Bimbac

Do you REALLY think so? :)

I'm sorry to disappoint you but it's actually LLTV (Low light TV), not FLIR. By the way all sensors working with light, either visible or infrared, are affected by fog, because water deflects light and absorbs its energy, therefore it tends to dissipate. That's why IR guided weapons are totally useless in bad weather conditions or clouds (not modelled in Lock-On though) and optically tracked ones are seriously limited. Regards.

Well, you are right about the thing that when these "wonder maneuvers" are performed incorrectly or with wrong timing, you get served on silver plate. However, if you can control your aircraft at a very low speed (the very thing I was talking about in reference to MiG and Su), even a sustained flight at 60 deg. won't matter at all. I'd like to draw a schematic to be more clear. It seems like the F-22 is your pet :) I totally agree it's a superb airplane but, as I said before, it's the pilot who wins battles, not the aircraft itself. And that's exactly all the fuss about those "Bug kill Raptor" pictures. The very experienced Super Hornet pilot got lucky (and exploited his adversary's mistakes). Regards! ;)

Are we talking about Lock-On or real fighting here? I'm sorry but I cannot understand what you are asking about. No offense :)

Hi there GG, I was hoping that we both would have some break through the Christmas time ;) But back to bussiness: Do any of you guys actually know what makes a real difference in close combat? Predictability If you are predictable, you are dead. I guess anybody who flies on-line will concur. So the point here is (as you undoubtebly have guesses by now) to be unpredictable. And that's where the supermaneuverability steps in. If you and your fighter are able to perform unexpected changes of speed and attitude, you will win. And this is the area where Russians are currently better in. F-22 just cannot perform maneuvers that MiG-29 OVT and Su-30MK can - because of 2-axis thrust vectoring and very sensitive FBW. Acceleration is also important, but more is the situational awareness and knowledge. If you accept your adversary's ways of combat, you will lose no matter what superaircraft you are sitting in. Always remember: It's a man, not a machine!! :) Even the almighty F-22 would be just an expensive target drone if flown by poorly trained pilot. On the other hand, MiG-21 with good pilot would make a very dangerous opponent. Trust me on this.

Indeed, but the latest versions of MiG and Su aircraft are much better in this particular area, due to their superior aerodynamic features, engines and flight control systems. Please keep in mind that I'm talking just about aircraft itself here, not its weapon systems. ;)

Hello guys, I think you are missing the point here. F-22 is designed mainly for BVR combat. That's its purpose and all its stealth, all the advanced technology and avionics is suited for this role. Just consider its default operational payload: 6x AIM-120, 2x AIM-9X. The standard American air-to-air combat tactics is to flood the air with AMRAAMs, that's why there was such a delay introducing a new generation of Sidewinder missiles. WVR combat was considered just as a sideshow since late 1980's by USAF, although it was also considered it's sometimes inevitable to end up in close combat and that's the reason the gun still being mounted, even improved.

You are right. I didn't know that. MF/ML version was also in service in the Czechoslovak/Czech Air Force.

I guess that you have been missing a point here. As I stated before, MiG-23ML/MLD is very dangerous BVR fighter - the particular role it was designed for. It would outrange first versions of F-16A, the fighter it was meant to fight against. In your previous post you were refering to the aerial conflicts in Middle East and Angola. You are correct about Mig-23's performance in these wars, but as I also stated before, those MiGs had and obsolete avionics (S and MS version) and their pilots were poorly trained as well. You are right in most of your other statements, however, you are forgetting that it's a pilot, not a machine, that makes a difference :) Even MiG-21MF/Bis in capable hands would make a very formidable opponent, trust me. Something to think about. Definitely true!

I agree. There is no need to be serious all the time :) Please, check PM. I think we are getting some quite constructive discussion here, which is not very common on this forum. (no offence or bragging intended ;))

Let's just say that I take part in Czech Air Force pilots training and military aviation is not just a job for me, but also a hobby. I concur, but the issue here is speed. R-27ER will reach you sooner than AMRAAM. By the way, most of the info comes from public sources, but it's quite useful to know other languages than just English ;)

I think I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you :) But seriously, check my avatar. Any further explanation needed? By the way, I guess the range and velocity of the R-27ER was the primary reason for U.S. Air Force to buy F-22s. Just a thought.

Definitely! Therefore I suggest that all the people with any RL knowledge should put their heads together in order to help ED. By the way, I could obtain some more detailed info about MiG-23ML radar system, if anyone's interested. I don't want to hijack this thread, but since the other people were discussing ballance issues here, I can tell that in RL Su-27S armed with R-27ER would outrange AMRAAM equipped F-15C by around 30%. Although R-27s are SARH, they are VERY FAST - much faster than AMRAAM. This particular fact makes them very dangerous, and is also the reason why any sane RL F-15C pilot would try anything possible to avoid this missile being launched in a first place. The other fact is, that since the Su-27 radar is coherent pulse-doppler, it should perform much better against ground clutter. This works exactly opposite in Lock-On.

Yes, you are right. But there are many things to consider: 1) MiG-23s sold to Middle East countries had a different set of avionics. For example, MiG-23S and MS sold to Syria and Lybia had avionics from MiG-21, including radar system. The pilots were also poorly trained and used obsolete tactics. They were no match to well-trained and battle-hardened Israeli veterans. 2) The radar system itself was quite sophisticated (in its timeline, of course) but also very complicated both to use and to maintain. The aircraft maintenance cost was just too high and that's the reason why many countries reverted back to MiG-21s. 3) MiG-23 was also the very first Russian fighter to implement the Radar/EOS combo. According to my sources, the MiG-23ML/MLD should be more deadly opponent in a BVR fight than MiG-29, as I said before. Regards.

Hello everybody, I think the truth is something in between. For example, the MiG-23M and its derivatives had some special radar system. As far as I know the radar wasn't a pure CW, not a pure pulse although it also wasn't Doppler. This particular system was reported to be so effective, that notching won't work at all and you could track a target 90 degrees off your logitudial axis. So this system was reported to be more effective and more deadly than the radar system on MiG-29. This knowledge comes from the real pilots that flown MiG-23s in Czech Air Force.

Hello, if you have a picture of Su-25 cockpit, I think I can help you with that. However, I don't have any knowledge about the "T" version.

Easy solution Hi Maulkin, the way which I find the most useful is to cut-off the engine on fire: either by Shift+End for right engine or Alt+End for left engine (default keys). It works 85% for me ;)

Yeah, you are right. The OD version is equipped with Fuel Air Explosive warhead. Sorry for wrong info.

Well, I guess that you were talking about BetAB-500ShP, which is actually a runway-denial bomb. Since it is a free-fall bomb, although parachute-retarded, it is meant to be used against area targets, i.e. runways. KAB series bombs are used when pinpoint accuracy is required, for example to knock down an underground command post. No disrespect intended, I just wanted to explain.

IMHO the OD stands for "Delayed detonation", so it's some kind of "Bunker buster" bomb - it penetrates the surface and then explodes.

Ok, I am standing by...

Hi Olgerd, I finally got together with some people who have a knowledge of ASP-17 gunsight. But there is way too much information so please tell me what exactly you need to know. And also, do you think it would be possible to grant me an access to Beta Testers forum? I don't want anyone else exept your team to watch this traffic. You know, some informations are a little sensitive. If not, then perhaps an e-mail should do it. Thanks in advance. Looking forward of working together! :)

To Kenan : Su-17M4 cannot be detected on RWR. The reason for that is simple - it has NO RADAR, just a laser target designator, similar to Su-25. It uses weapon's own seeker to acquire an airborne target. In real life, you cannot even distinguish which target you have locked. Weapons readiness panel just shows a green light when R-60 acquires its target. There is no other symbology anywhere.

To Wags I would prefer a download of ISO file, because then I can burn it on CD or DVD myself. I also think that VISA paying option would be really great, since I really doubt that I would be able to use PayPal in the Czech Republic. By the way, what about manual? I haven't noticed that anybody here mentioned it, so will it be available as a part of the original Flaming Cliffs installation or a separate download?

Thanks. I wish Merry Christmas to you all :) Have some good R&R during holidays!