CBU-103 with 202 BLU-97B submunitions and the CBU-105 with 10 BLU-108 Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SFW) submunitions.
In this video, we’ll look at the AGM-154A Joint Standoff Off Weapon, or JSOW, for the Viper. The JSOW is an unpowered glide bomb that weighs approximately 1,000lbs. It has a range of up to 70 miles depending on launch altitude and airspeed. It is a fire-and-forget weapon that uses INS and GPS to reach its designated Sensor Point of Interest (SPI) target. Check out DCS: F-16C Viper | JSOW.
DCS: F/A-18C Hornet - Development Progress
Perhaps one of the most complex and confusing aspects of operating the Hornet is correct use of the air-to-air radar. We hope this video will provide you a better understanding and more successful use of this radar. DCS: F/A-18C Hornet | AA Radar Use.
When performing a cold start, the JHMCS will now require alignment. This must be completed to avoid alignment issues with the symbology. If you are performing an auto start, the alignment will be completed for you.
As the new process is mandatory on cold start, we have added a new tutorial outlining the JHMCS alignment procedure, check out DCS: F/A-18C Hornet | HMD Alignment.
NASAMS - New Ground Unit
NASAMS is a Norwegian-developed, medium-range SAM system that was introduced in the mid 1990s. Utilising the proven AIM-120 AMRAAM missile, and combined with a MPQ-64 Sentinel 3D radar, it presents a formidable threat to aircraft and helicopters at low- and medium-altitudes.
A typical battery consists of 3 launchers, each with 6 missiles, a radar unit, and an FDC fire control unit. NASAMS is in service with a number of countries, including the USA. It is notably used to protect high value targets such as the White House in Washington DC.
This ground unit is now available in the latest Open Beta update.
In earlier videos, we looked at the range while search and track while scan radar modes of the Hornet, but today I want to discuss the three RAID submode. These are handy to break out contacts within a radar resolution cell and alert of you contacts around your L&S or STT target.
We will talk about Scan RAID, RAID SAM, and 1 Look RAID modes.
SCAN RAID
Scan RAID mode is your RAID mode used when in the Track While Scan, or TWS, radar acquisition mode.
This mode focuses the TWS scan volume into a smaller three-bar, 10 nm by 22-degree area that provides a faster update rate. In addition to providing faster contact updates, may also breakout targets within a resolution cell.
Once a contact has been designated as the L&S, pressing the RAID/HARM Sequence/FLIR FoV switch on the left throttle activates Scan RAID mode. The B-Sweep line is locked to the L&S azimuth and SCAN RAID appears at the bottom of the attack radar display.
The scan centers on the L&S and it cannot be adjusted.
Trackfiles and raw hits continue to be displayed but cannot be designated.
To exit Scan Raid mode, press the RAID switch again, press reset, the L&S is less than 5 nm, the L&S is undesignated, or the L&S moves to the dugout.
RAID SAM
If instead of TWS you have a Single Target Track, or STT, lock and you press the RAID switch, the attack radar will enter RAID situational awareness mode, or RAID SAM. When commanded, a RAID cue is displayed at the bottom of the attack radar display.
When in RAID SAM, the radar interleaves between scanning and the STT tracking functions. This is displayed as a 2-bar, 20-degree scan and it is centered on the STT target. Unlike Scan RAID, it is only a 5 x 5 nm search area around the target and only raw hits are displayed with their altitude in thousand of feet to the right. The update rate of these hits is lower than the STT and it repeats every 3.5 seconds.
To exit, press the RAID switch again or undesignated.
One-Look RAID
When 1LookRAID is selected, boxed from the air-to-air radar data sublevel, the radar will automatically perform scans around the STT target. Targets immediately around the STT are displayed as raw hits (bricks). Unlike other RAID modes, the scale of the attack radar does not change; it simply displays raw hits around the STT. These hits cannot be designated.
We are improving the external damage model of DCS: F-16C Viper. The new damage model provides better ballistics tracking and more detailed effects to sloped sheet metal. In the interim, you may have noticed a more realistic representation of wing damage.
DCS: Mosquito FB Mk. VI - Development Report
We are improving the external model using newly acquired blueprints. Improved 3D modelling techniques have allowed us to include finer details. As a result, the smallest rivets, welds and fabric seams are visible.
At Early Access stage DCS: Mosquito FB Mk.VI will have different skins available, including those used in the famous Operation Jericho. The remainder of the work will be focused on finalising the bulged bomb-bay fairing and hydraulic bomb doors, the wing pylons and external fuel tanks. This will allow DCS: Mosquito FB Mk.VI to carry two 500 lb bombs internally (with fins cropped to fit) plus another two under the wings.
Thank you for participation in DCS: F-16C Viper Roadmap features poll. We received more than 9,500 responses. DCS: F-16C Viper development is again at an accelerated pace. We focused on bug fixing in the first half of 2021, and while we will continue bug fixing, we will now also be adding new features.
Our roadmap, which is heavily influenced by your voting, will cover from now and until the end of 2021.
The list of delivered features this year includes:
AGM-65D/G/H/K Maverick
AGM-88C HARM POS and HAS Modes
GBU-31 and GBU-38 JDAM
AGM-154A JSOW
BRU-57/A Smart Rack
VV/VAH HUD Option
Travel Pod
The planned poll features to be delivered by the end of 2021 for DCS: F-16C Viper includes:
Flight model and FLCS tuning. This focuses on angle of attack and G, and we believe it will result in more accurate sustained turn performance, instantaneous turn performance, and acceleration.
HARM Targeting System (HTS) pod and HARM Attack Display (HAD).
Air-to-Air Radar improvements: DTT SAM mode, bullseye, and intercept steering cue.
Landing and takeoff handling tuning.
JHMCS support for the Radar Warning Receiver, Link 16, and Air-to-Ground mode.
Semiautomatic and Automatic Countermeasures Programs.
Mark Points.
HOTAS Steerpoint Selection.
Lat / Long and MGRS Coordinate Selection.
CBU-103 and CBU-105 WCMD.
Horizontal Situation Display (HSD) cursor.
Further development will continue into 2022 with the following list of planned poll features:
Complete Lightening Targeting Pod. This mostly consists of correct offset logic and improving display clarity.
Sniper XR Targeting Pod.
Date Transfer Cartridge (DTC) and Mission Planner.
ICP Modes: CRUS, TIME, FIX, ACAL, DEST, and BULL DED pages. Of these, CRUS will be the highest priority.
RWR Handoff PRF Tones.
HUD Toss Anticipation Cue.
Desired HUD Airspeed Caret for CRUS mode.
GBU-24 Paveway III.
Remaining Bombing Modes: DTOS, MAN, and LADD. DTOS being the highest priority.
Mk-84AIR.
Wing Fuel Tank Pylon Jettison Correction.
ALE-50 Towed Decoy.
FCS BIT Animations.
BDU-50 Training Bomb.
Jet Fuel Starter (JFS) Door Animation.
Alternative Landing Gear Handle.
Cockpit View Pilot Model.
Animated Tail Hook.
Air Show Smoke Pods.
ACM Slew Mode.
Radar Velocity Search Mode.
Please note that both the 2021 and 2022 lists may not be delivered in the listed order. These are our current plans as of July 2021, and they are subject to change. There are many more items that we will be addressing, but this list is confined to poll items.
Some features require a lot of effort and time, like HTS/HAD and AG radar, while the others are not as complex and can be completed sooner. We’ll start with the most important ranked by you, that are also feasible for us, and then continue to bring you more and more DCS: F-16C Viper functionality.
It is also important to remember that all features of our Viper are in regards to a United States F-16CM Block 50 operated in the 2007 time frame.
The majority of the Hind’s development team are currently having a well deserved vacation; however, we will still deliver a number of improvements in the upcoming patch. Most noticeably, a fully remodeled Pilot-Operator ATGM sight picture. The improved sight will use a new auxiliary camera instead of the MFD indicator functionality. All textures for the sight were also redrawn in higher resolution, providing better frame rates and visual quality.
VR implementation of the ATGM sight was a high priority too, and it will now occupy the whole view port with some free movement to reduce motion sickness. Dampening has been added to remove small twitches of VR motion sensors affecting the sight picture. We are currently testing more options for switches, which previously were only toggles as well as fixes for those commands that were not mappable to controllers.
One of the most important updates we are working on for the Viper is adjusting the angle of attack and G loading models. We’ve been making good progress, and the sustained rates match the reference data well across airspeeds, altitudes, drag indexes, etc. The same can also be said for acceleration and Instantaneous Turns Rates (ITR) below approximately 20k MSL. We do though still need to adjust acceleration and ITR above 20k MSL. This is not a simple matter, and we hope to have this task complete this autumn.
In this DCS: F-16C Viper video, we’ll look at the CBU-105, Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser, or WCMD. Like the JDAM and JSOW, the CBU-105 is an Inertially Aided Munition, or IAM, that uses the Sensor Point of Interest, or SPI, as the aim point.
The CBU-105 is a canister weapon that contains ten BLU-108 submunitions, and each BLU-108 contains four skeets that use a sensor to detect and fire an explosively formed penetrator at the top of the target.
This is an ideal weapon against armor targets in a 1,500 x 500 area.
This a very similar weapon to the CBU-97, that also uses 10 BLU-108 submunitions, but as an IAM, it has a better standoff capability, and you can attack multiple targets on a single pass.
Per the change log today, we continue to work on the Hornet, although the bulk of our modern day, fixed-wing aircraft dev resources are now on the Viper. The biggest tasks for the Hornet are ACLS and Approach mode ATC. Once these are further along, I look forward to providing an instruction video.
With the release of the CBU-105 WCMD today, some of you may be asking yourself, "where the frack is the CBU-103?!" Fear not, it's still coming but we are currently not satisfied with the CEB weapon affect or visual effect. Once we nail these down, we look forward to releasing this weapon and updating the CBU-87 that also uses CEBs.
In one of next Viper updates, we'll be adding the option to toggle between LAT/LONG and MGRS on the Steerpoint (STPT) page. This done through a DCS (dobber) right press and only for Steerpoints 21 to 25. While this may seem a bit odd, it is correct for a 2007 Block 50. Also, there is about a three second delay when converting from LAT/LONG to MGRS.
Note that to toggle between MAN and AUTO Steerpoint sequencing, the MAN/AUTO field will need to be highlighted and then press M-SEL to toggle.
The DEST page will also have this, when this DED page is added.