Some doubts encountered in the game

[FrostLaufeyson]

1. The influence of SIZE option and RCS option on AIM-120. Would it be more conducive to 120 hit fighters if you choose SML?

2. The data link gives the altitude information of the enemy aircraft. Is there a way for the radar to automatically adjust the elevation angle of the radar antenna after I press TDC based on this altitude information?

3. How to set radar parameters in BVR to make me more conducive to PVP battles? Generally speaking, I will use TWS mode, HI PRF, 2Bar*40°, and select Auto after locking. Are there any other ideas that I can learn from?

4. What is the practical use of the AZ/EL page during the flight? I know its basic functions, but I don't know how to use it flexibly.

5. Coordinate transfer and conversion. Can I put the coordinates of Waypoints and Markpoints into the coordinates of the PP mode of the GPS weapon?

6. What can the two F18s transmit to each other? As far as I know, I can see the attack points of my teammates on the ground through the helmet. Similarly, the SA page can also see the target attack points. During air combat, you can see the dotted line when teammates lock the enemy aircrafts. But I would like to know whether the coordinates of Waypoints and Markpoints can be directly transmitted to the other's aircraft instead of manually inputting them through voice communication. And can the wingman guide my 120?

7. What information can be transmitted between F18 and other types of aircraft? As far as I know, aircrafts with Link-16 can share data links. It can also be used with other aircraft for Buddy Lasing. I don't know the rest at all.

8. What image quality options will affect the visual distance of air targets and ground targets? How to set the image quality to help see the target clearly, especially when the dog fights to see the target position in time, instead of staring at that position and suddenly losing sight of the target?

In fact, I want to ask more than these questions, but I couldn't think of them all at once. DCS has brought me countless knowledge and doubts, and it also opened my eyes. If there are any questions, I would like to ask if any Youtuber can explain some advanced skills. Yesterday I saw someone use HARM’s TOO mode to search for radar, then guide the pod over, use Mark to create multiple Markpoints, and finally use JSOW to attack. This is something I have never thought about since playing for nearly two months. The manual will only teach you how to do one thing, but it will not teach you how to do one thing efficiently. So I really want to know where else I can learn these interesting tips.

[Tholozor]

1. Not sure if that's modeled.

2. TWS AUTO should center the L&S contact in azimuth and elevation. According to the information I have, offboard tracks should be able to be designated without radar contribution (NO RDR cue on the TD box), but currently you'll have to detect the contact yourself in order to designate it.

3. Double-check your target aging setting in the DATA submenu on the radar (top-right corner), it's implemented incorrectly and causing trackfiles to be deleted after x amount of seconds since last detection. Default setting for the AIM-120 is 4 seconds, bump it up to 8 or 16. This setting is supposed to control the length of time raw bricks are displayed, it should not have any effect on trackfile memory.

4. AZ/EL can be a decent way to adjust the scan volume against multiple contacts. While the standard radar top-down format is good at judging the difference in azimuth between contacts, the AZ/EL page can be used to more quickly determine the relative elevation difference between contacts at a glance. It can also be used to set the scan center in RWS, as the method to do so on the radar format isn't implemented. The AZ/EL page can also be used as a quick-access to the STORES page (TDC initializes over the option when assigned to the AZ/EL page) and back to AZ/EL again with SCS Left. There's also some FLIR functionality with MSI that's not implemented at the moment.

5. PP target coordinates can only be loaded via manual UFC entry, or loaded from the (not implemented) data cartridge.

6. Coordinates cannot be transferred directly (at least not with this OFP, later software versions I believe pilots could send messages to each other similarly to how you can in the A-10), but as you mentioned, the TXDSG option can display the ground TGT designation. You can hover the TDC cursor over the designation and receive BRA and Bullseye information. Currently the 120 requires ownship radar in order to guide, but as I mentioned in point 2, offboard tracks should be able to be designated, but a 120 will probably have a lower Pk since the contact won't have a good update rate.

7. Not much as far as DCS is concerned at the moment, probably just PPLI position/altitude and that's it.

8. That's going to depend on monitor and the individual. Play around with the graphics settings and see what works better for you.

Edited November 21, 2021 by Tholozor

[Hulkbust44]

For 6, the Hornet's should eventually be able to share almost every with each other.

(This is what we should have)

On top of the PPLI and basic target sharing, you should be able to see your flight's:

MIDS channels

Callsigns

Comm freqs

Status message (go, no go)

Remaining weapons

Fuel state

Etc.

In DCS right now we can see the PPLIs, shared targets, callsign, and fuel state.

You can't exactly just send waypoint data, but we should be able to designate on the wingman's target via the SA TDC.

Mobius708

7. Hornet's can see all of the other PPLIs fuel states.

Mobius708

[Hulkbust44]

4.

For the AZ/EL you have a FLIR pointing sublevel. With FLIR on, make AZ/EL priority, the press the SCS towards it again with the cursor outside of the tactical area to cue the FLIR PNT subformat.

Here you can use the TDC to point the FLIR in Azimuth and elevation. We should be able to consistently have MSI tracks here making it much more useful. You would be able to TDC depress over say a donor track file and the FLIR will snap to it following it as the L+S. SCS towards the display would then command an auto point track and the FLIR would now contribute to the MSI trackfile.


Another thing. With the FLIR PNT subformat your cursor initializes over where the stores option was, but now it's FLIR. Just TDC depress and the FLIR image is cued on that display.

Mobius708

[Bunny Clark]

On 11/21/2021 at 6:59 AM, FrostLaufeyson said:

1. The influence of SIZE option and RCS option on AIM-120. Would it be more conducive to 120 hit fighters if you choose SML?

I've seen people claim that changing this to SML has improved their Pk, but I'm not aware of any real evidence that it does so, and we haven't had any word from ED that it actually does anything in the game. 

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2. The data link gives the altitude information of the enemy aircraft. Is there a way for the radar to automatically adjust the elevation angle of the radar antenna after I press TDC based on this altitude information?

Not currently in DCS. I believe this will happen in real life if you command Fast Acquisition on a D/L contact, but we don't have a lot of MSI features with D/L right now.

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3. How to set radar parameters in BVR to make me more conducive to PVP battles? Generally speaking, I will use TWS mode, HI PRF, 2Bar*40°, and select Auto after locking. Are there any other ideas that I can learn from?

Why in TWS and HI? That's not an ideal choice. Generally HI is best for seeing targets at longer ranges if they're closing on you quickly, but once you're within weapons range you'll loose tracking fidelity and it'll be more likely to drop. Search at long range in RWS HI, then switch to TWS either MED or INT, or STT, for weapons engagement. 

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4. What is the practical use of the AZ/EL page during the flight? I know its basic functions, but I don't know how to use it flexibly.

It's general purpose is to give you an at-a-glance view of the vertical aspect of the battlespace ahead of you. It's great for visualizing your antenna scan elevation, or picking out targets separated by altitude. It additionally includes more IFF information and Auto IFF controls that aren't present on the Attack Radar page, and lets you cue the FLIR onto targets if you have one. 

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5. Coordinate transfer and conversion. Can I put the coordinates of Waypoints and Markpoints into the coordinates of the PP mode of the GPS weapon?

Only if you transfer them manually. PP is primarily intended for use with coordinates loaded into the aircraft on the data card, without that functionality they can really only be used if you feel like typing in the coordinates manually on the UFC. You can target a waypoint or markpoint with a GPS weapon in TOO mode by using the WPDSG button. 

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6. And can the wingman guide my 120?

No, that is not a feature of the AIM-120C.