Struggling with A-A Radar Target Acquisition

[C3PO]

Hi,

 

I usually use RWS mode to find targets out to 80nm ... but at what distance should I be able to lock them up with HUD cues for the AIM 120C? I seem to get a target focus - with all the relevant information like aspect, height etc.... but when I try to lock them up nothing happens?

[maxTRX]

Just experiment with it for half an hour or so... the devs did what either SME's advised them or they advised themselves or things didn't quite work out the way they planned or...

 

With every build of OB do a quick check in the area you're interested in. Adjust and get in the fight:   this  or that . or both.

Some testers that post here do have info and 'influence' to correct things that need to be corrected. Lots of times, us... DCS pilots need to be corrected, in which case it would be nice to have some explanation from the horse's mouth.

Edited May 1, 2021 by Gripes323

[SharpeXB]

By “HUD cues” do you mean close combat ACM mode? That’s 5-10 miles depending on the mode. 

[wilbur81]

10 hours ago, Gripes323 said:

Just experiment with it for half an hour or so... the devs did what either SME's advised them or they advised themselves or things didn't quite work out the way they planned or...

 

With every build of OB do a quick check in the area you're interested in. Adjust and get in the fight:   this  or that . or both.

Some testers that post here do have info and 'influence' to correct things that need to be corrected. Lots of times, us... DCS pilots need to be corrected, in which case it would be nice to have some explanation from the horse's mouth.

 

Great post. Agreed. 

[Hulkbust44]

By “HUD cues” do you mean close combat ACM mode? That’s 5-10 miles depending on the mode. 

With SCS forward long the boresight reaches out to 40nm. Really helpful when used with JHMCS.

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[SharpeXB]

4 hours ago, Hulkbust44 said:

With SCS forward long the boresight reaches out to 40nm. Really helpful when used with JHMCS.

ACM boresight & wide acquisition range are 10 miles, gun and vertical are 5 miles. 
Automatic Acquisition Mode is out to the range of the radar. 

[DD_fruitbat]

10 minutes ago, SharpeXB said:

ACM boresight & wide acquisition range are 10 miles, gun and vertical are 5 miles. 
Automatic Acquisition Mode is out to the range of the radar. 

 

I haven't ever tested, but have often wondered, with the JHMCS turned on, SCS forward short is boresight/Helmet acquisition to 10 miles, but SCS forward long is helmet acquisition to 40miles, does that also carry across to boresight when your looking straight forward....

[SharpeXB]

8 minutes ago, DD_fruitbat said:

 

I haven't ever tested, but have often wondered, with the JHMCS turned on, SCS forward short is boresight/Helmet acquisition to 10 miles, but SCS forward long is helmet acquisition to 40miles, does that also carry across to boresight when your looking straight forward....

Right, in HMD ACM mode, SCS forward short gives you HACQ auto acquisition to 10 miles, SCS forward long is LACQ auto acquisition to 40 miles

[DD_fruitbat]

My question is that in HACQ mode 'short', when you look straight forward it now defaults to the boresight circle in the hud in 2.7 (as it should do), it didn't seem to before (or at least was very problematic), you had to aim off with the plane and use the helmets 'boresight' all the time when in that ACM mode pre patch to achieve best results.

 

But Does HACQ 'long' translate to the same 40 mile range with the hud boresight circle when looking straight forward and flying directly at a target, along with the 40 mile range of the helmet looking off bore of the planes axis?

 

I assume it should, but does it actually in DCS at the moment.

[SharpeXB]

I think LACQ works when looking straight forward through the HUD although it’s sorta hard to pick up small targets at 40 mi regardless. Your ACM mode will change when going to the HMD, BST is replaced by HACQ or LACQ and there’s no VACQ but you can still get WACQ

 

Good to be reminded of this mode, LACQ is good of course only if you can actually see the target but many times you can see contrails just outside of 10mi and switching to this mode can lock them up and IFF

[Brass2-1]

LHACQ is, IMO, the “secret sauce” of the Hornet-particularly combined with Link-16. The SA and rapid sorting/targeting is incredible. 

The speed with which you can switch from in-the-weeds ground pounding to defending effectively against airborne threats is astonishing. 

[Hulkbust44]

LHACQ is, IMO, the “secret sauce” of the Hornet-particularly combined with Link-16. The SA and rapid sorting/targeting is incredible. 

The speed with which you can switch from in-the-weeds ground pounding to defending effectively against airborne threats is astonishing. 

The fact that you have a DIRECT weapon selector really makes all the difference. Guns, AMRAAMs, sidewinders and Sparrows are all one press away. The Hornet ACM modes are the best.

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[wilbur81]

On 5/2/2021 at 5:17 AM, Hulkbust44 said:

With SCS forward long the boresight reaches out to 40nm. Really helpful when used with JHMCS.

 

Hmmm... since when does HMD LHACQ mode reach out to 40nm? I thought it was HACQ = 5 nm and LHACQ = 10 nm.

[Reaper_Actual]

right from the manual

[maxTRX]

ED really got serious modelling Amraam's battery life.  I've shot one at a TU160, co-altitude, hot.  My radar picked him up at around 70nm, switched to TWS, designated L&S and fired from R_aero knowing that the missile's battery will crap out before it reaches the target.  TU160 started a defensive turn and dive just before the missile's battery ran out. Just before the battery went dead, the missile was trying to make the turn for the kill so the steering fins got stuck deflected and the missile kept turning toward me ... of course it was running out of steam and spiraled slowly toward the ground at little over 200 kts. 

Now, on a different note:  The most annoying 'feature' of the radar currently is the AUTO center in TWS not centering correctly when the target is offset vertically (although adjusting elevation manually is still possible in AUTO). Pressing MAN and back to AUTO will recenter correctly.

Another thing, when in TWS and tracking an L&S offset up or down from your jet's elevation. If you loose the track, the radar immediately switches to RWS with elevation centered. Switching to RWS is fine but the elevation reset is a bummer.

 

Edited May 3, 2021 by Gripes323

[wilbur81]

1 hour ago, Reaper_Actual said:

right from the manual

Nice! I had no idea. 

[Hardcard]

@Hulkbust44 @DD_fruitbat @Reaper_Actual

 

I haven't tested this yet in 2.7, but, in previous versions, LACQ and HACQ ranges (in practice) were definitely shorter than stated in the manual.

It was more like 10nm (LACQ) and 5nm (HACQ), I could never get a lock past those ranges, even though I could see the bandit inside the circle.

 

 

[Hulkbust44]

@Hulkbust44 @DD_fruitbat @Reaper_Actual
 
I haven't tested this yet in 2.7, but, in previous versions, LACQ and HACQ ranges (in practice) were definitely shorter than stated in the manual.
It was more like 10nm (LACQ) and 5nm (HACQ), I could never get a lock past those ranges, even though I could see the bandit inside the circle.
 
 

Yet I could consistently get locks at 35 miles

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[Hardcard]

5 minutes ago, Hulkbust44 said:

Yet I could consistently get locks at 35 miles

 

Lucky you, will need to perform more testing, see if I can figure out what's going on.

Edited May 6, 2021 by Hardcard

[Hulkbust44]

 
Lucky you, will need to perform more testing, see if I can figure out what's going on.

I've used it the most in GS PvP, down on the deck looking up so that's more of a best case scenario.

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[C3PO]

Many thanks - I discovered that randomly my TDC depress keystroke on my HOTAS has become unbinded ... so wasn't working. Hadn't had an issue before so didn't think to check it but that was it. Thanks for the advice all.

[skywalker22]

I also find the radar on this plane in RWS (or TWS) mode very hard if not impossible to detect HOT planes (on same altitude) further then 30nm. And no matter how I set the radar to work.

That I don`t speak of cold planes. I don`t think this is real.