FLANKERATOR

I believe in-game stats from 'player pool' works differently from server-based stats like the one implemented on Burning Skies server. If you disconnect while damaged, the player who hit you beforehand should get the kill and you will naturally sustain a loss as well. Not sure in-game stats would do that. As a rule of thumb and out of fair play, do not disconnect or switch to spectator until your plane crashed. I don't think bailing out would have an effect here.

From my experience, HI shines mostly head on, and starts wobbling a bit as aspect kicks in, this is why I prefer ILV over it sometimes but never in nose to tail, always MED.

MED wont help you outside 30km in STT. Unless you want to drop the lock (why would you), ILV is a better transition until target gets close enough/turns cold. Of course lock will drop regardless of PRF if you allow the notch to happen, the idea here is to keep a steady lock as much as possible. Anyway, my initial aim was to make people aware that post-launch PRF tweaking does exist for in-game N001 and that if correctly handled does help with tracking and guiding SARH. CM interaction maybe needs revisiting but one must make sure first that N001 is supporting the missile all the way. I've had enough of hearing missiles in DCS do not work, of course they are not perfect nor they should be, IMO. At what range did you run the test? away from my game now so can't run the TRK files you recently posted. If you haven't done so already, while in STT, try switching from HI to ILV first then MED because if you were not close enough to the target at the moment you changed to MED (early long range shot/early aspect shifting), you will lose STT. Normally if you synchronize PRF to targets aspect dynamically, you should be able to avoid losing the lock all together (also stay lower than the target at all times).

The lock is dropped precisely because you skip ILV by switching from HPRF to MPRF straight away. In STT refresh rate is less of a concern since the radar emitts at max power. ILV is more versatile than MED aspect wise. And you can still beat the notch and maintain the lock at all times by flying lower than the target. Dropping the lock is not a must and will happen only if you select MED out of its range or let the target go below your altitude.

Thanks Frostman! I'm sure with the right timing, STT can be sustained throughout especially in look up. ILV is more reliable than high PRF stability wise and must be used in the transition between head on and beam aspect. At any rate, evidence has now been provided showing that switching PRF mid-flight can help the missile come back from the dead.

Frostie, have you tried instead of switching to MED straight away after lock, to keep Hi mode and only switch to ILV once target enters the beam and only switch to MED once target starts turning cold? When I try this without messing up PRF order in my head, Im usualy able to keep the radar and ER tracking throughout.

No idea in RL although I'd assume real STT mode would take care of PRF tweaking automatically. In-game though, I'm sure adjusting PRF in STT helps. Now whether this is a bug or intended, I don't know. Sometimes, you would swear you still have a nice solid STT lock where in fact M-link is gone and probably EOS has taken over automatically rendering all airborne semi actives useless, chaff or no chaff. No idea in the Eagle, I suspect this could be a Russian radar thing. Anyway, OP said he wants to understand why 120 reacquires but not R-27 so this PRF thing is very relevant. Getting so fixated on chaff is misleading: make sure first that R27 is actually tracking then start worrying about chaffs.

If adjusting PRF helps with maintaining lock when aspect changes, it will affect guidance of the semi active, believe it or not. Maintaining lock and missile guidance go hand in hand.

Exactly. Although HI mode has the longest reach compared to other modes, PRF here is linked to aspect of the target not range. I'll try to replicate and post again but from my experience, HI is best head on only. As soon as aspect starts building up, I usually switch to ILV and when angle off kicks past 90 deg, MED usually does a better job at tracking. As Frostie said, there is no PRF indication in STT mode so keeping track of the cycle in your head is crucial (talking about pilot task load in the Flanker). I will try to come up with a demo once back from holiday but countless times I noticed on Tacview how an R27 gone ballistic swings back on track after you adjust PRF. I'm not claiming chaff related issues don't exist but I'm fairly certain tweaking PRF mid flight helps R27s significantly. It's not easy though to cycle it in your head under pressure while notching, dispensing CMs etc, it easy to mess up and lose track of it in the heat of the action.

What I personnaly noticed is that switching PRF post launch and adjusting it to targets aspect dramatically improves r27s guidance. I feel like flankers radar in dcs is stuck on whatever PRF you had before launching and does not adjust automatically post launch so when targets aspect shifts because of evasive manoeuvres, it tends to break the m link although your radar may still show a lock. The radar/EOS dual tracking seems to also play a role here. Adjust PRF mid-flight accordingly and you ll notice the r27 will start reacquiring like the 120.

I've never come across anything showing Ps or EPs mounted on a Flanker so I don't know if they have ever been tested or used in training or combat but just out of curiosity, isn't this version supposed to home in on radar emission, i.e deny an enemy fighter from keeping it's radar on?

This is one of the most anticipated features...can't wait to clean 'em and fry 'em :D

After Action Report for May: http://sa-sim.com/cmf-and-mayercz-win-burning-skies-may-round-and-become-top-ranked-dcs-pilots/ Congrats, FF*CMF and MayerCZ on not only winning this round but also reaching the #1 spot in the rankings! See you all over Normandy!

It was a great place! you could meet with your buddies, make new friends, organize sorties on the spot or just hang out and live chat with like-minded people. At the very least, it gave and instant picture of who's doing what and anybody could have a look even if not owning the game (great way of promoting dcs). Not sure why it stopped supporting DCS but IIRC, I think ED and Jiri did not reach an agreement. Too bad...

Thanks for your time and dedication, Ironhand, it was your fabulous site that got me started with LOMAC back in the days, your quality tutorials helped me get solid basics in all FC aircraft and I'm sure there are thousands of people out there who had a similar experience. As a Content creator myself, I know first hand that closing the site is not the end, merely the start of something better and the experience you have accumulated along the way will never be lost. Thanks again, sir.

Congratulations to all the winners from April round! http://sa-sim.com/tecnam-mayercz-dominate-burning-skies-april-round/

Gents, AAR is out! http://sa-sim.com/after-action-report-of-the-first-ravens-fighter-championship/ There is a claiming section if you feel something is inaccurate or missing. Please report asap so that we can declare the report final and update the Rankings in a couple of days. Thanks all again for the great fights and remember that the next RFC will feature a nice prizepool, which I'm sure everybody will fight tooth and nail for :)

I can't think of a closer finish in all past events, though one that was also super tight was your Finale against Maler in tbe 109 1v1 tourney but this latest stuff was unreal, great fight from both teams :)

I'm just realizing now that I started working on the AAR how close the final round of the finale was! I mean it could of gone either way when Kapsu, sole survivor from SF with one 104th ground target left at that moment, was chased by 3 Eagles! He escaped two Sidewinders and a rain of tracers before lighting up the last ground target...what a finish! This is snatching victory from the jaws of defeat..maybe one more tracer and he could of been unable to engage the last ground unit... It's crazy how a very small detail could make the difference between winning and losing at this level!

We forgot to mention that both groups of ground units were actually armored presidential corteges that were heading for the same summit before war suddenly broke out between the two countries so jets had to scramble in an attempt to both protect own president and attack enemy's convoy :D Jokes aside, this was a fun event to watch, very high paced! I'm personnaly happy with this new setup, it brought something new to the table and put pilots' skills to a tough test so hats off to all contestants and congratulations to SF, you guys really demonstrated what thinking out of the box really means! It also shows that you practiced and planned your fight according to victory conditions. Thanks to my partners, the 59th Ravens who did a great job at organizing and hosting the competition. Kudos to Chillywillies for stepping up to the plate as our live streamer. I'd also like to thank Panda for the great commentary that he provided in the Finale, we hope to have you in the commentary box again at the next one. Round 2 will probably bring some adjustments to the ruleset for even more exciting, white knuckle fights and we hope to see you all at the party again. I'll start working on the AAR soon, I think the 104th will still dominate the A2A department while SF will surely get the lions share A2G wise, stay tuned!

RFC 4v4 Finale starting shortly (104th vs SF) https://www.twitch.tv/chillywillies

Heatblur should include 'must have watched Top Gun before buying this module' in the terms and conditions :D

Join us on Twitch to watch the first semifinal: SF Squadron vs team TurboRush starting shortly!

Both Semi finals lived up to our expectations. Don't be misled by the score, the fights were actually pretty close! You will be able to see by yourselves once Decoy has posted the ACMI's :) Here are the results from all the matches so far: The Big Finale will see the two current best fighter squadrons squaring off on Saturday at 1900z. No doubt both 104th and SF will fight tooth and nail for this one. Best way to get reminded about this match is to follow Chilly's Twitch channel then activate auto notifications - a 'green heart' will turn up confirming that auto notifications have been set up correctly for you. Sit back and relax and an email will be sent out just before the show begins.

Amazing fights, Congrats to the winners and kudos to all participating teams. As shown in the results posted by Decoy above, all top 4 seeds have advanced to the semis and will be on collision course for a chance to win a spot in the big Finale next Saturday. Semifinal one will pit top ranked squadron, the 104th Phoenix led by Stuge against an excellent RvE team while the second semi final will see the formidable Finnish pilots from SF squadron square off against team TurboRush who were very convincing in their first fight, especially Plaiskool, the man who went on a rampage in the guns only round. Show is starting today at 1900z. Don't miss out :-)