How is the time of flight calculated?

[dextor]

Is the time of flight somehow bugged or just inaccurate?
In 80% it is correct, but sometimes it shows still 10 seconds on impact and I don't get why.
I could understand that the time is takes from launch and where the laser was pointing at that time, but even if you point the same spot the whole flight, it sometimes shows wrong numbers.
I also had cases where it would run out and a few seconds later the missile would hit.

[AvroLanc]

The TOF uses the range value you have set when firing. If you’re doing a LOAL shot and maybe have a NAV Nx.x range set, and the target is not at the same range, then you might just get a big TOF difference. 

Smaller differences may be explained by temperature variation from the standard 15C. As in real life it appears that hotter outside temps will give shorter actual missile flight times and vice versa for colder temps. From my testing it appears ED have modelled this, but not the TOF calculation within the system to correct for it. Does the real Apache even correct for different temps? I don’t know. 

Edited April 8, 2022 by AvroLanc

[dextor]

I see. So I guess its just bugged atm because it sometimes show a wrong number by 7sec for a static LOBL shot.

Also why does it sometimes not show any TOF at all?

[Caldera]

Hey All,

My TOF is really wacked.  I must be doing something incorrect.  It is not showing at all for High Trajectory missiles shots.

Direct at launch:

 

Direct at impact:

 

High at launch:

 

Anyone clue me in?

Caldera

[admiki]

That was your last missile. Not sure if it's a bug or not, but you will not get TOF for last missile

[Kharrn]

@Caldera

Boresight your IHADSS as a first step i would suggest!

Sorry but this is basic. Cant do bughunting if essential things are missing in the process.

K

Edited April 16, 2022 by Kharrn

[Kharrn]

I stand corrected! Forget what i wrote. On to the bug hunt! Thank You for clarification. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ok another try to bughunt, cause i just launched 16 Hellfires (LOBL, LOAL DIR and LO on JTAC remote laser and own laser) and TOF nearly allways worked. Sometimes a difference of 1 sec from TOF to impact or from Impact to remaining TOF (that was mainly on JTAC remote laser). Can provide Screenshots later.

 

@Caldera some questions on that issue:

pic 1) you sure you didnt launch another missile? FC is calculating TOF for every missile shot and shows it in TADS.

pic 2) same guess as on pic 1

pic 3) is there another missile in air? dont know what you mean with "High at launch".

 

Hope we can solve it or get rid of it

 

[Caldera]

OK...

I had been trying to learn High and Low trajectory missile launches. 

To my understanding, to do for example a High trajectory launch, the missile is fired at a "spot" then at 12 seconds TOF remaining the laser is turned on.  In the above case the spot was T03.  While doing that, I noticed that I had no TOF indication for any of my High trajectory launches.  So I switched the trajectory back to Direct to test to see if it was working correctly, as I had not paid much attention to the actual time on the counter.  TOF was indicating for Direct, but I noticed that the time was way off.  I never got around to testing Low trajectory launches.

 

My apologies, the pictures maybe a bit confusing:

Direct at launch = Direct trajectory launch just after the missile left the rail

•  TOF at launch = 34sec
• The range at launch = 5921m

Direct at impact = The same missile as above just after the missile hit the target

•  TOF at impact = 14sec
• TOF at impact should be ~ 0sec
• TOF continued to count to zero after impact
• actual TOF was 20sec

High at launch = High trajectory launch just after the missile left the rail

• launched missile at T03 with laser off
• no TOF indication visible
• no way to know when to turn on the laser

By coincidence the picture of the High trajectory launch just happened to be my last Hellfire.  But, the missile was still in the air and the TOF should be visible.   I had thought this would be true for any missile in flight, but I guess this might be a bug.  The rocket motor probably still burning when the picture was taken.  The missile eventually landed some where off in Nah-Nah Land (as did all the rest).

I had be turning on the laser at various times for other High trajectory shots, but I was never successful at getting a hit on target.

 

I have not learned yet what the HE or HF terminology indicates, so yet more confusion on my part.

I must be not correctly launching to a spot on High trajectory, in this case to T03?

Caldera

 

 

Edited April 17, 2022 by Caldera