Automatic bomb release

[streakeagle]

I have had the F-86 since it was available for purchase/download. It has been and remains one of my favorite DCS modules with countless hours spent flying it over the years. I am more of an air-to-air pilot, but in recent years, I have started playing online which often requires air-to-ground attacks. I can employ HVAR rockets with devastating effectiveness using the radar-ranging gunsight and single-shot manual release. But when it comes to bombing, the radar-ranging gunsight is difficult to employ.

1) It is very sensitive to the speed, dive angle, and g-load. Unless you fly exactly the right profile and press the buttons at exactly the right time, it doesn't ever release. I have found that the radar range indicator needs to be tracking (less than 5,000 feet) before the electrical interlock can be released to establish a target aim point. At the required 45 degree dive angle, this means the automatic release point is going to be below 3,000 feet if it releases at all.

2) Even when I can get the auto release to work, it hits long every single time. Most of the time, I have to aim about 1 or 2 reticle diameters ahead of the target to get a hit.

Has anyone been able to use the auto release effectively? If so, what profile do you fly to get it to release consistently and accurately? i.e. speed and altitude at entry into the dive, dive angle, timing of when to press/release the electrical interlock and bomb release buttons, etc. 

[Ghost79]

I've tried auto release a few times but never managed to get the bombs to leave the aircraft and i eventually gave up. Be interesting to hear from someone who can get it to work consistently.

For what its worth, when i bomb in manual mode, to start with my bombs were always going long. I established that this was due to not trimming the aircraft to a stable point during the dive. But i dont know how this would affect auto bombing.

[Awger]

I've had the most success (albeit sporadic) with the following procedure:

• Radar range to MAX
• Gunsight CAGED
• Gun-Missile selector to GUNS (also seems to work with CAMERA & RADAR)
• Sight selector to BOMB
• Bomb release to AUTO
• Bomb sequence to ALL
• Bomb arming to NOSE & TAIL

Approach target at 10K AGL / 300-350 IAS with an eye to setting up a 30-40 degree dive to target. I have not had good luck with 45-70 degree dive angles.

• Establish stable / level flight (if your whiskey compass is moving, wait for it to settle)
• Gunsight UNCAGED
• Maintain stable / level flight for 5-10 seconds
• PRESS AND HOLD electrical cage
• Throttle to idle
• Extend speedbrakes
• Roll in to target, establish dive, trim nose down
• Stabilize pipper on target (3-5 seconds)
• RELEASE electrical cage
• PRESS AND HOLD weapon release
• Maintain pipper on target until pipper blinks out

The trick seems to be letting the gyros settle ... the speed and dive angles seem to be a more forgiving factor. That said -- I set up a training mission with unlimited bombs, and I can run this profile a dozen times "exactly the same way" and the bombs will drop roughly half the time.

I just got Tacview, was hoping to get a better look at the numbers at the moment of release; will report back if I discover anything interesting.

[Awger]

I was just running a test of Tacview, but this was a near-perfect run.

Entry speed closer to 400, initial dive angle more like 15 (increasing to 26 to keep pipper on target).

Tacview-20220729-172754-DCS-Bombing Practice.zip.acmi

[LastRifleRound]

The absolute key to this I've found is making sure that pipper barely moves for about 3-5 seconds before releasing electrical cage and after. If the pipper drifts up at all (which it will want to because you are gaining speed in a dive) the computer will interpret this movement and add it to the range of the target, which will give you long drops. If you do the opposite and nose down too much, this will get added and you'll drop short or not at all. It has to not move pretty much the whole time. If it moves too much, it is not enough to just get it back on target. You must re-electrical cage, stabilize 3-5s, release cage it make sure you don't move again till release.

It's rewarding when you get it right and I like the added flexibility in the attack profile you can use.

OP, what's your rocket technique? I actually struggle with the radar sight and usually shoot them close in so I don't have to account for drop, but this is less than ideal when there's a lot of AAA around.

[steve4449]

I keep getting a tone when I try to release the bombs. I've tried all of the combinations. I have noticed that the Sight Function Select Lever returns to the GUN position without input.

[Art-J]

18 hours ago, steve4449 said:

I keep getting a tone when I try to release the bombs. I've tried all of the combinations. I have noticed that the Sight Function Select Lever returns to the GUN position without input.

If it moved, there was some input . It goes back to gun position when you press radar target selector button (red one under thumb on stick handle, search in A4 sight section of controls list), so you must've pressed that one in your tests. Double check your bindings, 'cause that's not the button you're supposed to hold during bomb run.

[PawlaczGMD]

Manual bombing is very hard. Yes, you need to follow a profile almost perfectly, and have the intuition on how to correct mistakes. Try doing it in an F-5 with just manual sight depression. The F-86 is easy in comparison.

[Tiger-II]

On 11/11/2023 at 9:26 PM, PawlaczGMD said:

Manual bombing is very hard. Yes, you need to follow a profile almost perfectly, and have the intuition on how to correct mistakes. Try doing it in an F-5 with just manual sight depression. The F-86 is easy in comparison.

I thought the F-5 was easy, LOL! Fixed pipper FTW.

[PawlaczGMD]

On 4/6/2024 at 8:11 PM, Tiger-II said:

I thought the F-5 was easy, LOL! Fixed pipper FTW.

The automatic release in the F-86 actually works quite well if you use it correctly. Although my manual bombing skills have improved by flying warbirds, where you don't even have depression to worry about.