kengou

Yes, I've been using JTAC to guide GBU-12s with no problems using the Headquarters-generated missions. Make sure to have JTAC mark with smoke in addition to lasing, so you know for sure you're dropping on the correct target. You could even get the coordinates and punch them in to make doubly sure.

I anticipate one soon. Not sure if I should pick up a MiG-15 or FW-190...

In real life I believe "ten seconds" tells the JTAC that you should be in hot in approx. 10 seconds. Not much point of it in DCS I suppose.

With the FW-190 A-8 coming out, if I am interested in the FW-190 is it worth holding out for the A-8 or should I grab the D-9?

The F/A-18 is more capable at multirole and A2G than the F-14, and will only get more and more so as the targeting pod and A2G radar become available (eventually). A2A is also terrific with the high alpha controllability and modern radar. It's a delight to fly and very well done. The F-14 is also a delight to fly and more hands-on than the Hornet. Also multi-crew capable and has a backseater AI, making it a very unique module to learn and fly. A2A is seriously fun in this bird. I heartily recommend it. The Strike Eagle is at least a year or more away from early access so I wouldn't waste time waiting around for it. And the F-15C is not worth considering, even in order to 'prepare' for the Strike Eagle, because it's a simpler FC3 level module and systems are very much restricted and simplified. It's still fun for A2A though on its own merits. For true multirole with tons of mission capabilities, the F/A-18 is your best bet, followed by the upcoming F-16.

Only modern right now. WWII planes are on the feature list for the future.

I played around with the DMT today and it wasn't tracking moving targets. How do you do it?

Apparently not yet implemented.

From what I understand it will be kind of like a Combined Arms thing. A player could take control of the carrier and steer it around, change speeds, etc. Unclear yet but a player (same or multiples, unknown) can also take LSO station, or others. I really hope we get some way to walk around it or board the plane from the deck, would be so amazing for immersion. But even riding the elevators and taxiing to the cat would be amazing with the animated deck crew.

Realistic. Don't fire on targets before ID'ing them. That's not a Jester limitation so much as an ROE you need to follow. The TCS is designed for this exact purpose, leave it up on the main screen during engagements to see who you're targeting quicker than Jester can tell you.

Interesting question. Looking at it seems the target diamond leads the target a bit in-close or at least isn't directly on top of him. Wonder if HB or SMEs have any input?

To the OP, the F-14 is not expected to get any further ordnance or ground capability I am aware of. It can use the LANTIRN (not Jester yet, but eventually) and drop dumb bombs, laser guided bombs, and rockets. It's a very accurate bombing platform and can carry a lot of bombs. It also has lots of gas and can loiter pretty well thanks to the variable sweep wings. But that's pretty much it. Compared to the Hornet it is pretty inferior, aside from range and speed and having a current working targeting pod. Hornet will eventually get a targeting pod (none yet) as well as tons of guided munitions like JDAM, JSOW, SLAM-ER, Harpoon. It already has Mavericks and HARMs making it superior at anti-armor and SEAD/DEAD missions. Strike Eagle should probably end up being the ideal strike platform but it is many years off from DCS.

You need to know where the target is, yes, either by coordinates, smoke, or a predetermined waypoint. The JTAC should inform you that he is lasing. Then you can use pilot or target bombing modes to drop a bomb in the vicinity and it should guide on the laser.

Regarding keyboard... this game is simply not designed for it. The functionality is there in a pinch but I wouldn't recommend flying with a keyboard to anybody. I don't really see a problem with this.

I believe it was implemented, per the description in the manual, but works just like jamming on any other plane in DCS. Other radars will see your bearing but not range, will show up as a fuzzy line instead a single contact on most types of radars.

JTAC can do several things for you: Lase a target for GBU Mark a target with smoke Give you target coordinates The F-14 is not capable of: Laser spot track (unless it is a targeting pod feature I'm unaware of) HUD designation of a laser mark

I believe that's just how jester menu is designed. In the keybinding menu there are some direct keybinds for jester functions so that might work better than macros?

Looks to me like RIO is the only one with access: http://www.heatblur.se/F-14Manual/cockpit.html#decm-control-panel

I agree, I prefer to have one thing working fully and bug-free, than 3 things half-working. A smoothly slewing, bug-free tpod would be wonderful at this stage.

An STT lock would be one solution.

AA refueling is all about staring at the tanker and flying in reference to the tanker. No other reference should be needed, no speed, no altitude, no hud. Just formation with the tanker. Once in position behind the basket, creep forward making tiny adjustments sweeping eyes from tanker to basket (or basket in peripheral vision). Think of it as a slow-motion lunge/spear into the basket (very slow). If you miss, throttle down a little, back up, then try again. Once hooked, go closer to the tanker a bit for some slack then fly formation again staring at the tanker. That's all you gotta do.

Non Cooperative Target Recognition IDs a specific aircraft type based on the radar return. The radar will try to identify the specific signature of the intake turbines and other features and reference a database to see what it is. In theory, a hostile flying a western plane would not be classed as hostile because the NCTR system should not recognize anything beyond aircraft type.

My understanding is Bitchin Betty was built in order to give audio warnings to lone pilots, when they don't have a copilot or RIO there to tell them something's wrong.

If it's a fixed target, they'd be using JDAMs at high altitude unless it was a strike into defended airspace. In that case, then most likely standoff weapons like glide bombs (JSOW) or cruise missiles. Or a SEAD flight would go in first, followed by JDAM carrying strikers, I suppose.

The A-10A cannot lock onto buildings or specific contrasts, only on units. It's pretty simple, if you want more complex Maverick features like force correlate then you should pick up the A-10C.