F14A and IRST

[Sublimearrepentido]

Hi HB-

I was wondering if the F14A being rsleased will have the IRST the first F14s had that apparently was terrible. Thats be interesting.

Also please tell me you guys didnt stop on the A6..

[Spiceman]

The IRST came and went so quickly, it would be a waste of development resources to model something that didn’t work and was really never used.

[IronMike]

What Spiceman said. Didn't work, was never used really and before the time of our A, which is closer towards an A+ than very very early As that would have had IRST. But hey, we did flood mode, and just like in real life, no one uses it haha. So sometimes it is nice to also model stuff that did not work out so well, but in the case of IRST the development required for an effectively inoperational device is just nothing we could justify.

[turkeydriver]

the F-14A IR device could be better classified as an IRD rather than an IRST. Like the F-4B- maybe useful for picking up missiles along a known vector inbound to your ship or picking up big afterburner plumes, thats about it. TCS is amazing as is the F-14D IRST- only now improved upon in the Rhino centerline tank version.

[Uxi]

Probably not, though we can hope it shows up on the D.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

;)

[Top Jockey]

What Spiceman said. Didn't work, was never used really and before the time of our A, which is closer towards an A+ than very very early As that would have had IRST. But hey, we did flood mode, and just like in real life, no one uses it haha. So sometimes it is nice to also model stuff that did not work out so well, but in the case of IRST the development required for an effectively inoperational device is just nothing we could justify.

 

Hello IronMike,

 

By the way, will the upcoming F-14A version have somewhat different AIM-9 HUD symbology behavior / representation than our actual F-14B version, or will it be pretty similar ?

 

Thank you.

[Sublimearrepentido]

Whats this flood mode stuff about anyway

[draconus]

Whats this flood mode stuff about anyway

 

Radar mode that floods area in front with pulses so you could shoot Sparrow without lock.

[IronMike]

Hello IronMike,

 

By the way, will the upcoming F-14A version have somewhat different AIM-9 HUD symbology behavior / representation than our actual F-14B version, or will it be pretty similar ?

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

 

Unlikely. We will really make a very reduced navy version or as early proposed to Iran version. Changing hud symbology and behavior takes a lot of work and we just have to put a stop somewhere. It is not all final yet, but to give you a bit of an idea what it will look like:

 

- around 16 different IRIAF skins+ USAF Asia Minor (the one that stayed behind)

- only aim54A, aim7-E(?)/F and only early aim9s (I'd have to check which versions, but prolly l or older)

- only mk82 to mk84

- no lantirn

- no TCS (but TCS covered, not removed)

- no ACL/ICLS

 

 

^^this is neither a comprehensive, nor a final list, it is just me listing stuff top of my head, but I doubt we will go any further than that. I think this will still set it apart enough to make it a nice opponent or flyable on the Iranian side.

 

 

 

 

As for flood mode:

http://www.heatblur.se/F-14Manual/weapons.html#normal-mode

 

http://www.heatblur.se/F-14Manual/weapons.html#boresight-mode

 

However, pilot's called it a "hail mary bad idea" mode, and in fact during trainings were not awarded any points for kills using the flood mode. In general a flood antenna guides the missile to the target with the strongest returns in its cone, but it is very unreliable and the cone is quite small. The one in the F15 in FC3 is quite overdone, in real life probably no one would use it in either aircraft.

 

If you launch an aim7 in BRST, you basically launch it in flood mode. Not recommended.

[TLTeo]

Wait, that's for an IRIAF Tomcat right? Are you also going to do a US Navy Tomcat? I think that's what Top Jokey was asking about

Edited May 3, 2020 by TLTeo

[Snappy]

Wait, that's for an IRIAF Tomcat right? Are you also going to do a US Navy Tomcat? I think that's what Top Jokey was asking about

 

Yea, I was wondering the same whether the US Navy -A variant would also be that bare bone?

I thought we‘d have at least TCS again.

 

 

Regards,

 

Snappy

[Top Jockey]

Wait, that's for an IRIAF Tomcat right? Are you also going to do a US Navy Tomcat? I think that's what Top Jokey was asking about

 

Hello,

 

That's correct, I was refering to the US Navy F-14A as naturally this tends to be seen more as the "real deal", than the IRIAF version.

(And is for me, the most legendary version of them all.)

 

Only asked it, because if the US Navy we are getting is from 1985 onwards, it will also have the Sidewinder seeker-head moving symbol (when locked) on the HUD (introduced with AFC 713) like the current B version we have now.

 

So my curiosity was if the HUD symbology and behavior would be similar to the B version or not (did it ever exist a version with the search pattern visible on the HUD ?)

Being that it seems we may be getting older AIM-9 versions, and given that in some of these the search pattern was different, so could the avionics behave differently.

[Marxman]

I too am more so interested in the USN F-14A. It is the model that made the aircraft famous for what it could do best in my personal opinion. I would hope to see the TCS functional with the USN A model, even if it means waiting till after release for it to be implemented. (Although I know how many feel about adding unfinished features after release. To me, the TCS is something I can handle going without, but would just like to see it included.)

 

 

In the end I'm always pro variety, so even including a model without a functional TCS and cover would also be cool to have as an option.

 

 

Btw, IronMike, Any chance we can get a glimpse tease at some of these A model liveries fairly soon? (A long shot but worth a try. :lol:)

Edited May 4, 2020 by Marxman

[Fri13]

Whats this flood mode stuff about anyway

 

Flood mode idea is that you can quickly set radar to emit the same frequency and missile code if you lose a lock (target is beaming etc).

 

So you have lost the lock but you know visually where the target was/is and you can then just put the big circle on your HUD on the area and radar continues guidance on that area, but now it is up to missile to detect what is target from the whole area (basically missile uses its inertial guidance to logically find the echo that match its previous tracked target).

 

The flood mode is dangerous as missile can guide on anything.

[Top Jockey]

I too am more so interested in the USN F-14A. It is the model that made the aircraft famous for what it could do best in my personal opinion. I would hope to see the TCS functional with the USN A model, even if it means waiting till after release for it to be implemented. (Although I know how many feel about adding unfinished features after release. To me, the TCS is something I can handle going without, but would just like to see it included.)

 

 

In the end I'm always pro variety, so even including a model without a functional TCS and cover would also be cool to have as an option.

 

 

Btw, IronMike, Any chance we can get a glimpse tease at some of these A model liveries fairly soon? (A long shot but worth a try. :lol:)

 

Why would it not be implemented, if we already have it completed and working in the B version ?

( Was the TCS so much different between A and B versions of the Tomcat ? )

[Spiceman]

TCS was integral to the -A and was used virtually it’s entire lifespan. I can’t imagine HB’s -A wouldn’t have the TCS. The -A and -B TCS are the same system.

[Marxman]

@Top Jockey That's honestly my line of thinking. Most of the work is already done so I would've thought it wouldn't be too complicated to include in the A version. Then again I'm not a game/sim dev so I don't really know.

 

 

 

But I just recall seeing that HB stated the A model is going to be the same for both USN and IRIAF, just flying different colours respectively. And since Iran didn't have the TCS on their F-14s, it's going to be the same for the USN model as it's recycled. Atleast that's my understanding of how their approaching this.

[Airhunter]

TCS was integral to the -A and was used virtually it’s entire lifespan. I can’t imagine HB’s -A wouldn’t have the TCS. The -A and -B TCS are the same system.

 

Earlier on the TCS was covered with a bullet fairing afaik.

[near_blind]

Earlier on the TCS was covered with a bullet fairing afaik.

 

Earlier on the TCS didn't exist. During the seven or so years between the Tomcat entering IOC and the TCS being adopted, that position on the nose would have either been (briefly) occupied by the IRST, or just the antenna for the ALQ-100.

 

The bullet fairing was there to aerodynamically cover the hole that would be left if the TCS had been temporarily removed for maintenance or some such thing.

[Airhunter]

Earlier on the TCS didn't exist. During the seven or so years between the Tomcat entering IOC and the TCS being adopted, that position on the nose would have either been (briefly) occupied by the IRST, or just the antenna for the ALQ-100.

 

The bullet fairing was there to aerodynamically cover the hole that would be left if the TCS had been temporarily removed for maintenance or some such thing.

 

Interesting.

[Spiceman]

From 1983 or so and onward, the only time you would see a bullet fairing on a Tomcat was on a RAG jet. In my 10+ years I never saw a bullet fairing on a fleet jet. We kept one in the shop, but never had occasion to use it.

[Airhunter]

From 1983 or so and onward, the only time you would see a bullet fairing on a Tomcat was on a RAG jet. In my 10+ years I never saw a bullet fairing on a fleet jet. We kept one in the shop, but never had occasion to use it.

 

I hope HB considers this then.

[captain_dalan]

 

But I just recall seeing that HB stated the A model is going to be the same for both USN and IRIAF, just flying different colours respectively. And since Iran didn't have the TCS on their F-14s, it's going to be the same for the USN model as it's recycled. Atleast that's my understanding of how their approaching this.

 

Wait, so they aren't doing a USN F-14A at all? Just a downgraded Iran F-14A with a different coat of paint? That's a bummer. I joined DCS in the first place so i can one day fly USN F-14A's in a sim. If the above is true, i kinda lost (almost) all interest in it, to the point i don't really care if they ever release it actually.

 

Are you sure about this? Can you point to the exact post?

[Marxman]

Oh no, the opposite. It's going to be a USN F-14a shared for both US and Iran. Atleast that's what I got from it.

 

 

Heres the post I was referring to.

 

 

 

https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=4316281&postcount=187

[Spiceman]

Chill... the A is coming. They’re hard at work on it. They’ve already posted on its progress. I’m also sure it will be a proper A which means it will have the TCS like every A did.