General navigation modes question (what does the 'Vector' mode do?)

[Indianajon]

Hi all, I wonder if someone could assist. Out of the five navigation modes in the front seat for the TID I have noticed that I never use the Vector mode and that I don't understand what it's for. Given how deliberate Grumman are in their design is I'm sure I'm missing a 'major' mode. The DCS manual gives a single sentence that says it allows for a bearing to be taken of a data link source. So my question is what is the mode for and when would you use it?

The only thing I could think off was if you could use it to help work out an intercept from a BRA call relative to Bulls (assuming this is somehow tagged as a beacon in the Data link), as you can tell this is only a guess. 

Thanks in advance.

[lunaticfringe]

Vector is used with a datalink-provided guidance directive that includes heading, altitude, and airspeed, and can be used in Cruise, A/A, or Landing visual modes.  It turns the HDG and CRS knobs off (along with back seat heading alternation if memory serves) because it is the fleet telling you *exactly* where they want you, whether to run an intercept, shoot something specific, or to bring you back to the boat.

 

Utility in DCS at this point is nil, because there's no way currently for a player AWACS to drive such a data message down to a player. 

[QuiGon]

There's a lot of data link functionality missing in our DCS Tomcat, because there (currently) is no way to simulate such specific data transmissions from a C2 unit in DCS.

Edited July 29, 2021 by QuiGon

[Indianajon]

Brilliant thanks both. It's nice to know from a general interest perspective even if it isn't modelled in the game.