reported earlier Designating Based on Datalink

MARLAN_ · July 22, 2022

It seems the bug that was present in the F-16 for some time has made its way to the F-18 in this latest update.

The DCS: F-18 currently detects fighter sized contacts around 47-48nm, shows hits and a track file, but is unable to be designated (L&S) and/or locked (STT) until ~44nm.

- The F-18 should be able to designate any track file at any time, generated via onboard, or offboard (F/F or SURV).

- Track files can be contributed to/created by other sensors than just radar, such as HARM, FLIR, CIT, or offboard sensors. There are multiple videos that show HUDs with a designation while on the ground.

- The F-18 should be able to designate track files regardless of radar contribution. Whether or not radar contribution exists on a track file is indicated by the radar contribution circle (not currently implemented in DCS)

- The F-18 can't designate (L&S) until a track file is built, which requires 2 correlated radar hits. This is not a set reduction in range, and is based on your scan volume/frame time which may be faster or slower. For example, in 1B/20/HI this may be near instant, where 6B/140/INTL may take some time longer. If an offboard track file already exists, the track file is already built and can be designated at any time, including before your onboard radar is contributed, but for the purposes of the current DCS implementation where we can't yet designate offboard tracks, we should be able to designate a track as soon as you get radar contribution.

- Any time we have radar contribution we should be able to attempt a lock (STT), this could of course fail to acquire or have trouble based on other factors, but should not be based on hard coded ranges.

F-18 SMEs, the FRM, and the 742 can correlate this.

A lot of these issues can be resolved by implementing even a rudimentary implementation of MSI into the DCS: F-18 which can be sourced from the aforementioned documents.

CantDesignateTrackFile.trk

Harker · July 22, 2022

Good write-up. For the current DCS implementation, which only allows for the designation of radar-generated trackfiles, this stands out:

1 hour ago, MARLAN_ said:

The DCS: F-18 currently detects fighter sized contacts around 47-48nm, shows hits and a track file, but is unable to be designated (L&S) and/or locked (STT) until ~44nm.

or the purposes of the current DCS implementation where we can't yet designate offboard tracks, we should be able to designate a track as soon as you get radar contribution.

- Any time we have radar contribution we should be able to attempt a lock (STT), this could of course fail to acquire or have trouble based on other factors, but should not be based on hard coded ranges

A trackfile is something the Mission Computer of the Hornet generates. It may or may not correspond to a real aircraft out there, it only exists in the software.

For all intents and purposes, a trackfile should always be able to be designated, as soon as it is created, or have an STT lock attempted on it (which may fail), because it is a digital object that the aircraft itself created. It is made with the express purpose of being interacted with.

Also, as the OP said, it takes 2 correlated radar hits to generate a trackfile, since they obtain enough information on the range, altitude and velocity of the target.