WaitingXR145 Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Hey guys this has been great so far but... I wish there was a little more explaining on some of the tactics and ideas. When you CAP vs sweeping. Just not as up to speed on some of the military terms of flying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangi Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 CAP is hanging around in an area waiting for bogeys, a sweep is going out looking for trouble. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_air_patrol https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-air_patrol PC: 6600K @ 4.5 GHz, 12GB RAM, GTX 970, 32" 2K monitor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Davies Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 (edited) I deliberately left the tactics vague because there are many online squads who have their own tactics and I wanted to leave it open to the single player pilots to decide what to do... However, if you want to ask some specific questions, there are lots of people here who can help you, myself included. In answer to your question about Sweep versus CAP, there's a metric tonne you could write. Here are some pointers from me: 1. You'll notice that the line up card advises on speeds and altitude blocks. You'll see that for CAP, the legs are about 15nm each and are oriented in the direction of the threat. You should man your CAPs so that while one element is 'nose cold' to the threat axis (pointing away from it), the other is nose hot (pointing towards it). This ensures that you always have a set of radars looking at the expected approach of the threat. 2. From a tech standpoint, ensure that you vary your PRFs to get the most out of the radar - in high PRF you can detect a co-altitude target in the DCS F-15 at about 60 miles, but in interleaved PRFs you will see it at maybe 40 miles. 3. Similarly, use the radar elevation controls to make sure you are searching for high- and low-flying Gomers who are trying to sneak above or below your radar coverage - your threat briefing should tell you where the Red Air CAPs are, but it's worth bearing in mind that when you commit to an engagement, you don't want to get flanked, so sanitise the airspace left and right of the guy you are going engage before you lock him and shoot him. Also, check that there are no trailers who are going to cream you if your bandit drags you left or right 4. When you commit from the CAP station, get high and fast >Mach 1 and 30k' - this will extend the range of your AMRAAM. Once you shoot, retard the throttles and begin a left or right descending turn, keeping the target within the mechanical limits of the radar (i.e. within the scope) - this will reduce the range of the bandit's missiles 5. Have a 'commit range' in mind that you will want to turn and run if you don't have a lock on a target, and at which you commit to the engagement if you do. So, if you lock up a bandit, get to about 15 miles and then suddenly lose the lock, do you press and try to find him again, or do you turn tail and reset the engagement? And if you lock a bandit, at what range do you commit to driving the engagement home? I use a rule of thumb of about 12 miles, which is about the minimum range in the sim at which I can execute a 180 and run away from an AA-10 (IIRC!). You'll also want to have a commit range in mind for pop-up threats - personally, if AWACS or WAI call anything within 10 miles of me that I have not seen or detected, I will honour it and point at it if the tactical situation allows. When this happens, go straight to one of your AUTO ACQ modes, which will lock up the first radar contact the radar detects. Just bear in mind that this could be friendly, so check before you shoot 6. You'll also see that, while CAP legs are flown at the same speed, the legs of a Sweep are flown at different speeds. You fly faster leaving the sweep because you don't want to turn your tail to the threat and let them catch up with you and shoot you down. 7. When you sweep, make sure you know which direction to fly to safety - usually East in the RF campaign. That way, if it all goes to shit, you can just point the nose to the East and fly as fast as you can to get away from the bad guys 8. Stay fast. Honestly, it didn't become a mantra for no reason. Well, that's pretty much a brain dump from me. There are lots and lots of other things you can weave into your tactics, but these are the ones I would start with. When you've comfortable, you can start looking at formation tactics, controlling WAI and so on. Have fun! Edited January 19, 2016 by Steve Davies Steve Davies https://www.10percenttrue.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaitingXR145 Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 Steve thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I sure there are other areas to ask these kinds of questions. But where is the best place to learn about the different modes and all for the radar and how best to use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Davies Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Steve thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I sure there are other areas to ask these kinds of questions. But where is the best place to learn about the different modes and all for the radar and how best to use them. You're welcome. Honestly, start with the manual that comes with the DCS F-15 module. It should be in the documents folder of your installation. The radar has three main modes of operation - Range While Scan (RWS) and Track While Scan (TWS), and Single Target Track. Learn about these and gain an appreciation for the differences between TWS and RWS. Next, learn about the AUTO ACQ (acquisition) modes - these are made for close combat and are designed to lock the first target that the radar detects within 10 miles. You don't really need to understand radar theory to get the most of the F-15, but it certainly helps. So, in addition to the manual, you can researching the following: Clutter Doppler Notch Pulse Repetition Frequency (PRF) Drop us a note here with any questions. :thumbup: Steve Davies https://www.10percenttrue.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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