NeedzWD40

Within the game, I doubt we'll be contending with these limitations. IRL my speculation would be that certain characteristics like a radar dish tend to alter the reflective properties at distance, so if it can be found via moving and returns a "sparkle" that it might classify that as an ADA unit. Same way the F-15E's radar scintillation works is my guess. Naturally, this means something like a ZSU-23-4 with the radar stowed or a ZSU-57-2 would likely not be identified as ADA, so reliability would be iffy. It also means it probably deals with a lot of false positives. Thus why it's probably better to use the FCR to find points of interest and slave the TADS for actual ID and engagement purposes. Within DCS this could probably be simulated by a simple random misidentification that slowly reduces over distance. Probably make a lot of people upset, though.

No GPS is involved. I can only speculate but it's likely along the lines of relative position in localized coordinates. ie FCR flight lead is 4km north, 2km east, 50m higher; target is 5km north, 2km east, and -150m lower relative to them. The ownship can then calculate where the target is relative to themselves. Other data is passed like velocity, etc. to the missile so it knows where to look. The maximum is 256 targets, the prioritization is just for the 16 most important targets. You should be able to pass others but my memory is rusty on that.

Have you checked the Core Spawn documentation and demo missions? I don't use MOOSE so I only know how to do it via the vanilla scripting mechanics.

It basically allows one aircraft with an FCR to act as the lone sight for an entire flight of aircraft. They do a scan, preferably with the targets separated by PFZs, then send the targets to flight members. The flight members can then engage as if they were using an FCR themselves, even if they aren't equipped with one. This allows only one flight member to expose themselves while the remainder would remain under cover (and further away, right out to the 8km ballistic limit and beyond).

The target data being sent to the missile is the same whether it's FCR, TADS, or RFHO. What the FCR does is essentially doing a scan, categorizing targets, then prioritizing what it sees and puts the most critical ones at the top of the list (thus the filtering options). The missile doesn't know (nor care) what's feeding it the data as it all comes from the aircraft's processors. This is why you can use TADS to pass the target to the missile. Same principle applies to RFHO.

The PP is normally done by changing the mode from SEND to RQST (bottom left on RPT>PP submenu). The VHF, UHF, FM1, and FM2 radios should all work. If you're receiving data but can't send it, then some step is missing with how you're sending data. Here's a basic procedure to follow if using preset groups as set by the designer (no custom callsigns, IDs, or presets): 1. Select appropriate radio with the EUFD RCS rocker (or stick RCS depress). 2. Ensure that the appropriate radio is set with the appropriate preset. We'll assume FM2 on the first preset, so cycle down to the FM2 radio, hit the EUFD P button to bring up the preset menu, then use the WCA rocker to cycle through to the first preset. Press the EUFD enter/select button. FM2 should then be tuned to the frequency as set for FM2 on preset 1. Any other flight members will need to follow this step if their radios are not tuned to this frequency. 3. Use the EUFD IDM rocker to select the FM2 radio for the modem. 4. Basic test: Bring up the TSD>RPT>PP submenu. Change B1 (MSG) from SEND to RQST. Press the white SEND button on the bottom right. By default, all flight members assigned to the preset are boxed; any not present or unavailable will generate a NAK advisory. You will see icons on the TSD for the flight members that are present. 5. If step 4 works, then another simple test is transferring of points. Return to TSD main page, set phase to ATK, and bring up the point submenu. Select ADD and use the cursor to drop a point at a random position. Once the point is created, select XMIT from the left, then send it to the flight. Any present flight members should receive an advisory for IDM TGT, which will set the RECV button on the TSD. Pressing this will add the target to the COORD page. If the above does not work, then refer back to a previous post I've made for setting up everything from scratch:

The setup looks correct but I couldn't really tell from the track what your procedure was. Can you describe your steps? If everything is already preset, then it should be as simple as using the RTS rocker to select the appropriate radio, bring up the preset menu, select the preset to tune it, and IDM rocker down to the radio you want to use. Did you try a simple PP request on the TSD?

Hanging out around friendly ADA, AWACS, GCI, friendly fighters, y'know, the usual.

That's a limitation of the baseline JTAC system within the game. With a custom solution or other players, you can effectively chain out your entire missile load in the same span of time. Ripple fire can make this even more effective. Further, the FCR isn't a magic sight that is all-seeing and all-encompassing when coupled with the AGM-114L. The same limitations we have now will still apply with the FCR as a sight - so your missiles may all go for the trucks instead of the tanks. Goes double if you only do one scan and drop down behind cover. In EW cluttered environments, my lights are always on! The buzzer sounds like it's playing Bad Apple! if I turn it on! Short answer: Within DCS, yes. Radar is radar. Long answer: Sensitive subject and anyone with the knowledge is going to say "no comment". Longer answer (and probably wrong in many ways, but I'll speculate): It's not that hard to physically detect MMW emissions, but historically, MMW radars are not commonplace in most air defense systems outside of CIWS types employed on ships. Being range-limited makes their utility a bit more niche for air defense or air purpose usage. SA-13 prominently has one, but it is a tracking/ranging radar and not a search. Investing in generic RWR technology to be aware of an otherwise limited threat isn't worth the trouble. The band also gets a lot of overlap for communication purposes, so you'd have to filter out a lot of those frequencies. As noted before, for the FCR, the main advantage is not transmitting all the time, being able to scan and process rapidly, and having a signal that rapidly degrades with distance. Detecting that crosses into the realm of more dedicated ELINT and beyond most tactical systems. Given all this, I wouldn't expect a stock SPO-15 out of a MiG-29 from the 1980s to detect it. On the other hand, I would expect a JF-17's RWR to easily pick it up.

Like a lot of things, that's a complex subject. The low range just means that's the distance the radar itself can process or otherwise detect returns sufficiently from; the emissions themselves can go much further depending on environment and other factors. I would more likely say that most non-modern RHAW wouldn't be able to separate the emissions from all the other clutter. None of this concerns DCS so it's better to just assume emitting means you can be detected. Just like the Mi-24 has four blinky lights for an RWR that to the AI means it has magic knowledge of all emitters, so the moment an AGM-114L is inbound, they know to go evasive - even though I as a player can't tell jack from those lights.

If you use the old AI AH-64D as a metric, then about like any other radar. So if you're concerned about being detected, use a quick, narrow scan and don't leave it on all the time.

You can already fire from behind cover so with all weapons outside of the AGM-114L. The gun and rockets are well suited to indirect fires and the AGM-114K merely needs the right laser code to grab and a rough heading. The other night, I had an A-10C provide laser designation for me while I never even saw the target - just some coordinates in place, a laser code, and off we went. Now, AI wingmen on the other hand... That's gonna take a total rewrite of their logic. I think I'd only trust them to mop up after I've eliminated the more threatening targets.

A-10 be like "hold my beer and watch my CBU-97 ruin these guy's whole careers." Then the MLRS battery chimes in "get me a grid square and everything in it is dead." Oh, now F-15E is on station with 6 WCMDs on tap. Man, that sounds like a lot more ordnance to wipe out gobs of armor. Quite a bit more than just 16 pieces. I mean, you can still knock out those armor pieces, but if all you gotta do is do a brief scan, hide, and wait for the other guys to blow it all up, that sounds like a big win to me. I can just put one missile into the lead of the column for a bit of chaos, then watch the carnage. Now, of course, lacking those supporting assets and you're the only one around who can fulfill the mission? Go for it!

That gets into a really complex series of discussion involving policy, strategy, doctrine, scenario, commanders intent, and a host of other factors. I can say it's not impossible to do so as I and some other players have been running scenarios that get into it, but you're not going to easily find it on a random air quake server. To start with, most scenarios are set for a play balance with PvP elements, which means things have to be "fair" - anathema to the aforementioned doctrine. After all, you want each side to feel as if they have a chance at winning and aren't exclusively boxed in as the loser. That means concessions like restricting weapons, forces that are equal, etc. It's an entirely different topic and mostly outside the scope of the present subject. Without getting too deep into that subject, look for the commander's intent. Without that, you're just playing space invaders with extra steps.

I mean, Polychop is working on it. But it's not going to integrate with the AH-64D's datalink quite like another AH-64D will. Jane's Longbow 2 also made similar guesses with where that platform was going to go, based on plans and assumptions at the time, but those of course weren't reflected in reality. The AH-64D with the FCR was envisioned to do this stuff. There's a reason why only 1 out of 4 aircraft were intended to carry it, why it has the incredibly powerful datalink capability, why RFHO is a thing. It wasn't so a single ship could kill all the tanks by their lonesome; it was to augment the entire team's eyes and ears. If the commander tells that AH-64D crew their mission is to go out there, find the enemy, and pass coordinates to other assets (artillery, fixed wing, ships, other helicopters) for destruction, they do that. The crew is expected to have the skills, training, and judgment to know when, where, and how to employ their platform to do that. If that means they don't fire a single shot and let the other guys get all the kills, they do that. A saying I've been told by those with more experience in these matters: "Someone has to stay behind and clean up the trash."

Yes, this is correct. It's why the RFHO is a powerful tool: one aircraft with an FCR can scout ahead and find targets within that 6km limit, then pass that data to friendly aircraft further away. The T-90's ATGM is maxed out at ~5km while the BMP-2 is about 4.5km. Neither should be a large threat with the appropriate strategy and planning. This will still be possible. The difference is you're intended to be doing it as part of a team, not lone-wolfing it.

Yes, the burst range is ~150m from set range at launch. So you could manually set a range and put a burst of rockets ahead of an aerial target like flak. You would likely have to manually range the rockets to get this just right, otherwise the speed of motion is likely to rapidly outpace the burst distance. So while I believe that there should be a few improvements to both the K and L's ability to track and hit aerial targets, I have no real evidence of such; or at least, I have no real open source evidence that can be shared in that regard. I can say that within DCS, I have utilized both K and L models as a last-ditch effort to defend myself from enemy aerial threats, both rotary and fixed, but the PK is incredibly small as aiming points are ridiculously sensitive. By that I mean if I don't put the IAT track exactly on the nose of a Mi-24, the missile will harmlessly sail past the aircraft, but if I get the IAT perfectly on the nose, it's almost a hit every time. The same is true of fixed wing aircraft, which is quite hard depending on aspect and maneuvering. The AGM-114L adapted for surface-to-air use does have a different warhead and proximity fuze, but this is a way more modern variant (2016+) and wouldn't be available to us anyways. I have a larger problem with the AI's ability to perfectly track with AT-6/9/16, as even if you hit the launch platform, those missiles will continue to happily plow into your face. On top of this, they're able to track at a rate greater than I as a player can with those same weapons. No. This has been covered extensively. Sidewinder: Never. Ever. Pure fantasy. Lies. Deception. Stinger: AH-64D's made by Japan. AH-64Es of various export models. There were plans and indications that AH-64Es in US Army service would be upgraded to use Stinger on the primary hardpoints by v6, but I have no idea if that went through or got put on the backburner. Regardless, since we have a 2005-2010 era AH-64D, this does not apply for our variant. Further reading: Per the above, at the time of the Jane's Longbow series (as well as Digital Integration's Apache Longbow, Gunship 2000, et al), the AH-64D was envisioned to employ ATAS on the wingtips. Changing priorities, budget, envisioned strategy, etc. modified this requirement and we got CMWS instead. Largely, in the 90s, it was noted that the AH-64's defensive suite was coming up short with evolving threats like MANPADS. This was seen as a greater problem than enemy aircraft. This topic always seems to come up for a variety of reasons, but largely because the scenarios within DCS don't reflect how the US Army and US military as a whole plan to fight. Let's take a peek at FM 3-04, Chapter 3, page 3-52, section 3-220: Egads! What's this? We're supposed to avoid threats first of all?! Madness! How can I make my ace combat 20 kill streak pwning n00bs in my ultimate attack chopper, the AH-64D when I'm supposed to avoid threats?! This sucks, I want my money back! Yet as we can see above, engaging threats is a last resort by doctrine. Bear in mind that this is the modern picture and older publications treat the subject differently. However, as we're largely concerned with the modern picture (see: 2005-2010 era AH-64D), we can assume the above applies to our module. Why? Well, because of a few things: 1. Patriot. 2. SHORAD a la MANPADS, Avenger. 3. USAF. 4. USN. 5. USMC. The last three are the important bit, because at any given time, somebody, somewhere, has an AIM-120 (or AIM-9), and several somebodies likely know about enemy air power. Said somebodies want enemy air power dead. Many times over. So throw several pointy nosed fighters (and probably a few blunt nosed as well) at the problem, all chomping at the bit to be the next "chopper popper". Then once enemy air is killed a hundred times over, somebody with a few bombs (and a few cruise missiles) is going to find where enemy air came from and ensure that enemy air will not come from there again. Well, you might have some pigeons and a few vultures eating some good BBQ afterward, but unless you're planning to ingest bird guts (you sicko), they're probably not a concern to your helicopter. Now, should you, within a fictional DCS scenario, attempt to seek out and engage enemy air? Nothing is stopping you (I've done it), but one must understand that it is an inherently disadvantageous situation to be in. Be prepared to die - a lot.

There has been at least 2 real world air-to-air shootdowns with the AGM-114, one against a Cessna 152 and one against a UAV, so it's possible. The AGM-114L has also been modified into a surface to air variation, but I suspect this has warhead/fuzing changes to work properly. Within DCS, neither work very well outside of narrow parameters, though the AGM-114L can cause a lot of fright due to the radar. Within 3km the 114K can do fairly well, but chances of a hit lower dramatically with range, target aspect, speed, and maneuvering. George cannot be relied upon for accurate targeting of aerial threats as he doesn't aim right for SAL missiles. Ideally, we would have access to the M255 rockets for this purpose, but there's no ETA on any new rocket types or improvements at this time.

Check and ensure that game flight model isn't turned on.

I'd be curious to know how you've drawn that conclusion. I was never that big on the 14 to begin with (nor the air combat mission itself), but it's been an interesting module to use. In the ultra-modern era, it's going to have limitations and that's just a fact of life. Like the SA-5 is an old system that can be defeated in certain ways and methods, but you still have to do something when one of those freight trains comes hauling butt at mach "get rekt" and altitude "eye of sauron" at you. So too for the AIM-54, because you can do certain easy things to defeat it, but the mere fact that you have to react to it can make all the difference in the world. Lately, in the ultra-modern space, I've just been using it to pick off high value targets. Being able to reach out and touch enemy fuelers and AWACS at 80nmi+ is quite a capability. My furthest was an A-50 at 94nmi. And unlike AIM-120 hits, an AIM-54 will knock them down. If I'm not doing that, then I'm using the long legs to deliver precision ordnance on target. The platform itself was built for a particular era, within particular limitations. The mere fact that it can be merely viable in the modern space is amazing in itself, considering that it's predominantly 1960s tech. I bet if you walked the clock back to 1986-1990 prior to the AIM-120 and R-27ET/ER, you'd find a ton of people just hopping into F-14s with AIM-54 doomsday loadouts. That's just the stupid meta bovine excrement that characterizes DCS multiplayer. Players want to win, and they'll pick whatever is best to do that for the situation. For me, I want to do something interesting and see what happens. How can I knock down that modern advanced fighter with a cold war rust bucket, not how I can't do it.

TSD>RTE>DIR> select WP1 from the route list. Alternatively, select POINT and use the KU to manually enter the point ID, which works with any point. Or you can select POINT and then use the cursor to select a point currently visible on the TSD via cursor select.

GTM means Ground Targeting Mode and encompasses more than just moving targets. Basically, the mode most players are going to use 99% of the time anyways.

That's why you throw George into the backseat, tell him what a bad gunner he's been, fly and operate the entire aircraft from the front seat, destroy everything yourself, and be like Preston win the war single-handedly with George pouting in the time-out seat.

The default keybinding was changed from LCTRL+LALT to LCTRL+Windows key.

Front seat or back seat? Aircraft running or still starting up? Does the WPN>UTIL menu show IHADSS as being on?