inner wing pylon payloads?

[Nealius]

5 minutes ago, Frederf said:

Because to "train like you fight" you have to either kiss off 2x370 tanks every training engagement or suffer dogfighting for a split second without any external at all. Center line simulates jettisoning 2x370 at the merge without the expense.

There's a G-limit expense. 7.5(?) with centerline vs. 9 without, no? It seems more effective to just go clean and hit the tanker a couple times. Unless that limit isn't enough to matter.

Edited November 30, 2021 by Nealius

[Frederf]

7.5g full, 9g empty I believe. They burn a lot of fuel fast in AA practice. If they have 7000 departing tanker, maybe 6000 in the practice area, at 80,000lb/h and a 3k bingo you have like 135 seconds training before you have to AAR again?

[Nealius]

If 9G empty tank then that makes sense. Drag wise I guess it wouldn't make much difference than the ECM pods that are (IIRC) not able to be jettisoned anyways.

[Lace]

11 hours ago, Spurts said:

Use case for more than 1 inner GBU:  HARMs on 3/7, 2xCBU on 4, 2xGBU on 6.  Has nothing to do with 12 GBUs.

Really?  What threat environment?  What target?  Why on earth would you carry that loadout?  Perhaps I'm missing something.

[Crptalk]

2 hours ago, Frederf said:

I've not seen any combat USAF load that didn't have 370s. There is one photo floating around w/ centerline + 6 live AMRAAM but it's mythically rare. Center line is nice for AA training sorties, enough fuel to practice a bit and you can fly it like a clean airplane with the center empty.

[Spurts]

3 hours ago, Lace said:

Really?  What threat environment?  What target?  Why on earth would you carry that loadout?  Perhaps I'm missing something.

DEAD.  Two HARMs for the emitters, CBUs for launchers and support vehicles, LGBs for cleanup of anything CBUs missed.  This is my go to DEAD load in the Hornet.

[Lace]

46 minutes ago, Spurts said:

DEAD.  Two HARMs for the emitters, CBUs for launchers and support vehicles, LGBs for cleanup of anything CBUs missed.  This is my go to DEAD load in the Hornet.

So one-man air force then?  I'd put money on that loadout never seeing real-world use.  I'm not telling anyone how to play DCS, to each their own, but personally I would consider that at least two separately tasked flights of two, if not more. i.e. two HARM-shooters, two CBU cleanup.  Not sure the LGBs would be even necessary after that, but if high scores are your thing then crack on.

[Nealius]

^ Agreed

I'd give lead HARMs and the wingman CBUs. 

[Spurts]

I fly solo, so yes one-man-air-force.  I challenge myself with the ability to overcome CAP and SAMs to hit an asset, say an AWACS on the ground.  As you said @Lace, to each their own.  That is how I fly DCS.  By myself and mostly "how could I overcome this threat" scenarios.  

[Lace]

38 minutes ago, Spurts said:

I fly solo, so yes one-man-air-force.  I challenge myself with the ability to overcome CAP and SAMs to hit an asset, say an AWACS on the ground.  As you said @Lace, to each their own.  That is how I fly DCS.  By myself and mostly "how could I overcome this threat" scenarios.  

DCS is a sandbox for that very reason.  Just because something is not done IRL, it doesn't mean you can't have fun doing it in DCS. 

[Corvet_01]

Ah, yes, 83-1159, Kevin Patnode's jet shown above.

We flew these loads into Iraq and Kuwait each jet, 3 x a day, between these and CBU loadouts, and almost no wing tanks.  Wing tanks were either "going north" or CBU loadouts.

This photo is not a rare occasion. 

You fly 370's into combat when you have a loooong way to go or you are loitering in CAS...  Those are DSU-33B/B fuses on the Mk84's.  2000lb daisy-cutter.  Typical loadout for the anti-Republican Guard missions.

Unless an IFE, our pilots were banned from flying below 10,000 ft or so, and we never dropped the tanks unless an IFE necessitated it.  Maybe 14,000 ft was the magic #.

Because we were not flying the HI-LO-HI profile, our pilots didn't need 370's.  Take off, hit the tanker, perform the mission, ICT at KKMC X 3, hit the tanker on the way back home.  We didn't keep jets at KKMC where this photo was taken.  This was an ICT/FOL only.

Yes, DCS is a sandbox, you can do what you want.  And DCS will let you, because as of right now, the G-limits on the airframe are not modeled correctly.  When you have tanks up and external stores up including the TGP, the FLCS limits the aircraft G forces.  Can you over-G a Viper in RL?  Yep.  But it's extremely difficult to do so.

Centerline tanks are not just for alert jets.  We fly into combat with them regularly.

I have seen Wild Weasel and Super Weasel missions with four HARMs, ECM on sta 5, and no external tanks.  It depends on the mission plan, tanker availability, etc.

[Leonski]

Isnt a mod that you can change what kind weapons you wont on a pylon