icecold951

Not anymore. I went through all my missions and updated them. Fortunately it only seems to have affected player craft.

I don't know why you are getting Mach 1, but it is very difficult to get the AI to do what you are asking. Especially 500ft. They don't like being that low. Try a 1000 and that may be the best you can get.

I keep getting divert to alternate, CVN landings. These are personally made missions that have worked before, even recently with the current build of DCS. I just built a new computer and installed DCS. Now most flights get this command upon returning to the boat. I keep trying to isolate why. I did a full repair and clean up, then started in VR. Same message then started in desktop mode instead of VR after still getting the message. In desktop mode, it allowed a landing. I thought i isolated it to a VR issue, then this time it allowed a landing in VR.

I have largely given up on wingmen, except for air escort and CAS. I now use them as a separate flight that follows me and executes their own mission instructions. Also they are extremely sensitive to fuel, and if below a 'safe' threshold, won't make a bomb run. I now just give the ai unlimited fuel. They launch separately and then rejoin when I reach WP 1, then when I enter the target zone, it triggers a flag and releases them to go to their next WP and make the attack runs per their waypoints.

After learning that AI considers fuel, and doesn't account for the waiting tanker, I had better luck with AI bombing tasks. But I still get issues with sometimes being right on the target or they won't obey the attack order, just turn around and go home. That's poor tactics. You don't want to make multiple passes over a defended target. That also affects the use of JSOWs, since by definition those are stand off weapons. I actually had some success making the order WP a little farther away. Also I have an issue that they won't attack multiple targets. Particularly with GPS guided munitions. They will either attack one and go home, or drop one and circle around to drop the next, then the next, instead of ripple dropping the guided munitions. Any tips to get better cooperation with intelligent tactics?

They could have defaulted it to some standard setting. When you load a bomb, it has default fusing.

I am noticing that missions from prior to update that feature dropping bombs, situation F/A-18 and dropping unguided iron bombs, the bombs don't explode. They hit like unfused bombs. Loading other bombs, then reloading the bombs in question seems to fix it. But that will have to be done for all missions. The bug only seems to affect the player aircraft. It affects 500lb LD bombs, and 1000 lb LD bombs. I have not verified all possible munitions.

Don't undesignate. sensor select slew it as you would a maverick. The radar mark will moved across the screen. I press and hold the designate button and then move it. If you undesignate, it switches back to BOL mode.

Um, those aren't anti-tank CBUs.

There is a lot that goes into PK for missiles against aircraft. One is what are you shooting at? A fighter can evade a lot better than a bomber can. On fighters closing on each other, the C has a practical range of 20 nm at high altitude.

More experimenting. This time with a bare bones mission, AI only. First flight, positioned F18s right on the WP1, drops eight JSOWs nice and easy. Second mission, same, but included a long flight back to the carrier. Still worked fine, as they had full fuel tanks. Third mission, air start at 26k over the carriers. Flew the the waypoint, then aborted mission. On the F10 map, you see the target designators as they attempt the attack and abort. Ironically they dive to the deck for the return to the boat, but that is AI. Fourth mission. Same but turned on infinite fuel and turn off RTB on Bingo. They fly the distance and then drop the JSOWs. Fifth mission. I took off infinite fuel, and added a tanker. They didn't care. They aborted and went for the tanker. Glitched out doing that too. sixth mission. Added a refueling en-route. Flew to the tanker, got the fuel, made the attack run. Conclusion. The issue is totally related to generous expectation of fuel for the return flight to the boat. Even knowing a tanker is waiting for them doesn't change their decision. Use of AI infinite fuel is a partial remedy. It still expects to see a lot of fuel for the return to the boat. This is despite that I am generally very cautious about not running to short on fuel. Thanks guys for mentioning the infinite fuel. I didn't know that was a thing. And for suggesting it was fuel related.

Just did more testing. So far, at least for the JDAM mission, I have it working. If anyone asks, you do seem to have to be right on the release WP, I mean right on it. Like 1nm. Thanks for mentioning infinite fuel. That may be helping big time. Also modified the same mission to drop the JSOWs instead, and it cooperated.

Still investigating it, but okay. Thanks guys. More information. If I move the carrier real close, it seems more cooperative. So I am guessing there is a fuel constraint. Why it is so extreme, I don't know. We're over the target with the wingman at over 10k lbs of fuel. Using AI infinite fuel, along with RTB on bingo off, I did manage to get the JDAM mission to work at a distance. I also had to be right on the release WP 2 before he'd attack. It is still a lot more cooperative with air starts. Even low altitude ones over the carrier. Actually that was my earliest efforts to get the wingman to attack. It seemed you had to release right over the target area to get any cooperation. And that is a poor way to use JSOWs. Thanks though. Tomorrow I want to try resaving it as a new file, instead of an update to the existing miz file. Maybe something with the older file has some affect on the mission. Mostly concentrating on the JDAM mission first, since I am getting some limited success with it.

New information. First, I tried unlimited fuel. Nice. Didn't know that existed. Doesn't affect the player, but solves the long time issue of poor fuel management by AI. Unfortunately, that didn't help. What I have learned is it is somehow tied to air start vs ground start. If I take off from the carrier, it just won't work. But if I air start, they'll obey the mission instructions. Even starting in the air just over the carrier at 5k feet. I'll test lower altitudes. But something about air start seems to make the problem go away.

I can test it, by changing the ROE setting for it, or moving the start WP farther away like back to the carrier. I'll try that tomorrow. But I always ensure plenty of fuel. In the JDAM attack the AI had three external tanks. And a high altitude JDAM or JSOW attack hardly needs extra fuel. No dive to low altitude and climb back up. Just drop drop drop.