RWS to TWS target resolution + Some Phoenix not lofting in spite of target not being extrapolated

[Panny]

Hi there,

*Disclaimer* Before starting all of this I want to clarify I'm not claiming to understand in great detail how the AWG-9 works, and I'm certainly not an SME. 

I've been replaying the Fear the Bones F-14A campaign made by Reflected. It's an excellent campaign, and has a fun range of missions. However, in mission 7, there's some interesting behaviour with the AWG-9 and by extension Phoenix.

Of course if you've been meaning to play this campaign, this involves some spoilers, so click away if you don't want to find out.

In essence, you and other F-14s are tasked with destroying around 12 or so Backfires. In essence - to take a picture call:

Four groups tracking west

First three groups, champagne, 3 wide, 3 deep.

North group, bullseye x, y, 28,000 feet, hostile, heavy (4 backfires in diamond)

South group, hostile, heavy (4 backfires in diamond)

Trail group, hostile, heavy (3 backfires)

Fourth group, trail, bullseye x, y, 28,000 feet, hostile, single

 

The backfires that are in formation tend to be separated from each other by 1,500 feet. These are large aircraft with a fair amount of spacing from each other.

 

Before I go ahead - I'm aware that due to how TWS works, the WCS merges contacts together if it's unsure whether they are distinct or not, hence in RWS you can see numerous contacts, whereas TWS shows fewer. My point here is whether the resolution is that much of a stepdown when going against large targets.

When looking over the AWG-9 radar, in TWS the radar meshes each group into one blob, and is only able to discern each individual contact by about 20 miles. By 20 miles the antenna train angle from ownship to each hostile would be a few degrees different from one another. I wholly understand at greater ranges that TWS would not have the resolution to pick out individual contacts in a group, but it seems surprising that sub 50 miles it cannot at least start to pick out some of the individual contacts? If these were fighter sized targets in parade/cruise formation it would make sense, but given the nature of these aircraft and their formation, there's something I'm not understanding or something isn't right.

 

Additionally, even with the blobs of contacts, the radar struggles to figure the target aspect. Sometimes it gets it right, but alternates suggesting the contact have a TA of 30, and then going back to a correct TA. The Backfires in this mission are flying straight and level, and not defending. What is it that the radar may be struggling with that makes the TA jump around for a contact that isn't manoeuvring?

 

Finally, the behaviour of the Phoenix can be somewhat strange. As you'll see, I fire four Phoenixes in TWS. The first and third Fox 3 don't loft, but still guide. The contacts were not extrapolated. Instead, they burn out their kinetic energy, but are still apparently guiding? In both Tacviews I set target size large, and they all went active. So what I'm struggling to understand is that with apparently perfect conditions in which no contacts became extrapolated, these two Phoenixes just didn't really loft?

 

Beyond that, it's an excellent and fun mission, but I'm confused about this behaviour that the radar exhibits of merging contacts that have significant separation between one another. If anyone else has the campaign I recommend they try it out for themselves.

Cheers,
Peter

Tacview-20211117-141854-DCS-FTB - 07.zip.acmi

Here's the second Tacview.

Tacview-20211117-143844-DCS-FTB - 07.zip.acmi

[Panny]

Apologies on pushing this, but any thoughts?

[WelshZeCorgi]

I'm guessing the logic is confusing 2 seperate contacts as 1 contact moving extremely fast? 

[Panny]

I don't that was the case, since they were all Co speed