Chelco

Ey folks, I am using the target->point thing in the editor to simulate a laser designator from a ground-based JTAC during a CAS mission. One thing to remember is that when you first select the AG mode, the diamond will go into the strongest radar emitter (an SA-11 in my case). Only after hitting "LeftCtrl + `" (cycle targets) I could get the diamond that I wanted to. I tell you this just in case (sorry if I am repeating widely known info) because this drove me nuts for quite a while. Cheers,

LOL. Good to see you got it solved somehow. I have a CH Fighterstick and CH rudder pedals and the things have zero noise. In my case the controls were locking up because I was inadvertently pushing the right rudder pedal a tiny bit all the time. It seems like my right foot is heavier than the left one. Cheers,

Hi, You can try with a small dose of "dead zone". It worked like a charm for me. Please see this entry in my blog. Cheers,

Ey Panzertard, Thanks for the reference to my blog. Please be advised that the 10 rules I mention there are just paraphrasing what the simulation guides guru Richard Sheffield wrote in "Gunship Academy". Specifically, chapter 7. I just re-phrased it and added some pictures. Unfortunately, the blogspot format sucks big time. I promise I will consolidate or add some navigation aid so people don't have to scroll down so much. Another thing, please take into account the enemy. Low-tech enemies armed only with MANPADs require actually less hover and more altitude. Cheers,

Great review and awesome blog. Cheers,

Ey BTTW-DratsaB! :thumbup: Sure, that's a great aid and I use it a lot. I'm actually longing for a sort of flight path vector (FPV) or velocity vector symbol in DCS Black Shark. I know the real Ka-50 doesn't have it, but it would help to compensate the lack of sensory information. Thanks!

(Bold is mine) Hi enigmatics, Spot on. While attempting precise maneuvers at low speed and altitude, I struggle to get my bearings on where my Ka-50 is actually going. IIRC, IL-2 had a small circle that indicated where your aircraft was flying towards. A thing like that would help a lot in DCS Black Shark. Just to compensate the lack of inner ear sensory input. Cheers,

mbolan, Great post. Thanks for the perspective. Cheers,

Dagger, If you could make that random mission generator, I will be eternally grateful. Sorry I can't help, but good luck. Rep added. Cheers,

A-1-6, thanks for the great explanation. Somebody sticky this.

Points well taken. I'm talking something around the lines of a random mission generator (was that the name of the LockOn's random mission generator?). You run the little program, the program generates a mission file and then you load this random mission from DCS BS's UI. Don't get me wrong, I love a well-built mission with the current editor. Boy, there are some masterpieces out there! But sometimes I crave hunting into the unpredictable. Just knowing that a couple of Shilkas are out there somewhere and that I have to kill or be killed would be enough. Beer and pretzels type of thing. To avoid the placement of units in crazy starting positions, the programmer could limit the eligible positions with relative ease. The map is always the same and those un-eligible places for placement of ground units are relatively the same all the time. Cheers,

Great advice here. I'm taking notes out of this thread. In my blog I started bundling up and adapting some stuff I found on the web about tactics. A few days ago I posted the first entry (out of three). I will post more in the near future. Make sure to check the sources listed at the end of the blog entry. Cheers,

Ah, forgot this: The ideal mission editor would have all the virtues of the ones of ArmA and Steel Beasts ProPE. Cheers,

Kinko that. The other day I was messing around with the mission files and the position of the troops is located in a file that can be edited with Notepad++. It looks to me that somebody with programming talent could write a small app that randomizes some of the positions. Cheers,

Yeah, I saw boxes at Best Buy and at GameStops. Hope it is selling well. Apart from my english download version, I bought an extra copy for me and another for the neighbor. Cheers,

That's frequently overlooked by a lot of virtual pilots. Thanks for the remark. Cheers,

My landings have improved a lot since I started watching out from the cockpit. Before I was too glued to the instruments/HUD. Cheers,

Thanks! Fantastic job. You guys remember the old "Gunship" from Microprose? Richard Sheffield once wrote a great tactics manual for it. It is available here. The book is about that specific game and the AH-64, but it contains some great tactical advice that is kind of universal for attack helicopters. Cheers,

Good point, but in any case where are these "official" tactics? I wanted to add that Soviet doctrine at both the tactical and operational levels was not and is likely not even today as inflexible and relying only on sheer mass as we have been told so many times. For example, the Soviets have been using the so-called "Forward Detachment" (a regimental/brigade sized formation advancing before the main force with pure combat missions instead of just security or reconnaissance) since the early days of WWII. Commanders of these "Forward Detachments" had to be very skilled and creative when it comes to tactics. A very detailed analysis of Soviet "Forward Detachments" can be found in Col. Glantz's "The Soviet Conduct of Tactical Maneuver". One must not forget that during the 20th century, the first military on the earth to come up with the concept of operational level of war was the Russian.

Just wanted to post a screenshot of the actual article I posted above. The Ka-50 looks so damn beautiful.

+1 Rep to everybody for this interesting discussion. It fascinates me is that we are having this discussion as a spin-off from a simulator. I think it speaks volumes of the quality of DCS Black Shark. Without doubt, attack helicopter doctrines and tactics among the major military superpowers are in a state of constant flux. Studying, revising and ultimately changing military doctrine is supposed to happen through all combat arms, just take a look at the US Cavalry during the last war in Iraq. But when it comes to attack helicopters it is more evident. And then, the even more fertile ground of ideas for helicopter vs helicopter combat ... Take a look at this article: Air Defense with an Attitude: Helicopter vs. Helicopter Combat (once you get to the link, click into the proxy URL and it will download a pdf document) That article is not new, but yeah has some nice info on the use of the Ka-50 in the anti-air role. Enjoy.

Ginsu80, the attack you posted about was conducted by the 11th Attack Helicopter Regiment and 101st Attack Aviation. A more detailed analysis can be found in "On Point". Take a look here. Cheers,

Great point. Thanks for posting this. During the first day of Operation Anaconda (March 2002), the pilots of "Killer Spades", A Company, 3-101 AVN, learned the hard way that the fire from hover technique they trained for was way too dangerous against the Taliban's ground fire. CW3 Bob Carr conducted the first "running fire" withe his 30 mm cannon. Cheers,

Hi JimMack Argentinean here too. PM sent. Howdy, Devas and argento? :thumbup:

Never mind. Figured this one out already. Cheers,