Maverick with Small Boats

[Ryanwtod]

I've been trying the Oil on the Water campaign. The second mission has you defending against small Boghammer type boats with the Maverick F. I am having huge issues though. I can't find these boats. I've had the Maverick symbol on the HUD directly over the boats and still can't find anything. Are there any tips/tricks for on the water? Which is the better polarity for water attacks?

[Ziptie]

I've been trying the Oil on the Water campaign. The second mission has you defending against small Boghammer type boats with the Maverick F. I am having huge issues though. I can't find these boats. I've had the Maverick symbol on the HUD directly over the boats and still can't find anything. Are there any tips/tricks for on the water? Which is the better polarity for water attacks?

 

Gun runs, much more effective.

 

As for the Mavericks, the water typically blends the small ships in quite well - which makes it more difficult without the TGP to get a closer view of the target.

 

However, if you are able to VID them - you should be able to MAV SOI and get the sensor lock...? As for BHOT/WHOT, completely dependent on what gives the better contrast to the background.

 

I think the guns are more effective and easier to employ on the speed boats.

 

 

Cheers,

 

Ziptie

[Ryanwtod]

I was thinking of loading up with rockets and trying them along with guns

[Ziptie]

I was thinking of loading up with rockets and trying them along with guns

 

For me, rockets have been effective along with guns, against small vessels.

 

Cheers,

 

Ziptie

[KittyVCAW-1]

I was thinking of loading up with rockets and trying them along with guns

 

thats the manliest shit I've ever read on this forum, get medieval.:gun_rifle::punk:

[Recluse]

So, since the latest OB which gave us the FTT radar track, it is easier to find and prosecute them with AGM. Look at your radar for faint-ish horizontal lines. Might take some doing to break out the Boghammers from other surface targets, but it is better than pure VID. Mea Culpa to using LABELS so I can try for a VVSLV lock with the FLIR, but you still need to convert it to a POINT TRACK which is a pain. Once you can get the FTT radar track, it will automatically slave the MAV/FLIR onto it and you can prosecute with AGM as usual. Found that -E's work a little better than -F's due to contrast issues as described above, but you need to watch the RANGE. If they are moving away at 29 knots, you need to wait some time after the initial IN RANGE cue to make sure the MAVERICK can follow them.

 

NOTE: I've only done this in missions I setup for practice, Never did that campaign. In the MAV F track attached, I never got a CLEAN lock, but as it flickered between lock and Unlock I managed to get it off the rail

 

[Ryanwtod]

Would LGBs be a good choice? Or are the boats moving too quickly?

[Northstar98]

Hmm, I thought the AGM-65Fs were optimised against ships?

[Recluse]

Hmm, I thought the AGM-65Fs were optimised against ships?

 

Yeah, supposedly. I don't think the SHIP option PB does anything at the moment, though.

 

Would LGBs be a good choice? Or are the boats moving too quickly?

 

I think they should work. I got them to work against a Tarantul Corvette moving at about the same speed, but, of course it was a much bigger target.

[Kuna]

I did this mission few days ago.

 

Find and track with Ground Radar and then IR Mav.

 

 

[Bunny Clark]

I expect this will get easier when we have SEA mode for the radar. In the interim, I recommend using labels. A moving speedboat on the water should not be that difficult to spot visually, but that's just the way DCS works.

 

In the version I just released the wingman also attacks them quite reliably, you can use him to kill 4 of the boats quickly, and then you only need to clean up.

 

Hmm, I thought the AGM-65Fs were optimised against ships?

The SHIP mode for the AGM-65 doesn't actually effect the seeker at all, as it is the IIR seeker should be quite good at tracking a speedboat sized object on the water. It's more designed for attacking larger ships, where it shifts the point of impact off the center of the tracked target and to the waterline.

 

[Northstar98]

The SHIP mode for the AGM-65 doesn't actually effect the seeker at all, as it is the IIR seeker should be quite good at tracking a speedboat sized object on the water. It's more designed for attacking larger ships, where it shifts the point of impact off the center of the tracked target and to the waterline.

 

Potentially stupid question: in DCS or IRL?

 

[Bunny Clark]

 

Potentially stupid question: in DCS or IRL?

 

IRL. I doubt it does anything in DCS as a centroid impact versus a waterline impact on a ship in DCS makes no difference in damage. On the real missile SHIP mode doesn't even do anything until the missile is launched, you won't see the offset point of impact reflected in the seeker crosshairs before launch.

[Tholozor]

IIRC, using SHIP mode will alter the seeker's tracking gates to be a bit wider than normal in anticipation of targeting a ship from the broadside (may become a factor with a FLIR and tracking logic rework).

[Ziptie]

IIRC, using SHIP mode will alter the seeker's tracking gates to be a bit wider

 

Correct sir.

 

Also, I do believe that Wags stated in his video (waaaaaaaay back when the Hornet+Maverick F variant were shiny new together), that the SHIP feature allowed for the gate to achieve a lock on a less defined contrast while changing the missile impact point to the waterline of the ship rather than impacting higher on the vessel's superstructure.

 

 

It's been awhile since I've sent an IR Maverick at a ship - but I did do a test (probably a year ago or so) with one in 'standard gates closed' which hit the ship high up towards the super structure / deck, while the second was fired in 'ship gates closed' and it hit just at the waterline. % of damage for each is unknown, but obviously in real life having a missile impact near the waterline would have a much more detrimental outcome compared to hitting high up on the vessel (most of the time).

 

 

Cheers,

 

Ziptie

 

 

[Northstar98]

Awesome, thanks for the information guys! :thumbup:

[CBStu]

I have a practice mission set up w/ 'armed speedboats' I think they are called. They are very hard to see on the MavF screen. Playing w/ the brightness and contrast knobs can help a little. But generally I often fly by them w/o getting a lock. I have to be so close to even see them that there isn't time left to get them slewed and locked.

[BuzzU]

Small boats! I have a hard time seeing the carrier. :(

[Sarge55]

That made me laugh... thanks BuzzU. :thumbup:

[Ziptie]

Same here. Well played sir, well played....

 

 

Cheers,

 

Ziptie

[Kuna]

- in that campaign but on mission ahead there is another one with small boats during night! :D

 

Try to spot and target THOSE! :D

[BuzzU]

- in that campaign but on mission ahead there is another one with small boats during night! :D

 

Try to spot and target THOSE! :D

 

Old guys sleep at night.

[Bunny Clark]

- in that campaign but on mission ahead there is another one with small boats during night! :D

 

Try to spot and target THOSE! :D

 

Hey, at least you get a FLIR pod in that mission :)