Dangerman

lets make it a paper tornado such as the GR1a :)

As a late comer to the party, this looks great. I fly exclusively in VR so will look forward to general release and hope i can get it before the rush! great work!

Harlikwin's diagram is quite useful because it emphasises that it is all pullup stuff that is missing as far as the profile is concerned. Tones etc and pull up cues. The actual dynamic release is essentially there, just not the programming of what angle you want to LOFT the bomb..and thus give the cues. You could stop manually at any one of those angles and the bomb will come off as long as the jet is at a parameter such that the weapon can reach the target. The difference between LOFT and TOSS is that loft is not supposed to be under G ....and TOSS bombing is.. Thats what the RAF/RN does and how I did all of my LOFT/TOSS bombing. TOSS is better suited as a dive towards target and pull up to bring the release cue towards you so that you release under G and get out out of weapon self-frag envelope (SD 10^-x in wartime 10 ^-x+1 in peacetime). Dive Toss also gets eyes on target and you can ackle the mark in the dive if you are quick, unlike LOFT bombing which as described by Harlikwin's text, cannot be ackled and is dependant on good navkit position and target position data. Thats all I have to say except Harrier model is great for real mud moving .......apart from not being able to slave TGP and wings breaking off under -ve G over stress. :) Im now out of this discussion

Agreed, it has enough to keep it highly entertaining and doesn't stop most of us enjoying it......any missing bits can be worked around...just like pilots do! And to be honest, I have no idea of what is actually missing... but it works fine for me.. except perhaps.... 1. I wish I could slave the TGP :( 2. I wish my wings wouldn't fall off when bunting over at high speed. Never happened to me on any real aeroplanes I overstressed! ;)

its not really missing much. There are no cues for lofting bombs as I believe there should be... but the weapon aiming computer is calculating the forward throw and releasing at the CCRP mark during pullupp... thats how loft works. So I reckon all that is missing is the cue to pull up.

Bottom left of your EHSD MFD has a button for DESIG. Pushing that will designate your current waypoint as a target and give a diamond in HUD.

Ive never noticed any drift with the INS in NAV mode. Also, I've never noticed any GPS problems at high speed on my day job either :) I can expect an accuracy of 0.03 miles generally

The issue is a many part problem. The first is the aircraft nav kit. For real it is a mix of various inputs depending on the aircraft type. Old school tornado and Cold War jets used a computer position that is gettting info from perhaps a single INS with inputs from Doppler and some algorithms to predict transport wander and other errors induced. Couple that with a radar or visual fix then you have an updated nav computer position that is different from the INS position ... but is the best position available. If the navkit was way off, you would ignore the map and use your skill as an ace fighter/recce pilot to get to the target and get bombs off using whatever visual method you prefer. When IRS was available, it made the basic position info a bit more accurate but there would still be inputs from other sources GPS becomes available and that becomes a very compelling and accurate input into the aircraft position as seen by the navkit computer... These days GPS is so accurate that the navkit position is primarily driven by it. Add some GPS jamming and the jet goes back to getting its position derived by the IRS(or equivalent) and other inputs.. perhaps fixed by the pilot like in the old days The second issue is this.... Let’s say the target position is known and you fight your way through to the target without getting wasted by Sam 10/11/12.... you look at the target diamond in the HUD and hope the target is underneath it. Would be useful to check that the navkit is accurate before you get to the target..... that’s where an offset comes in... or you can use the previous waypoint to see how accurate the navkit is. If it isn’t showing the offset in the correct place you have to move the navkit position by reference to the offset (or perhaps the previous waypoint). That now has put the target diamond over the LAT LON you have for the target.. (let’s hope target intelligence was good for the coords) Finally, the third is the scenario HARLIKWIN just described above. An offset is also visible or radar point that you will not mistake. Picture a hut in the desert that is not so visible as target with a large mast approx 7-10 miles short of it on your LOA that you can’t mistake for anything else. That could be your offset pairing. Incidentally it also describes a visual IP-TGT run. 1. Offsets can be used to drag navkit back to reality 2. Ofsets can verify navkit accuracy 2. Offsets can be used to help find a target that isn’t very visible by eyeball or on radar using an offset that is easily found. I expect many DCS pilots still choose random points on the ground as their waypoints on ground attack missions ...rather than waypoints you can navigate via map and stopwatch... and use as offsets and IP’s. For real, you would navigate by recognisable points. If the navkit goes down leading the ground attack 4 ship, nobody has sympathy for you if you feel you need to handover the lead because you forgot how to navigate as you were taught at Tactical Weapons Unit Don’t become a “kit baby” ... but, if you choose to rely solely on it, make sure it is updated and correct... is the moral of the story.

Offsets are basically a way of updating or ensuring your nav system is accurate for weapon delivery. Can be used in radar bombing if the target doesn’t/won’t stand out on radar, but the offset will. For other non precision bombing methods, it ensures correct target position for the computed weapon release and correct overlay of target diamond on target. Essentially you are aiming at the offset but the target position is tied to it. Simply plan the offset, mark the offset with visual manipulation of mark in hud if required (or radar for other types) .....and the fixed bearing/ range offset to target that you dialled in will move by the same amount as the correction you make. Continue the attack and know that your target diamond is in the correct place because you moved / checked the mark on your offset (or the ip waypoint).... therefore weapon release is calculated with correct parameters. That’s how I’ve done it in a previous life.

Can’t speak for USAF/USN systems but oxy systems in UK jets use a regulator that is selected to either 100% or airmix. Airmix introduces more oxygen as cabin alt is increased.. on the ground and at low altitudes you are breathing ambient air (via the regulator) unless 100% is selected No extra oxygen is introduced because it is not needed. If LOX or OBOGS .. or gaseous oxy is U/S or empty then hypoxia will get you as cabin alt increases. As cabin altitude increases and the partial pressure of oxygen decreases, you end up with 100% oxy, whether you selected it or not because the airmix regulator gives it to you. Rule of thumb is “half plus 2” for your expected cabin alt for a serviceable jet. So alt of 30000 feet you can expect a cabin alt of *around* 17000 feet. As altitude increases an over pressure of 100%oxy (depending in cabin alt) is introduced to ensure you get the airmix or oxy from the regulator and mask assembly and not the cabin environment. This continues to a point where you are pressure breathing with oxy forced into your airway when you open your mouth. You can find yourself suddenly breathing overpressured positive pressure 100% oxygen if you take the jet as high as you dare and inadvertently flame out both engines thus losing pressurisation and cabin alt rises to aircraft alt.... allegedly.

....and if you want to do it properly, don't forget the original "Fighter Pilot" series in the early 1980's following hopeful pilots through the RAF system. Original inspiration from when I was a boy to send me off to do that job. ${1}

....as long as you are able to warn him of incoming sams and air to air threats too :)

Such is the nature of air combat... you don’t always get the best kit and you don’t always get to win. Head on a swivel folks.

Back in the day as a RAF mud mover, we rarely got to drop much heavy ordnance in training. In 10 years, my live exercises and ops included approx 20 x 1000lb live bombs of which 4 were Laser guided in training exercises, 8 were sticks of 4 on low level laydown passes, 2 were 45 deg high angle dive using the "hornet pop" manoeuvre we adapted from F18's after GW1, 2 were 20 degree dive toss slicks and the rest were Laser guided 1000lbs on ops. Countless 27mm (tornado) and 30mm(Hawk) rounds strafing on the range, One occasion where we emptied a load of lifex 27mm HE/AP mix on a range in kuwait.... and a load of 30mm HE strafe from the hawk for a firepower demo on salisbury plain. approx 8 concrete bombs of which 4 were as a salvo from a loft profile thousands of 3kg and 14lb practice bombs on ranges around the world but mostly in East Anglia 1 x aim9L on Aberporth range ....plus a few 9mm and 7.65mm pistol rounds when getting recurrent on the browning and Walther personal weapons :smilewink:

It’s not just about marking the target correctly, it’s also about height channel. Best height sensor is forward firing to ascertain absolute slant range so targeting computer can resolve correct target parameters to release the weapon. Less accurate is a vertical channel for height and positional difference for lateral plane distance. No idea what height the f18 system is using in various delivery modes. Doesn’t appear to be selectable or displayed. My previous types would tell you what is giving your height solution and it was selectable depending on delivery method. A good but extreme example is watching the target diamond march across the ground because the HUD is drawing at the correct angle and correcting for the stored target altitude .....try it coming off a mountain range into low ground whilst at low level. In summary, for any weapon delivery, you need a height parameter for weapon computer calculations. It’s about trigonometry

I’ve moved to correct section

RAF airfields with training aircraft and Fast Jets generally use QFE. although truckies probably don't.

Dodgy nav kit should never stop you getting where you need to be as you need eyes on in some form or other (eyes on, TGP, Laser spot mark) to avoid collateral damage in this modern warfare world. The nav kit gets you close....the pilot gets the bomb on target. Different for some guided munitions the hierarchy accepts you are doing it on the kit embedded with the munition..... ......wont edit ref air to air TACAN.. in real life air to air TACAN only gives range... never bearing...unless things have changed in the last 20 years. If so, happy to be corrected.

Ref your course line. Try TACAN approach without using a course line and using needle only. All pro pilots know how to track a radial inbound or outbound by eyeball. Then perhaps your in cockpit workload could be decreased?. Once you are established or on closing heading, then set up your course for your confidence check. But Beware of using your Aircraft position for the approach in case it drifts. I don’t know enough about the hornet nav system to say if it is pure GPS or IRS or main computer position adjusted by GPS and/or IRS Rule of thumb for bearings/radials: forget you are looking at your map and ignore The aircraft symbol —-Imagine you are attached to the tail of the needle and you are pointing directly upwards —-Drag the tail to achieve the bearing/radial you want and then Point at the tacan and maintain the inbound course/radial. Tacan is nailed to the floor and it’s position is fixed (except CVN of course.... and air to air tacan but that doesn’t give bearing in real life) Because the tacan is fixed, your position relative to it is absolute and not subject to navkit drift By all means have a waypoint to assist SA, but beware of its integrity due to ownship position integrity. Although probably not modelled in DCS? If you can grasp these basic fast jet pilot skills you can concentrate on SA. I would have drawn a diagram but doing this on iPhone whilst bored in a coffee shop ????

Get a bunch of fast jet pilots in the bar and they will eventually start talking about arse clenching AAR trips, AOA probes ripped off, Pitot probes bent, canopy scratches, baskets down intakes and the time the Frag sent them to a KC135 without basket attachment on Bluejays towline. That’s why this is a 3 page thread already! Tanking isn’t easy, you have to bring your A game especially when fuel is critical You can get away with basket watching, but it is about formation on a big plane where your probe happens to go into the piece of sky where the basket is. Real, life the bow wave moves it up and on to your probe, you can’t chase that Real life, don’t use rudder, you will spokes and divert to Iceland (fuel permitting)...instead of arriving in Goose bay. Real life, get the auth to enter into the sheets that you can bootleg a tanker for dry prods day and night ......if you can find one on a training towline.

^^^^What he said^^^^^

My points were directed at other posts comments on employment and ballistics of retarded bombs However, I agree there is an issue with the CCIP for retarded bombs. I’ve messed about with various fusing options in an attempt to get a realistic CCIP picture delivery and managed it once. My small brain cannot recall which combination got it to work and I’ve never replicated it. No problems using mirage and Harrier in laydown/shallow dive. Point to note....regardless if there is a glitch or not....Looking at your picture I would say you are still too high for a reasonable laydown delivery for a retarded bomb in a high threat environment..... ingress should be be as low as you dare with every AAA looking at you with a small climb if super low to achieve (classified) fusing height to allow the wee propeller to make enough turns so it all goes bang at the bottom... for reference, check out the A4 attacks on Royal Navy in Falklands war and how the British newspapers gave the game away to the Argentinians. At the height AGL in your picture, you would not have a breakaway cross or self damage issue with a retarded bomb... but you probably would with a slick bomb.... weapons memory on manual numbers is fading me now If you have air superiority with no ground threats and have run out of LGB kits ....go 20 degree dive toss with slicks, you can’t miss

Retarded bombs are for low level delivery in laydown or shallow dive Ccip needs eyeball on target. Doesn’t matter if your nav kit is 20 miles out. If you are a kit baby and need a diamond at the target, your kit better be in good order or you can pop up in a hostile environment just to get a mark on it with a sensor...... you need eyeball acquisition. ( see my previous posts elsewhere for more detail) Pipper through target with a (PREFERABLY)forward firing height sensor to resolve ballistic computations is CCIP. High angle dives and high altitude drops with retarded bombs is asking to miss. The bomb is retarded so you can xxxx-off in fine pitch with the bomb now having less forward motion relative to you....to avoid fragging yourself at low level. The retarded bomb has the same gravity drop as slick bomb but less relative forward motion as a slick. You would never drop a retarded bomb from high angle / high altitude delivery You would never drop a slick at low level.