What am I doing wrong regarding AGM-65E, TGP, Waypoint Designate and their interactions?

[S. Low]

I searched through recent pages and didn't see anything related, sorry if this is a common question. My reference material is this video https://youtu.be/hYTjje-owv4?list=PL3kOAM2N1YJc5x-z99XdX-XxWg4I0Of-a&t=103 around the 1:43 mark. I'm not positive that Chuck's guide is updated with the new 65E updates.

 

Information on setup before my issue:

 

I'm flying on persian gulf, using the through the inferno mission generator. I navigate to my ground targets using HSI waypoints. 65E is warmed up. Master Arm on. A/G mode on. FLIR on. LTD/R is on. Left DDI is Stores page. Right DDI is FLIR. I select MAV on Stores page. UFC, enter code. On HSI I select waypoint designate to position my TGP to the target area. When target is in visual, I press SSS right to select FLIR as soi. TDC maneuvers the reticule to my target tank. SSS right twice for point track on tank. TDC depress for lock. I press SSS left to set MAV page as SOI. 

 

At this point, according to the instructions video, my MAV should AUTOMATICALLY uncage and lock onto the TGP target. Mine does not. I press uncage manually, and the MAV will acquire a target. But when I fire the weapon, the MAV shoots towards the Waypoint Designated target and not the TGP target that I designated using SSS. I.e., the waypoint designate has my MAV shooting a URAL even though my FLIR page has a TANK targeted.

 

There's something I'm doing wrong that is making my HSI send the targeting data (waypoint) to the MAV and not the TGP itself. I need the waypoint designate option to get the TGP on target efficiently. But there's something I'm missing in between. Should I press the Undesignate button on the stick? 

 

Thanks for insight. If this isn't enough information and you need a track file, I'll try to do one later tonight or tomorrow.

 

An additional question: Can I slave the TGP to the JHMCS targeting position on the HMD? Or is that not implemented yet in the F-18 and I'm thinking of the F-16? 

 

Thanks

 

 

Edited March 15, 2021 by Relic

[Harker]

Add an additional step after WPDSG. When you locate your desired target in the FLIR page, designate the new point with TDC Depress. This will slave the MAV seeker to the target's location.

With LTD/R armed, the laser will fire when you press the Pickle button or you can fire it manually with the trigger and the MAV will spot it. Make sure you that the angle between the seeker center and the target is not too extreme, since the MAV might lose the laser upon launch, if that's the case. Keep the seeker looking inside the circular grid, as close to the center as possible.

After launch, the laser needs to stay on the target until the missile impacts.

And don't fire beyond 8 NM, that's the max laser range and firing before that can mess up the guidance.

[S. Low]

9 hours ago, Harker said:

Add an additional step after WPDSG. When you locate your desired target in the FLIR page, designate the new point with TDC Depress. This will slave the MAV seeker to the target's location.

With LTD/R armed, the laser will fire when you press the Pickle button or you can fire it manually with the trigger and the MAV will spot it. Make sure you that the angle between the seeker center and the target is not too extreme, since the MAV might lose the laser upon launch, if that's the case. Keep the seeker looking inside the circular grid, as close to the center as possible.

After launch, the laser needs to stay on the target until the missile impacts.

And don't fire beyond 8 NM, that's the max laser range and firing before that can mess up the guidance.

Thanks I’ll get back in the hornet and review my workflow. One thing, I may have been pressing weapon release at 10 miles. Would that have caused the Mav to use the hsi targeting data over the tgp?

[Foka]

10 hours ago, Relic said:

An additional question: Can I slave the TGP to the JHMCS targeting position on the HMD? Or is that not implemented yet in the F-18 and I'm thinking of the F-16? 

Make HMD SOI - SSS forward, undesignate - NWS, you should have on HMD aiming cue (dot wit short dashes around it), aim with your head and pres TDC depress to designate.

[S. Low]

2 minutes ago, Foka said:

Make HMD SOI - SSS forward, undesignate - NWS, you should have on HMD aiming cue (dot wit short dashes around it), aim with your head and pres TDC depress to designate.

Yes I’ve gotten this far, but can I get the tgp to slave to this position?

[Foka]

When you designate with TDC depress, TGP should slave automaticly. Works for me.

 

[kengou]

Press TDC depress on the FLIR DDI, with FLIR in INR, BEFORE switching into point track mode, and see if that helps.

[S. Low]

7 minutes ago, kengou said:

Press TDC depress on the FLIR DDI, with FLIR in INR, BEFORE switching into point track mode, and see if that helps.

Will do

8 minutes ago, Foka said:

When you designate with TDC depress, TGP should slave automaticly. Works for me.

 

Hmm. I must be doing something wrong there as well. Need to go back and double check instructions 

[Cepheus76]

You said you're flying the TTI maps, perhaps you have the JTAC UAV lasing a different target. I had a similar issue, albeit with LGBs, and eventually I figured that the bombs were following the UAV's laser. Changing the code then did the trick for me.

 

[S. Low]

10 hours ago, Cepheus76 said:

You said you're flying the TTI maps, perhaps you have the JTAC UAV lasing a different target. I had a similar issue, albeit with LGBs, and eventually I figured that the bombs were following the UAV's laser. Changing the code then did the trick for me.

 

This might well be my issue. I just downloaded the updated version of TTI and tried another go at it. No matter what I do, the 65E goes towards the "next" waypoint designated target, even if I don't select waypoint designate. I think it's as you say because I'm using the mission file laser code for the UAVs! I didn't even think of that. 

 

I'll try again in a few. You sir may well be a genius.

[S. Low]

14 hours ago, Cepheus76 said:

You said you're flying the TTI maps, perhaps you have the JTAC UAV lasing a different target. I had a similar issue, albeit with LGBs, and eventually I figured that the bombs were following the UAV's laser. Changing the code then did the trick for me.

 

That did it, that was the cause of it. I changed laser code off of the UAV code to my own code and was able to self-laze just fine. Thanks I knew it would be a silly oversight

[Cepheus76]

Glad that I could help.

 

I only figured it out because I got the notification that a target was destroyed, which was not mine. When I followed the weapon in the F6-View I saw that it was guided to a smoked target and remembered that according to the mission set-up JTAC would smoke lazed targets as well. But before I connected the dots I was more than flabbergasted.

 

[Edited first sentence for clarity]

Edited March 16, 2021 by Cepheus76