MAV-F

[Raisuli]

I'm really struggling with these. If it's a bug then great; I'll move on. Only a dozen or so other systems to develop proficiency on, but I've made them work in the past and can't seem to get consistent results. I've seen posts where they work, and where people also struggle, but can't find a conclusive line.

 

 

 

MA->ARM

A/G->Selected

 

 

Handed off from the TGP, cursors line up. In range. Ready to rain destruction on the unwashed heathens manning the gun (Air Force Aggressors have no Miranda rights). MavF says no...

 

 

[randomTOTEN]

[Raisuli]

Ah HAH! It's always the broken line*, isn't it? I should have known!

 

 

Is there a graceful way to lock up the MAV from the TGP? Is it as simple as pushing the button with SOI on the Mav?

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

(Broken Line is a memorial in Tallinn. My wife knew people on that ferry...)

[diegoepoimaria01]

I had the same issue ... and I'm still working on it.

 

I *THINK* it might be because the target on the TPOD is not enough for the Maverick ... Maybe if you lock the tpod on a contrast line, mav can lock on it ... I'm yet not sure.

 

I've discovered that if you move it around a but it *MIGHT* work ...

 

 

 

But I'm curious too for the correct explanation.

[Razor18]

Ah HAH! It's always the broken line*, isn't it? I should have known!

 

Is there a graceful way to lock up the MAV from the TGP? Is it as simple as pushing the button with SOI on the Mav?

 

Thanks!

 

(Broken Line is a memorial in Tallinn. My wife knew people on that ferry...)

 

DCS manual page 175

 

Of course you have to put priority diamond to the Mav DDI. Then

 

"When an uncage signal is commanded to the missile (by depression of the uncage switch, action slewing of the TDC, moving the Sensor Control switch to the Laser Maverick format to command track, or by making a designation), UNCAGED is provided on the format."

 

This is for the laser MAV, but infra MAV is quite the same. Uncage, wait for lock, or UNcage then TDC depress, or a nudge on TDC. Not sure about whether SCS left/right works on infra MAV also.

 

Reading the manual is for dummies, right? :lol:

Edited May 13, 2020 by Razor18

[Raisuli]

I'm not very bright...so I did. And I did. Just created a new mission just for MAVs; on an Il-76 sized target the IR mavs blink in and out of locked at about the seizure rate. If you're quick you can get one off. Sometimes two. I never realized that's what it was doing (blinking in and out of lock).

 

 

Then there's the problem of two IL-76s parked next to each other. Select one with the TGP, get a mav off (in the second between lock and search), fly by, turn around, select the second with the TGP, hand off to the mav, manage to get it launched, and it hits the remains of the first one.

 

 

*sigh*

 

 

Still working at it, but I'm tempted to switch to laser guided. IR and I aren't getting along well today.

[Razor18]

Do you switch FOV on Mav for more details?

[Raisuli]

Do you switch FOV on Mav for more details?

 

 

Yes.

 

 

 

I'm not sure how I would target the things without the TGP, there's so little contrast in the image, even on narrow fov. I'm half wondering if it would be better to take a step back and try them without the TGP.

[maxTRX]

... MavF says no...

 

 

First of all MavF needs to shut up!

Then, the only reason I put my TDC on mav's screen is to uncage it and zoom in. You only have to uncage once (for all mavs) but the zoom in has to be done for each missile. When you have that done go back to Tpod. I don't know how you acquired your target but get this done from as far as possible. Play with refining the lock on the Tpod as you get closer. At some point the MavF will lock onto your target and you'll see a firing solution on your HUD (should be around 9 or 10 nm, depending on conditions) then fire away! When the next MavF comes on line, zoom in and back to Tpod… Now, if you're close, forget the zoom. It should lock easy.

[Harker]

As long as there is an AG designation (created by the TPOD, WPDSG or the A/G radar), the MAVF's seeker will remain slaved to it, cannot be manually slewed and won't properly lock on a target (crosshairs closed and steady over the target). If you want to manually control the seeker as well as firmly lock a target (and avoid the intermittent crossed MAVF status), you need to undesignate the target first. Very inconvenient, since the TPOD will return to snowplow and you'll lose the designation.

 

At least that's the current behavior in the DCS Hornet. What happens is that there seems to be a conflict in sensor priority, preventing the seeker from locking up a target after it's slaved to the designation diamond. More info here: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=253903

[Raisuli]

As long as there is an AG designation (created by the TPOD, WPDSG or the A/G radar), the MAVF's seeker will remain slaved to it, cannot be manually slewed and won't properly lock on a target (crosshairs closed and steady over the target). If you want to manually control the seeker as well as firmly lock a target (and avoid the intermittent crossed MAVF status), you need to undesignate the target first. Very inconvenient, since the TPOD will return to snowplow and you'll lose the designation.

 

At least that's the current behavior in the DCS Hornet. What happens is that there seems to be a conflict in sensor priority, preventing the seeker from locking up a target after it's slaved to the designation diamond. More info here: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=253903

 

 

Good stuff there; thanks for the link! I'll set the IR Mavs aside for a bit and feel a little better about being a fumble-fingered idiot on the piccolo. Plenty of other toys to play with! :joystick::pilotfly:

[CBStu]

Page 175 in the DCS User Manual is part of the Mission Editor instructions in 'Perform Command- Switch Action.

[maxTRX]

Good stuff there; thanks for the link! I'll set the IR Mavs aside for a bit and feel a little better about being a fumble-fingered idiot on the piccolo. Plenty of other toys to play with! :joystick::pilotfly:

 

Are we all on 2.5.6?

 

Focusing only on the way things work in this 'gamesim' ... Mav F is my favorite weapon now:D

Packs a hell of a punch. 4 Mavs was enough to bring down Burj Khalifa in Dubai! All right, I don't need a sermon now about damage modelling:music_whistling:

 

For me it's part of the drill to adapt and revise tactics, develop new procedures, etc. when jumping from one version to another no matter how eftup it is.

Out of list of things that need to be fixed in this build, Mav F is a minor tweak in my view but...

as usual I might be an oddball here:noexpression:

[salsantana]

Enough time in A-10C convinced me that Mavs can be downright contrary...... like they'll lock if they're in the mood :)

I find the slew rates to be a bit heavy...... they actually remind me of rudder pedals with lag in their response so you overshoot.

I cringe to mention this, but...... still pretty green here...... A/G radar? I know it well enough from F-16's, but how and where in F-18?? Only when using AGM-84/88??

[Raisuli]

I cringe to mention this, but...... still pretty green here...... A/G radar? I know it well enough from F-16's, but how and where in F-18?? Only when using AGM-84/88??

 

 

We don't need no stEEnking A/G radar! We just looks down outta da window!

 

 

:)

 

 

Or, in other words, DCS has graciously decided not to distract us with this quite yet so we have more time to focus on other systems. Quite nice of them if you ask me.

[Harker]

Enough time in A-10C convinced me that Mavs can be downright contrary...... like they'll lock if they're in the mood :)

I find the slew rates to be a bit heavy...... they actually remind me of rudder pedals with lag in their response so you overshoot.

I cringe to mention this, but...... still pretty green here...... A/G radar? I know it well enough from F-16's, but how and where in F-18?? Only when using AGM-84/88??

It's not implemented yet. Regardless of its actual usefulness though, it's one of the ways you can create a ground target designation.

[PoorOldSpike]

Speaking of ground radar, I've used it in other sims but there's so much ground clutter that it's hard to see what's what.

However it's sometimes useful to spot ships on the open sea.

But anyway I suppose ground radar is almost redundant nowadays because there's usually an AWACs high above illuminating everything and sending target coordinates to the bombers?

[Raisuli]

Speaking of ground radar, I've used it in other sims but there's so much ground clutter that it's hard to see what's what.

However it's sometimes useful to spot ships on the open sea.

But anyway I suppose ground radar is almost redundant nowadays because there's usually an AWACs high above illuminating everything and sending target coordinates to the bombers?

 

 

I am SO confused. If the bombers are flying that's air radar, which we have. I'm pretty sure AWACS doesn't track ground targets, but I could be...well...confused.

[Harker]

I am SO confused. If the bombers are flying that's air radar, which we have. I'm pretty sure AWACS doesn't track ground targets, but I could be...well...confused.

Our E-3A AWACS doesn't, but there are other airborne platforms that are tailored for this role, such as the E-8 JSTARS aircraft. They use their airborne radar for ground target detection and tracking and they can relay information to other airplanes via datalink.

 

That being said, it's always good to be able to be self-sufficient, but I wouldn't expect the AG radar in the Hornet to be extremely useful for finding ground targets. It's mostly used for anti-ship missions and if it's used for the detection of ground troops, the pilot likely already knows the general area of the targets. Even like that, it takes a lot of skill to spot and track targets and actually get a good picture (if it's even possible). That's the reason why the F-15E is still a thing, because the WSO is very much needed, since working the AG radar requires constant attention, for specific types of missions.

[CBStu]

...That's the reason why the F-15E is still a thing, because the WSO is very much needed, since working the AG radar requires constant attention, for specific types of missions.

I agree w/ you there for sure. For fun I set up a mission to try to take out two speedboats w/ guns (forget the real term) w/ MavFs on the way to the Stennis. So I head toward them from 20nm away and their label comes up at about 10nm. I start trying to get the Mav locked on and it's just too far. Keep trying finally lock one and launch the Mav and then try to swing myself toward the 2nd boat. Don't get quite lined up but hey, I can slew the Mav right. Yeah but now I am closer and that dang boat is flying down and off to the side of the Mav screen. Fly to line up the plane better? Yeah but now it's way away from where it was on the Mav screen. Ooooops, now it's off the bottom of the Mav screen. Dang I'd like to have someone else back there doing this.