Fighter Jet As AI Wingmen

[unnox]

Hi guys,

 

I make some missions where a fighter jet as a wingmen for succesful ending of the mission is crucial (like in RL).

It is still not possible (after more than 10 years) to use a different type of aircraft in the same group to give them commands and to stay alive with their active help?

When someone have a workaround I would really appreciate it. Even if it needs some scripting.

 

cheers

 

/edit: I know the follow and escort settings but the other aircraft immediatly get airborne when I am starting up the A10. And no commands are possible this way too.

Edited May 4, 2022 by unnox

[Jagdgeschwader]

+1

[Yurgon]

2 hours ago, unnox said:

I make some missions where a fighter jet as a wingmen for succesful ending of the mission is crucial (like in RL).

Wouldn't it usually be the case that flights of different airframes work together to accomplish a common goal? For instance a flight of 2 A-10s might rendezvous with a flight of 2 F-16 flying CAP for them. And of course this thing could be sized all the way up to large packages consisting of many individual flights.

I don't think it's a common thing for A-10s (or any other jet in USAF inventory) to fly together with other airframes in a single flight.

2 hours ago, unnox said:

/edit: I know the follow and escort settings but the other aircraft immediatly get airborne when I am starting up the A10. And no commands are possible this way too.

Yeah, using the escort task would have been exactly my suggestion. But you may need to get a little creative by switching waypoints for your escort plane. So on the first waypoint it goes into orbit until further notice. Then when the player activates a trigger/goes through a trigger zone, switch waypoint for the escort flight and get it to use the Advanced actions to make it escort the player, and finally detach it before landing.

If you get really creative, you could use the F10 radio items to make the escort do something on player request (engage hostiles, orbit, fly a wider formation), but all of this would need to be handcrafted. Certainly a lot of work, but it might be doable.

[unnox]

vor 30 Minuten schrieb Yurgon:

For instance a flight of 2 A-10s might rendezvous with a flight of 2 F-16 flying CAP for them.

Yes this is already in use. To make some szenarios more dynamic it would be great when the wingmen-commandos are available.

Besides that they should get airborne at the same time so they have max amount of fuel available and don‘t waste some when in orbit flight, waiting for me starting up the aircraft.

vor 30 Minuten schrieb Yurgon:

I don't think it's a common thing for A-10s (or any other jet in USAF inventory) to fly together with other airframes in a single flight.

To increase survivability and in case of contact with enemy fighters they are guarded in situatios where it is needed. 

vor 30 Minuten schrieb Yurgon:

If you get really creative, you could use the F10 radio items to make the escort do something on player request (engage hostiles, orbit, fly a wider formation), but all of this would need to be handcrafted. Certainly a lot of work, but it might be doable.

Exactly this is what I am looking for. How can I send them commands? I never see them in the radio menu regardless of same frequency or simple radio com engaged. Also they fly on the same site (left) but in the mission editor I gave them a formation. 

It doesn‘t matter how much work it takes I already spent around 70 hours in the mission editor. I just want to make great missions.

[Yurgon]

8 minutes ago, unnox said:

To make some szenarios more dynamic it would be great when the wingmen-commandos are available.

Yeah, that's true! It would be nice if we could interact with other flights, but I guess that's still years away, if it ever comes.

9 minutes ago, unnox said:

Besides that they should get airborne at the same time so they have max amount of fuel available and don‘t waste some when in orbit flight, waiting for me starting up the aircraft.

You can force the issue.

For instance, place a soldier or a HMMWV in front of their jets so they can't taxi out. When the player gets moving (enters a trigger zone/leaves a trigger zone or so), move the soldiers or HMMWVs out of the way and allow the other jets to taxi. That way it'll look as if they wait for the player, and they'll only burn gas on ground idle.

I'm sure there are other ways, but this one should work.

12 minutes ago, unnox said:

Exactly this is what I am looking for. How can I send them commands?

You can use the "RADIO ITEM ADD FOR GROUP/COALITON" trigger action to set up radio commands for the player flight.

These will show up in the F10 radio menu, and when the player activates them, they will simply set a flag.

And with these flags you can use triggers.

So, for instance, as a very rough idea:

Trigger ONCE
Condition: Time More(120)
Action: Radio Item Add for Group(Player, Flag 1, "CAP Attack")

Trigger ONCE
Condition: Flag is True(1)
Action: AI Task Push(CAP / 1. Attack Group("Hostiles"))
Action: Radio Item Remove for Group(Player, "CAP Attack")

[Exorcet]

Realistically you would not have fighters as wingmen in an A-10. If necessary you would be a part of a strike package where fighters would take part in the same mission as you, but they would not necessarily fly in formation with you or take orders from you.

You can setup a package in DCS but there is no formal classification for it in game like in Falcon. Take off time should be planned ahead of time so it's not an issue. Choose a start time for your mission and make the AI (and yourself) stay on schedule. Although you can use triggers like Yurgon said.

[shagrat]

vor 9 Stunden schrieb unnox:

To increase survivability and in case of contact with enemy fighters they are guarded in situatios where it is needed.

That's where the "Escort"-task comes into play. Also keep in mind, in real life missions there is usually a strict mission plan including exact TOT so mission package contains a Sweep that clears A/A threats before the strike hits, a SEAD package that suppresses SAM sites, and often an escort/CAP to deal with interceptors from enemy airbases.

The strikers need to be on target in a specific window of usually a couple minutes, execute the attack and get the hell out of dodge.

In aM xCAS (Close Air Support on short notice) scenario, there is either a consistent and uninterrupted CAP or blue has gained air superiority in a way, that it's near impossible enemy air can attack an A-10.

I guess it is very(!) unlikely that you would have A-10 or bombers go into a still contested air space to execute a CAS or strike mission, without at least a thorough CAP overhead.

As for a "mixed" flight, the only occasion I have heard of mixed flights is F/A-18 mixed with F-14. And it was common for Army helicopters to pair for example AH-64 with OH-58D in teams... but a mixed flight of A-10 and say F-16 doesn't make sense, as a wingman needs to support his lead at all times.