My targeting pod aiming sucks.

[SPS48A]

New to the targeting pod. I have the main ideas down and have read through Chucks guide and watched several videos on YouTube. I find that most of the videos rely on having a waypoint to designate as target and then the pod slews to that target. Are there other ways to get the pod pointed in the right direction? Or perhaps a better question might be how many ways are there to get the pod pointed into a general area? I totally suck at trying to do it freehand.

 

Let's say you are patrolling an area and notice AA fire coming from your 2 o'clock position. How would you go about getting the targeting pod pointed in that direction?

[Fri13]

The last update brought Velocity Vector option, it is at right side of the MFCD when you are looking TGP view.

 

It will link TGP to you Velocity Vector that you can use to aim TGP by flying toward the target and then depressing TDC to lock it there.

Then you can again sleeve or around and depress TDC to designate new position.

 

So what you would do, is get to dive toward target and drop TGP on wanted position, gain back altitude and start searching target with TGP.

 

In future, you can use JHMCS in A-G mode to designate targets on ground, so you create target points on ground, and then you can sleeve the TGP to that target point like you would for waypoint.

 

But that mode is coming in the future.

 

But, you should be as well be able fly over target, press TOO to create a target point below your aircraft. And slave TGP then to that point, and then sleeve TGP to wanted position.

 

If you check your heading and relative enemy direction from your detection, you can easily use compass to sleeve to right direction.

 

But for now, TOO and VVI are easiest. In future it is JHMCS if you have a LOS to target.

 

So simple way is just perform a loop, point VVI on area and fly to another direction. You don't lose altitude by performing that correctly.

[Notso]

The last update brought Velocity Vector option, it is at right side of the MFCD when you are looking TGP view.

 

It will link TGP to you Velocity Vector that you can use to aim TGP by flying toward the target and then depressing TDC to lock it there.

Then you can again sleeve or around and depress TDC to designate new position.

 

So what you would do, is get to dive toward target and drop TGP on wanted position, gain back altitude and start searching target with TGP.

 

In future, you can use JHMCS in A-G mode to designate targets on ground, so you create target points on ground, and then you can sleeve the TGP to that target point like you would for waypoint.

 

But that mode is coming in the future.

 

But, you should be as well be able fly over target, press TOO to create a target point below your aircraft. And slave TGP then to that point, and then sleeve TGP to wanted position.

 

If you check your heading and relative enemy direction from your detection, you can easily use compass to sleeve to right direction.

 

But for now, TOO and VVI are easiest. In future it is JHMCS if you have a LOS to target.

 

So simple way is just perform a loop, point VVI on area and fly to another direction. You don't lose altitude by performing that correctly.

 

Slew

Edited April 13, 2020 by Notso

[Notso]

New to the targeting pod. I have the main ideas down and have read through Chucks guide and watched several videos on YouTube. I find that most of the videos rely on having a waypoint to designate as target and then the pod slews to that target. Are there other ways to get the pod pointed in the right direction? Or perhaps a better question might be how many ways are there to get the pod pointed into a general area? I totally suck at trying to do it freehand.

 

Let's say you are patrolling an area and notice AA fire coming from your 2 o'clock position. How would you go about getting the targeting pod pointed in that direction?

 

There are numerous ways to get the TGP into an area. Currently the 3 methods working in DCS are:

 

1. Waypoint designate (WPDSG) if you have a pre-planned target AS A STEERPOINT.

2. Velocity vector mode. As described, just point your nose and put the flight path marker/velocity vector on the target and depress the TDC button. The pod will then latch there onto the ground. From there manually slew it to refine the designation to the specific target point. You don’t have to be perfect with the VV. Just get the TGT in the FOV and designate and then refine it as you recover from your shallow dive. I don’t recommend doing a loop.

3. Manual slew. This is the hardest of all to find something on the fly. But it’s a valid method If you are unable to dive down for some reason. The key is understanding the dot that floats around the pod screen. If for instance you see AAA fire coming from 2 o’clock (~ 40 deg right and about 45 deg down), just slew the pod there using the dot and the L/R and up/down angle numbers. I would do this in WFOV and IR as a technique only. But it is hard and it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack while looking through a soda straw.

 

Future methods should be with the JHMCS and the A/G radar if we ever get it. And I’m. It sure about this Lot Hornet, but most other jets of that era could also cue the TGP off of a Link-16 injected track as well.

 

To answer your AAA @ 2 o’clock scenario, the quickest and most efficient way to get the pod on is with VV mode.