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MiG-21 in MP.


JG-1_Vogel

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Has anyone had much luck flying this beast in MP? I'm comfortable with the avionics etc, but employing her in a combat environment is proving to be tricky at best. The RWR is so rudimentary that it just tells you "HEY BAD GUYS OVER THERE" but with no range or ability to differentiate between threat types it doesn't do much for SA.

 

Then there is the radar, which has range so short you're essentialy WVR by the time you come to fire. Then there is the problem of your range being so short yet when you turn on your radar (even just for a quick scan) you light up on the RWR's of jets which can engage you well outside of your range.

 

I've been trying to employ her as an ambusher flying low and fast while looking for smoke/con trails before going full burner and getting a quick shot off before disappearing back whence I came, but not much luck so far. Any tips for a stumped ground pounder? :joystick::helpsmilie:

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I think you've just summarised the operational limitations of the MiG-21 :D

 

RL employment depended heavily on GCI for situational awareness and cueing to targets - there's only so much you can do to compensate for the limits of the sensors. Against an F-15 (or even a MiG-29 or Su-27) the deck is stacked verily heavily against you.

 

If you want to develop effective sim tactics, best bet is probably to fly NOE as you are doing and use GCI cues.

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I have had limited succes with the Mig-21 in multiplayer so far. I've been doing Air-to-ground mostly. I can at least find targets on the ground by looking outside.

 

Air to air is a different story. I scored one lucky kill against another Mig-21 with an R-60M. In another mission I tracked down two Huey's with the help of GCI. They pretty much gave themselves away by firing the miniguns.

 

I have intercepted a mig-21 with the radar + R3R once. I'm sure I saw a single dash after friend/foe check. It was a great teamkill.

'Frett'

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Turbohog: You have to press the IFF to check? It won't tell you right after the normal lock?

 

Until higher fidelity airframes with less automatization and fewer modern solutions come around, the Fishbed isn't really being judged on its merits. Flankers and Eagles and Fulcrums don't just fight with weapons that aren't available to the Fishbed, but achieve a completely different level of situational awareness. That's not only down to easy-to-use technology, but a completely different cockpit workload (a very substantial lack thereof). For most, the pattern is HUD->Radar/EOS->Visual search. Meanwhile the portion of time spent heads-down in the Mig is vastly greater than in any other airframe (a lot of time in the A-10C is spent looking at displays that if anything can help increase your SA).

 

I'd love it if MP could be more 80s-tailored. I could say that I'd love it if there was something similar to fight against, like another Fishbed or something of a similar era, but mostly I think I wish there were fewer aircraft so vastly better than the Fishbed. :) In a more low-tech scenario with Fishbed-based CAP I think scenarios without the FC3 airframes will be a lot more entertaining and lead to more merges. To me it's only really those aircraft and their proliferation that determine the Fishbed-hostile dynamic on MP servers.

 

Disclaimer: I suck at DCS, I play on public serves like those of 104, and I only sometimes play with friends in 2-ship or more.

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If you want to develop effective sim tactics, best bet is probably to fly NOE as you are doing and use GCI cues.

 

Sorry, what's NOE?

 

Turbohog: You have to press the IFF to check? It won't tell you right after the normal lock?

 

Yes, when you lock a target you should press the bottom left button out of the 8 that control the radar filtering and it will display as a double dash (=) if friendly single dash (-) if hostile or an upside down T if it's above you.

 

Agree with you about the other FC3 aircraft. Their systems are so basic next to the likes of the A-10C and MiG-21bis it's quite an advantage they have over us.

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So far ground attack and flying around for fun was the only thing I tried in MP. I never felt like going against more modern jets with this kind of limitations, it wouldnt end well anyways.

 

Maybe someone will come up with a MP mission with dedicated Mig21 A2A with Su25/A10/Helos for CAS, could be fun since its not as easy as with the modern jets.

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Nap-Of-the-Earth

 

This. Means low - so low that you are hidden from enemy radar behind terrain features (terrain masking), outside typical scan patterns, or in ground clutter. If the enemy can't see you, they can't shoot you.

 

. . . of course, if your own GCI can't see you then it can't vector you to the enemy. And if the enemy is also tooling around in ground clutter, you're both going to have an exciting time dodging ridgelines, but the odds on you finding each other to have a fight are slim . . .

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I have managed to kill am f15 in the 104th. I fly with my face in the dirt and I also communicate with my teammates. By using an a10s or other aircrafts more advanced rwr I can get better vectors. And I can sometimes try to triangulate their position by using the a10s vector and my own position and rwr.

 

It's very challenging. And I have gotten shot down numerous times, but when it happens it's rewarding. I have also had many more close calls with getting other kills. But just couldn't quite get it right, or just couldn't locate enemy when they got close.

 

Try to learn where the enemys normal flight paths are. Hide in valleys. Pop up every now and then and scan with radar. You may get lucky. If you catch someone at like 20 or 30 km, go back in the mountain. Come out from a different position. If your lucky and timed it right you'll hopefully be close and approaching them quickly.

 

 

Side question. What is it like on your rwr when you get lock by a mig 21 radar? Does the rwr go bezerk like when an f15 locks you in single track?

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So far ground attack and flying around for fun was the only thing I tried in MP. I never felt like going against more modern jets with this kind of limitations, it wouldnt end well anyways.

 

Maybe someone will come up with a MP mission with dedicated Mig21 A2A with Su25/A10/Helos for CAS, could be fun since its not as easy as with the modern jets.

 

Yes while its not actually that bad vs modern jets (tho this module more than anything shows the need to improve aircraft visibility IMO), this would make for better missions over all, since current missions seem to just tuck strikers away in their own corners of the map since they get annihilated if a f15 or su27 gets anywhere near them.

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I just killed another mig, my first victory... I spot him with my radar, I was at 5000m, he was above and coming in my direction. I manage to approach him from behind and intended to fire a pair of R-60, but I was on SAR mode :doh: so I change to guns and finally got him.. what a moment.. Is incredible the adrenalie, never felt as near as that with the A-10 or Ka-50..

 

If you know the direction from where the enemy is coming, the radar does a pretty good job. I detected him far beyond my visual range.

Interl i7 6700k - 32Gb RAM DDR4 - RX 590 8GB - Sentey 32"2560x1440 - Saitek X-55 - TrackIr 3

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Does the low survival rate really come as a surprise to anyone. With increased realism comes increased complexity, and then top it off with a jet with technology that dates back to the 60's. I think we will find that even when the F-18 comes out (assuming its on the level as the A-10c), it will be cannon fodder for the Flaming Cliffs aircraft due to the difference in complexity. Locking targets, firing up weapons, tracking systems will all be more complicated than flying in the point and shoot jets of FC3. To find a fair server you may have to wait to dogfight the trainer low-tech aircraft like the Hawk or L-39.

I was in Art of the Kill D#@ it!!!!

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