Question on AGM 88C HARM

[Bagpipe]

Hi folks,

 

Yesterday i was flying the FA18 over the PG on one GR's servers and decided to go for some of those pesky SAM sites. Flying at 30k ft at Mach 0.9 and got locked up by an enemy SAM.

HARM was on standard mode not TOO. I carried on to within 15nm of the target and launched only to see my missile attempting a 180 as if it was returning to our friendly SAM sites behind me??

Fired another and it seemed to do the same.

 

Am i doing something wrong here or is it a case of too many radars in close proximity confusing the missile?

Would this mean i have to properly learn how to program TOO mode and go about it that way?

 

 

Thanks

[BIGNEWY]

Hi

 

it would be difficult to tell for sure without a track replay.

 

Are you sure you handed Off to the correct target?

[=475FG= Dawger]

Hi

 

it would be difficult to tell for sure without a track replay.

 

Are you sure you handed Off to the correct target?

 

The hand off in self protection is automatic through the RWR, AFIK.

 

There is HUD symbology that indicates what emitter the HARM is currently prioritizing IIRC. It does take a few seconds for the HARM to switch when a new emitter comes up that is more of a threat.

 

If you launch off the first spike very quickly the first HARM will not be tracking the new threat and will head off to whatever it was prioritizing before.

 

Sometimes it will not switch to what you perceive as the most critical threat. I think this is what occurred here.

Edited September 29, 2019 by pmiceli

[Preendog]

It does take a few seconds for the HARM to switch when a new emitter comes up that is more of a threat..

 

I don't think the SP target automatically changes as new threats appear. Unless your current SP target disappears, then it will go to the next most threatening one.

 

You have to cycle through them manually, or hit 'RESET' on the DDI which will select the current most threatening target.

 

SAM radars will always be hard to distinguish on the RWR or HUD given the directions are often wrong, even 180 degrees sometimes, and there is no range indication. I suggest using TOO for the attack, or wait for a SAM to launch at you, then select the tracking radar with a RESET press.

Edited September 29, 2019 by Preendog

[wrl11]

As Preendog said you have to hit the reset button in the DDI to get the HARM to focus on the biggest threat when in SP mode, or cycle through them all until you see the SAM targeting you boxed. My guess is it was tracking a Patriot or other allied site behind you.

[Bagpipe]

I don't think the SP target automatically changes as new threats appear. Unless your current SP target disappears, then it will go to the next most threatening one.

 

You have to cycle through them manually, or hit 'RESET' on the DDI which will select the current most threatening target.

 

SAM radars will always be hard to distinguish on the RWR or HUD given the directions are often wrong, even 180 degrees sometimes, and there is no range indication. I suggest using TOO for the attack, or wait for a SAM to launch at you, then select the tracking radar with a RESET press.

 

Roger, reset button should do it. I reckon as i got pinged form the friendly radars the harm must have engaged them and even though i flew into the enemy radar as it was nailing me for a good few miles before launching, the missile must have still been locked to the ones behind me without the reset button.

 

Thank you makes sense :book:

[Stubbies2003]

Suggest you launch from TOO mode. It is only a few buttons to learn/get muscle memory for and works good.

[maxTRX]

I stayed away from this mode since I tried it a while back. I had the SP HARM OVRD button unboxed and I expected the HARM to have all the threats sorted out before switching me back to HARM display and basically just waiting for me to consent with a pickle button. I could see HARM's selected threat box on my HUD though. Apparently this thing is still unfinished. I'm beginning to hate that word:mad:

The whole purpose of having an OVRD option is to prevent HARM (in some situations) to switch pages automatically. Say you're 5 secs from release of other weapons (AA or AG), you're holding your pickle button and all of a sudden the SP mode brings up HARM display... crap! what do I do now! which one is more important, might be a hard call to make. Sometimes it's easy.

Anyway, I don't think this part is working correctly yet. Of course we won't get any feedback from RW Hornet pilots on this... I did a quick simple test against 1 SAM battery (S300). It seems like the HARM had a S300 search radar boxed from around 60nm out then immediately switched to tracking radar when it locked me at 16nm. (S300 was trying to be sneaky, lol) I had the OVRD unboxed and in this situation it would've been very useful... just give it a quick glance, pickle, jink!

Instead, I had to switch fire control to HARM, flying 50 feet AGL then pickle...

 

I'll see how the target selection works against multiple batteries, hostile and friendly.

 

https://youtu.be/SAszxDL1ftk

Edited September 29, 2019 by Gripes323

[Ziptie]

Instead, I had to switch fire control to HARM, flying 50 feet AGL then pickle...

 

I'll see how the target selection works against multiple batteries, hostile and friendly.

 

https://youtu.be/SAszxDL1ftk

 

 

Close call for sure. But yeah you had other ordinance selected, so for sure you would have to toggle back to the HARM to fire it.... I, like others, also prefer the TOO mode as it can be much more specific in terms of firing on desired target.

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Don

[Ziptie]

Hi folks,

 

Yesterday i was flying the FA18 over the PG on one GR's servers and decided to go for some of those pesky SAM sites. Flying at 30k ft at Mach 0.9 and got locked up by an enemy SAM.

HARM was on standard mode not TOO. I carried on to within 15nm of the target and launched only to see my missile attempting a 180 as if it was returning to our friendly SAM sites behind me??

Fired another and it seemed to do the same.

 

Am i doing something wrong here or is it a case of too many radars in close proximity confusing the missile?

Would this mean i have to properly learn how to program TOO mode and go about it that way?

 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Definitely possible in SP mode that the HARM fired on a target at your 6.

 

Check out this video from Cap (Grim Reapers). Shows the HARM firing at a target 180*ish

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Don