Any word on whether having less Vikhr tubes will be an option in BS3?

[Avimimus]

Hello,

 

In service, it appears that the Ka-50/52 has often flown with just four Vikhr on the racks (two per hard-point) in order to save weight. In game I've often found that 12 missiles is excessive for most missions so I can see why they would only partially load the rack...

 

The early BS3 screenshots showed the racks partially full. However, the new ones show them entirely full.

 

Is there any confirmation whether or not partially loaded Vikhr racks will be an option in BS3? Has anyone asked? Thanks!

[Sh4rk]

Yes someone asked for this before.

 

No word at all regarding payload in the BS3 except that it'll have Iglas.

[Avimimus]

Thank you!

 

It is amusing that this has been asked three times and each time someone has linked the previous post asking the question (without an answer).  I wonder if there is still sufficient time for someone else to ask this question and be linked to this thread?

 

P.S. To answer the first reply in this saga (Volk.) - I suspect that they simply only load two tubes (as the tubes are rather modular)... and yes, given how the Ka-50/52 has actually been used... fully loading the racks would be overkill for most counter-insurgency missions. So it is actually probably most realistic to only load two missiles on each rack.

Edited May 16, 2021 by Avimimus

[Sh4rk]

16 hours ago, Avimimus said:

 I wonder if there is still sufficient time for someone else to ask this question and be linked to this thread?

 

Of course! Check again in 2 years 

 

16 hours ago, Avimimus said:

P.S. To answer the first reply in this saga (Volk.) - I suspect that they simply only load two tubes (as the tubes are rather modular)... and yes, given how the Ka-50/52 has actually been used... fully loading the racks would be overkill for most counter-insurgency missions. So it is actually probably most realistic to only load two missiles on each rack.

The prototypes though, and specially #25 Yellow (the original BS1/2 reference) were seen flying with 6, or none, never less.

 

Only the Ataka missiles are carried in racks of 2 or 4.

Edited May 17, 2021 by Sh4rk

[Avimimus]

4 hours ago, Sh4rk said:

Of course! Check again in 2 years 

 

I suppose - unless they release an option in a few months with reduced numbers of missiles.

 

4 hours ago, Sh4rk said:

The prototypes though, and specially #25 Yellow (the original BS1/2 reference) were seen flying with 6, or none, never less.

 

Only the Ataka missiles are carried in racks of 2 or 4.

 

Are you absolutely sure of that?

 

I know the Ka-52 has had Ataka (and at least two other types of anti-tank missiles) integrated with it. But my understanding was that the Ka-50 prototypes all had the Vikhr.

 

The video footage from Chechnya seems to show Vikhr on only the top two mounts: 

 

 

[Avimimus]

 

I also get the impression that weapons tests and training flights often carry less than the full load of missiles (in addition to Chechnya - which I believe is the only operational combat use of the Ka-50?)

 

Here we see what appears to be a pair of missiles on the upper-most rack attachments (similar to how they were used in Chechnya):

 

 

 

Here we see a helicopter which appears to be carrying only two Vikhr - both on the right-wing - one on the upper-most outer point, and one on one of the lower outboard points:

 

 

In a tank-killing operation during a third world war the full load of 12 missiles would make sense. For counter-insurgency operations, patrols, training, and weapon tests... the reduced load makes sense. So if we're trying to simulate how it was actually used historically... there is probably a case for replacing the 12 missile loadout with a four missiles one!

[Avimimus]

Any word on this?

[WarbossPetross]

20 часов назад, Avimimus сказал:

Any word on this?

They are planning to do this, but it's currently on low priority.

 

[Avimimus]

Thanks!! I'm glad they are aware at least.

Honestly, it'd improve my enjoyment of the module quite a bit (I tend to fly COIN and it is unreasonable to carry twelve anti-tank missiles, but one still desires to have a couple).

[M1Combat]

On 12/6/2022 at 8:31 AM, Avimimus said:

Thanks!! I'm glad they are aware at least.

Honestly, it'd improve my enjoyment of the module quite a bit (I tend to fly COIN and it is unreasonable to carry twelve anti-tank missiles, but one still desires to have a couple).

Just fire 10 before takeoff.... 

[Avimimus]

15 hours ago, M1Combat said:

Just fire 10 before takeoff.... 

I suppose that is doable with manual override to reduce the cooldown... but one still ends up with the weight of the tubes (as well as their drag).

...so, not quite a substitute to proper modelling (and also can't be used for wingmen).

P.S. Reminds me of Janes WWII fighters - where I'd fire off almost all of my ammunition in the Fw-190 A-8 so I could experience the brief period of being of being an 'F' variant since the MG151/MG131 took longer to run out than the Mk-108... so one could get one strafing run with just the F-8 weapon arrangements...

[Chizh]

To reduce weight of weapon, in real life combat helicopters often use asymmetric payload with one ATGM launcher at one wing.

 

[Dragon1-1]

Yes, although note that the Ataka launcher on that Hind is more because the system can't support more than 8 missiles, anyway, and the octuple launcher is what they have available.

[Flаnker]

45 минут назад, Chizh сказал:

To reduce weight of weapon, in real life combat helicopters often use asymmetric payload with one ATGM launcher at one wing.

 

Mi-35M can use ATGMs only on 1 weapon suspension point.

On the Ka-52 in these photographs, 1 launcher for the Vikhr ATGM is used because of the need to hang the PTB. When there is no need to use the PTB, 2 launchers for ATGMs are installed (sometimes with an incomplete set of missiles).

[Avimimus]

13 hours ago, Chizh said:

To reduce weight of weapon, in real life combat helicopters often use asymmetric payload with one ATGM launcher at one wing.

Yes. It seems to be very common (if not the most common) in service.

One can fly with just one APU-6 but:

- We are still limited to a minimum of six missiles (compared to the Kamov's in these photos which are carrying four).

- and as Flanker mentioned, we don't get the option of carrying those four missiles in a balanced way (easier to trim).

So it'd be really great and get the feature in the 'Apache' module of less missiles per rack. Perhaps two missile per rack and four missile per rack variants?

By the way, it is possible to do the Ka-52 approach of having an APU-6, a V-20 pod, and two drop tanks - but it looks a bit weird:

In a perfect world we might be able to use the 'left, both, right' rocket selector to have the V20 and the APU-6 on hardpoint 1 and 4 respectively (with the fuel tanks on 2 & 3).

 

[okopanja]

One more interesting possibility. It appears Strelets can be stacked.