better understanding of the BVR radar...

[fitness88]

In BVR, I'd like to better understand the differences between:

1. when the TDC is moved over a target without Throttle Designator Controller - Depress
   
2. when the TDC is moved over a target and you Throttle Designator Controller - Depress 1X
   
3. when the TDC is moved over a target and you Throttle Designator Controller - Depress a second time [this being STT lock]
   

Also, what does the target aircraft hear and/or see between the 3 above options, in terms of being made aware of what you are doing...

 

 

Thank you.

[Guppy]

In BVR, I'd like to better understand the differences between:

1. when the TDC is moved over a target without Throttle Designator Controller - Depress
   
2. when the TDC is moved over a target and you Throttle Designator Controller - Depress 1X
   
3. when the TDC is moved over a target and you Throttle Designator Controller - Depress a second time [this being STT lock]
   

Also, what does the target aircraft hear and/or see between the 3 above options, in terms of being made aware of what you are doing...

 

 

Thank you.

 

- First: they hear nothing, but your radar likely appears on their RWR

- Second: (assuming you have LTWS on) they hear nothing, but your radar likely appears on their RWR; you are "soft locked" onto their track file. But you cannot hand off the track to your missile if you launch. Basically this helps you track other target while having an idea of additional track information on the target you locked.

- Third: You are locked onto them and they will more than likely be getting RWR lock tones.

Edited October 3, 2019 by Guppy

[fitness88]

- First: they hear nothing, but your radar likely appears on their RWR

- Second: (assuming you have LTWS on) they hear nothing, but your radar likely appears on their RWR; you are "soft locked" onto their track file. But you cannot hand off the track to your missile if you launch. Basically this helps you track other target while having an idea of additional track information on the target you locked.

- Third: You are locked onto them and they will more than likely be getting RWR lock tones.

 

 

 

Great info...thanks

Is the difference between LTWS vs. TWS with the latter capable of allowing missile fire but with LTWS as you mentioned, cannot fire missile?

[Santi871]

Great info...thanks

Is the difference between LTWS vs. TWS with the latter capable of allowing missile fire but with LTWS as you mentioned, cannot fire missile?

 

Firing an AMRAAM in LTWS will cause it to switch to TWS to ensure higher update rate and scan centering (when TWS is added). Firing a sparrow in LTWS will cause it to switch to STT so it can guide it.

[Santi871]

Firing Aim120 from LTWS works just fine even without TWS.

 

They get launch warning right off the rail. It's a bug or placeholder until TWS is in.

[sk000tch]

[*]when the TDC is moved over a target and you Throttle Designator Controller - Depress a second time

 

Only this will prompt RWR tone, however, a few pages back there is a thread where another guy and I go into great detail about why commanding STT by this practice is bad given upcoming features, and that you should try to get in ha it of fast acq or auto. Thread is air to air radar or similarly titled

[Santi871]

Only this will prompt RWR tone, however, a few pages back there is a thread where another guy and I go into great detail about why commanding STT by this practice is bad given upcoming features, and that you should try to get in ha it of fast acq or auto. Thread is air to air radar or similarly titled

 

How can you get in the habit of using something is not modeled?

[sk000tch]

Fast and Auto acquisition are modelled. Bump acquisition and track cycling will be nice additions, and TWS will change the post commit building SA/adjusting scan volume process, but this thread (and the other) is a good example of why in some ways the slow addition of features makes it easier to learn.

 

Hornet hotas can be very efficient or it can be clunky... trying to essentially double TDC depress a bandit to enter STT is clunky, especially since that target may be aged and moved significantly or in close proximity to another target. Further, soon TDC depress will recenter azimuth sweep or enter spotlight if cursor not over a track (this is what I meant by upcoming features, bad habits get worse as things get more complex).

 

For now, TDC depress to designate L&S is our only option. Once designated L&S, whether your style is to turn zero angle off and go full AB, or you scan for additional and build SA, consider aspect and lat sep, plan intercept for positional advantage before committing, adjust az sweep/modulation/bars for better update time, etc., in either case when you want to command STT, you can either put cursor over L&S and TDC depress, or just press SCS right (make sure no track under cursor). Both will attempt to acquire STT on L&S, one will automatically and immediately acquire current L&S, whereas the other may accidentally select another track as L&S, recenter scan, designate a DT2, etc.

 

FWIW, if you want to enter STT immediately SCS is better than as well. One key press vs. two. Once ranked are in, it will command STT on highest threat, but for now still have to move cursor.

 

But again, both methods work. No NFO sim instructor grades in DCS... so fly however works for you

[fitness88]

Fast and Auto acquisition are modelled. Bump acquisition and track cycling will be nice additions, and TWS will change the post commit building SA/adjusting scan volume process, but this thread (and the other) is a good example of why in some ways the slow addition of features makes it easier to learn.

 

Hornet hotas can be very efficient or it can be clunky... trying to essentially double TDC depress a bandit to enter STT is clunky, especially since that target may be aged and moved significantly or in close proximity to another target. Further, soon TDC depress will recenter azimuth sweep or enter spotlight if cursor not over a track (this is what I meant by upcoming features, bad habits get worse as things get more complex).

 

For now, TDC depress to designate L&S is our only option. Once designated L&S, whether your style is to turn zero angle off and go full AB, or you scan for additional and build SA, consider aspect and lat sep, plan intercept for positional advantage before committing, adjust az sweep/modulation/bars for better update time, etc., in either case when you want to command STT, you can either put cursor over L&S and TDC depress, or just press SCS right (make sure no track under cursor). Both will attempt to acquire STT on L&S, one will automatically and immediately acquire current L&S, whereas the other may accidentally select another track as L&S, recenter scan, designate a DT2, etc.

 

FWIW, if you want to enter STT immediately SCS is better than as well. One key press vs. two. Once ranked are in, it will command STT on highest threat, but for now still have to move cursor.

 

But again, both methods work. No NFO sim instructor grades in DCS... so fly however works for you

 

 

 

For me when you say learning too much at once will overload my circuits...you are absolutely correct.

The only frustration I come across is not knowing what is bugged and/or not yet implemented, that's why this form is so affective!

Thanks sk000tch and all the other contributors you help keep a lot of us on course

[Kim Jong-un]

Whats the difference between med and high PRF, which one should i use when?

[Santi871]

Whats the difference between med and high PRF, which one should i use when?

 

High PRF = Higher range but works best on high closure rate targets, might not detect beaming or cold targets.

 

Medium PRF = Lower range (~30nm or less) but works on all aspect targets.

[sk000tch]

For me when you say learning too much at once will overload my circuits...you are absolutely correct.

The only frustration I come across is not knowing what is bugged and/or not yet implemented, that's why this form is so affective!

Thanks sk000tch and all the other contributors you help keep a lot of us on course

 

I hear ya, to their credit ED puts a lot of effort into the manuals and usually a pretty good job. That doesn't do much for things that are coming down the road though. Like this case, it's not that it was wrong, just that there's a better way. I don't think the manual is going to address things things like that.

 

Anyway, glad it was helpful. Tune in next week for using points of the L&S star to estimate TA and required heading for perfect rear quarter intercepts.

[fitness88]

I hear ya, to their credit ED puts a lot of effort into the manuals and usually a pretty good job. That doesn't do much for things that are coming down the road though. Like this case, it's not that it was wrong, just that there's a better way. I don't think the manual is going to address things things like that.

 

Anyway, glad it was helpful. Tune in next week for using points of the L&S star to estimate TA and required heading for perfect rear quarter intercepts.

 

 

Have to give up my day job cheers!

[USA_Recon]

How can you get in the habit of using something is not modeled?

 

Sorry to response, but that is funny :)

[Santi871]

Sorry to response, but that is funny :)

 

I was wrong-ish. It is modeled but it's wonky and it will fail if the radar picture is complex.

[sk000tch]

Not wrong, it gets you from A to B. You make a valid point about being able to get in the habit of using features that don't exist.

 

This is like the 4th time a thread has come up on topic. The fast, auto, bump acquisition methods aren't intuitive, particularly the way early access spoon fed hotas and radar functions.