ColonelColt

Any news on this? I see they've been working on the Hind and I would hope some of the Mi-8 stuff would be related.

@BIGNEWY I hope this suffices. Unfortunately it doesn't appear the armament panel comes up in tracks so it's just me quickly taking off, firing rockets, landing. I can create a separate one for the Hind if you want but this is a very generalized bug that's easy to replicate at least on my end. I've also attached the specific mission file I did this test in. Thanks! Mi-8 Rocket Weight Track.trk PG Mi-8 Mi-24 Rocket Weight Test.miz

Wikipedia says 16.7. One other source says 16.2. The first number agrees with the in game encyclopedia. Is there some way to flag a mod to get this moved to the bug section?

I did some tests with the Hind with the exact same rocket type but it can only carry four pods of 20 at a time. Even at 50% fuel this is overweight. As you can clearly see below the numbers are also way off. -- Expected Weights -- Expected rocket weight: 1336 at 16.7 kg per rocket for 80 rockets. Expected weight pods: 492 at 123 kg per four pods. Expected total system weight: 1828 -- In Sim Armament Panel Weights -- Unfired: 11617 Fired: 11600 Removed: 9789 Loaded rocket pods weight in armament panel when removed: 1828 So in this case 80 rockets weighs around 16 kg, taking into consideration small variance in fuel. I tried to eliminate that as much as possible.

Yeah I don't think it's just the numbers that are off. You can compare screenshots of the Mi-8 sitting on the the ground unloaded, empty rocket pods, and fired rocket pods... And there's almost no change when empty but removing the pods there's a visible change. I didn't bother posting screenshots in my original post because we've all seen the same screens and I kind of want other people to go check my numbers. Obviously things will be a little off due to fuel state but not that much.

I'm hoping someone can explain this. My group is running a small insertion mission with some Mi-8s. Fly in, drop off troops, support from the air with guns or rockets. Due to the heavy weight of troops I started wondering, how much lighter is the helicopter for landing if I dump the rockets on the way in? Easiest way to test this is starting loaded up, take off fire everything quickly, land again. I've done this several times now and the results don't add up. These numbers are loaded with 50% fuel and 120 S-8OFP2, the maximum load. Keep in mind each rocket is supposed to weigh 16.7 kg according to the in game encyclopedia and, as far as I know, the rocket pods are basically just thick sheet metal surrounding some aluminum alignment grids. According to a couple of sources the rocket pod should weigh 123 kg, presumably unloaded. Unfired: 12413 Fired: 12394 No rocket pods: 9652 None of this really makes sense. 16.7 * 120 = 2004 kg. When we fire the rockets we only lose... 19 kg. When we subtract the now empty pods we get a loss of 2742 which would make sense for the rockets and some left over for the pods, fittings, etc. 6*123 = 738 + 2004 = 2742 so that in game weigh is spot on... Or would be if the pods still had rockets in them. Anyone have a clue what's going on here? Maybe this is something everyone already knows but searching the forums and Google I found no mention of this. In the end we're effectively being robbed of losing a ridiculous amount of weight firing the pods. 2004 kg isn't nothing. That's 4418 pounds and change. My 2000 Jeep XJ at max factory weight is 3386 pounds. 4418 pounds is about what a full size rhino weighs. A rhino. I'm hesitant to report this as a bug but just looking at the number I don't see how it can be anything else. The only other theory I could come up with is that the programmers left the weight on there to simulate drag but that also don't really make sense from what I know of flight modeling in DCS even for older stuff. Thoughts? If the powers that be think this might be a bug feel free to move the thread to the bug section. Thanks

Well, I feel like an idiot. It seems weird that you need both NS 430 modules... I only want it for the Mi-8. But I'm sure that's my issue now.

Edited to add: Presumably solved as it appears you need both the NS 430 base module as well as the specific module for the Mi-8. I'll wait for another sale to buy the base module I supposed. Steam, open beta: Alright I've poked around a lot with this and can't figure it out. I bought the NS 430 for the Mi-8 in the last sale and it shows up in my DLCs as clicked to be installed. It doesn't show up in the cockpit with NS 430 Allowed selected nor do the NS 430 training missions show up under the Mi-8's training like other people seem to suggest. I unclicked the module and restarted Steam so presumably it uninstalled it. Reclicked it, saw Steam download 76 odd megs, restarted, started DCS... Still nothing. Had Steam verify the integrity of the installation with only a few problems found but that also didn't make it show up. I'm really not sure what to do next. I completely reinstalled DCS about a month ago so it's not like that should be an issue. Any ideas? Does the NS 430 show up as a separate module icon in the module bar at the bottom of the main screen? Is there somewhere else I need to look to make sure it's enabled? Is there something weird going on with me having the wrong version somehow? Is aw a post on the DCS Steam forum about the Gazelle having an NS 430 issue recently with two versions. Thanks.

To add to this: the AI Kord gunner seems to work fine but I still can't switch to that seat. The on screen interface says I'm in that position while I'm still in the pilot seat and can sometimes fire the Kord with the left mouse button. Other times it fires things like the rocket pods.

Just wanted to chime in I'm also having a problem getting the LCU to show up in the ME unless it's labeled as something very strange. The LCACs worked just fine.

I was enjoying it right up until I ate a missile from a MiG in the last mission of the campaign (I think) literally as I got the audio message about "Success!" Death over Kutaisi, what a way to go. I'll give it another shot in a moment though. I wish they would stop releasing new modules for a while and just fix things like the JTAC and other core mechanics. It's tedious enough when it works properly. Also, give me Kuwait, damnit! I need to fight some Iraqis up there.

I'm providing this hoping it might help fix something if it's really the mission but I suspect it's just the poor JTAC system in DCS. My experience: Flew the mission last night for the first time and arrived at the ~20 mile zone where you get the audio cue to call. I was probably higher than intended at 26k but from some above comments that shouldn't really matter. Contacted the JTAC on the proper frequencies, nothing. Over and over. I eventually tried changing distance (Iglas were shooting at me) altitudes, angles of approach, all combinations of radio channels, frequencies, that I could think of. Nothing. I decided to try to finish the mission with the IR Mavericks and as soon as the first one hit the building suddenly the JTAC shot a bunch of seemingly delayed messages at me with no issue and I was able to run through the normal JTAC radio menu including at my initial altitude and position. The laser worked fine and I was able to launch the laser Mavericks at the already destroyed building locations. I suspect this has something to do with DCS's poor JTAC system than the mission but maybe I broke something showing up at too high of an altitude initially. I was able to complete the mission by gunning the BTRs that showed up thereafter. Today I ran the mission again and came in at 15k and everything worked exactly as I would suspect. The only weird thing this time is the JTAC said the target was a ZSU-23 initially but when I asked what my target was again he said "bunkers" I don't remember it doing this the first time but it might have been lost in the warp speed radio messages. Again, pretty sure this is DCS rather than the specific mission build. Probably unrelated to the above: Both times I couldn't get the tanker's TACAN to work at all. I checked repeatedly that I was on the right settings and flipped it over to the Stennis with no issues. It just continued to hunt for 10X with no resolution. Both times I ended up finding it with radar so it was definitely spawned in. I can provide a screenshot sitting in the drogue with the TACAN hunting. I glanced in the mission editor and Texaco's TACAN appears to be set to 10X so again, probably DCS being a pain in the ass. Keep up the good work Badger!

Alright good to know. I almost thought it was the revetments but I thought it was weird because I turned on labels and clearly if I was *really* low they weren't display but when I rose up the Gepard labels would appear but Petrovich still wouldn't see them. So is there a limit to the number of targets that can be listed at once?

Thanks Unknown! I was actually testing some very similar stuff since I first posted and hadn't had a chance to come back to share but I found basically the same results. I tried in winter, as you did, and in other high contrast situations like out in the flat desert with no real difference. I've actually been able to see and kind of lob missiles into targets in low light from beyond "max" range so it's not like it can't be done but Petro's detection ability seems very limited right now. It mostly bothers me because of the kind of hard time that seems to exist rather than actual light/contrast levels. Even the TV guided Mavericks seem to have a far better ability to pick up stuff in lower light. I might continue my tests by moving the clock back and forth in smaller increments to see if there's a specific number.

As an add onto this, and why it would be useful, is there a maximum number to the targets that can be listed? I've been trying to do the H4 Mission and using missiles to take out the Gepards is almost impossible because there are just too many targets. Even when you point the cursor right at a Gepard and tell Petro to look he often lists about a dozen other targets and you just have to select one, tell him to look again, and it's totally random whether he'll show you a AAA listing to select. As far as I know there's no way to set his target priority but being able to look directly at a target and hit a designate button would kind of solve this.

One thing to keep in mind is that as range decreases and angular velocity increases it's apparent speed to the observer is going to be higher than further away even if it's actual airspeed is now lower. In my own testing I've found that Petro can usually hold a lock on something moving away or toward you at an angle but up close circling, like in your video, it's very hard for him to keep up even if you're rotating the helicopter to assist. I've shot down AI F-4s and a few others this way. The best tactic if they start circling is to look for terrain cover and fly low and fast away and do a quick 180 so they're coming at you and launch or use your gun. I've even been able to do this manually with the ATGMs with Petro flying.

I believe you're right. I wasn't able to nail down an exact time but it didn't get gradually better (as in he started spotting them further and further out) he just suddenly could spot them past 9:00 but not around 8:15. Like I said I'll set up a mission to try i tout with illumination flares. I wish there were a way to get your wingman to illuminate an area. Maybe there is and I'm simply unaware.

TL;DR - Petrovich has a serious cutoff seeing targets in even medium light situations. This is being written as a touch point for anyone looking into a similar topic in the future. This isn't a complaint thread but merely one to record observations and perhaps help someone in the future who's getting frustrated. I'm running a 960 and I think my settings are pretty middle of the road and I've never adjusted the gamma to give better visibility. Setup: I'm getting back into the Hind after learning some of it months ago and last night I tried out the Battle for Zugdidi instant action mission which I'd never tried before. For those who don't know: Your goal is to stop an SA-11 group from setting up just north of the river a very short distance north of your FARP. There are a couple of Iglas lurking and you're armed with gun pods and ATGMs. It's early morning in November so light levels are low but not terrible. As shown below you're about 7 klicks from the target point on initial takeoff. The time is 8:10, usually 8:15 by the time you're done turning all of the lights off and weapon systems warmed up. One interesting note, the only way I've had the mission give me the "Great kid, you blew up the SA-11s!" message was using the ATGMs an hour later. Completely obliterating them at low altitude with gunpods multiple times doesn't seem to trigger it but maybe I'm not doing something quite right most of the time. What I found: Petrovich *will not* lock onto these targets even at almost point blank range. Here's a view from about 3.5k with labels on just to make things easier. It seems there's some specific light threshold where he will or will not see ground targets and not a gradient or a RNG type deal. I messed around with the mission file some rotating the sun back and forth and it doesn't seem to have to do with factors like ground clutter, specific position (the targets are moving initially but will stop if you shoot at them), or approach angle or altitude. I don't have a fancy chart to show this but about a dozen times running this mission with the stock settings I couldn't get him to sight targets. Example view from one run with labels on and reverse view showing ground conditions. Ignore the "Can't move sight yet" that was an old message. And this is from a run with the clock rolled forward one hour where I was able to get him to see the targets on takeoff. Conclusion: Don't expect Petrovich to be able to see targets in even medium lighting conditions for the ATGMs. A human player could have made these shots. I know because I also made Petrovich fly multiple times with my running the missile station successfully and I don't have the largest monitor or best graphic settings. If anyone has insight into how this systems works currently I'd love to have it posted here. I'm planning on doing some more experimentation in the future on other maps and by using illumination rockets to see if that makes a difference. As a sidenote: The ground AI has some serious laser-like sharpshooting ability in the same low light condition. I don't know if they're intentionally shooting for weapon stations or if it's just my barely dodging streamers of fire from side to side. Usually it enrages me enough to go back and murder them with the 30mm.

Maybe this has been discussed before but I haven't been able to find it: Something that would be great to be added to the official module would be the ability for the flight engineer/copilot to call whether your wheels are over something flat and solid, "Front is solid" "Left is solid" "Right is hanging" etc. Obviously you'd want to be able to turn this on and off but it would come in very useful for landing on helipads or roofs. I'm not an expert on DCS programming but I would think you could have something like the radar altimeter assigned to each wheel that triggers an audio file. When it hits a meter the crew starts directing you. I think this could even be developed as a mod by the community by kind of kitbashing existing code together like the radar altimeter and the sling loading on screen indicator and audio cues. I'm not even saying I want an on screen indicator just some idea of whether I'm ok to drop it or not when there's small margin of error. And I know, most people just go to external view to compensate but you don't always have time to do that and it does break immersion. Any thoughts?

This is awesome. Is that cropdusting helicopter and truck included in the pack? Or is that the Bell 47 module I've seen kicking around?

Just found out about this mod and man am I interested. Keep up the good work!

I'll second this. I've messed around with my graphics settings and the in game HUD brightness with no real luck. I know any kind of projected light system is going to get washed out at certain brightness levels but in comparison to other planes in the sim the Viggen's is really hard to see.

Thank you for the response. I have started binding some of the CK 37 controls to my keyboard to speed things up but really your solution of using multiple waypoints with one glide missile on each is the simplest solution to spreading the destruction. Thank you!

I recently got the Viggen and I'm running into the same issue. I've read over Chuck's guide multiple times, watched multiple videos, so I'm pretty sure I'm doing it correctly. I've gone through the Mjolnir Response and couldn't get anyone but ATC to talk to me in any mission and just started Thor's Hammer and first mission same issue, the wingman won't respond... That being said, I was trying every channel and telling him to "rejoin" and this last time just as I was landing he suddenly started repeating rejoin over and over again and if I hit special button 2 he cut off, hit 1 again, I could hear him. I could hear allied flies in that mission. This seems very similar to this thread from 2018 but maybe I don't know enough to realize it's an unrelated problem.

First post on the forums though I'm not new to DCS. I recently acquired the Viggen but I've been learning as much as possible and completed the Mjolnir Response campaign. TL;DR - Can you carry four BK 90s and program each set to a different waypoint and/or dispersal pattern before launch? I don't think so, or at least I haven't found it, nor have I found anyone talking about this. Scenario: There's one wing of MiG-29s rolling onto the runway and you need to drop a long pattern cloud on them and the other wing is still sitting in parking near there but you need to set that to a wide pattern and different waypoint. Setting up the two waypoints as target points ahead of time I can almost do it manually right after the first pair's max release but that's a lot of flipping dials and punching numbers to do quickly. Mostly because you can't leave the dial on TAKT and switch it to the second waypoint. My steps after the first release: Leave input on IN. Punch WP2,flip dial to TAKT, 922 for wide, LS/SKU to enter, orient, release. So can you preprogram two sets of BK 90s to different waypoints or different dispersal patterns? Or is there a faster way to do it than what I've been doing? I get that the Viggen is supposed to be a one shot and gone bird but that's what I'm trying to do otherwise I would simply circle around while programming the second set of glide missiles. Thanks!