DCS SA-5 Reworked - Taking the Blindfold Off the SA-5

[Whiskey11]

 

 

Greetings all!  One of the biggest issues DCS has with the implementation of the SA-5 is the lack of possible search radars available to it resulting in it having much shorter range than it would in real life.  @Recoil16 and I (almost entirely Recoil) sat down and hacked together an SA-5 Mod to utilize until ED adds the P-14 and PVR-13/PVR-17 height finding radars to the game and SA-5.

The end result is an SA-5 with some teeth.  As a test, I flew an F-16 at Mach 0.9, at 25k feet, on Syria, and was locked at 94miles and engaged at 80 miles.  This is significantly better than the about 50 miles of the default SA-5 in the same conditions.

Download at the GitHub Page:
https://github.com/Recoil016/DCS-107th_SA-5

 

You'll be able to use the following Radars:
-ST-68U Tin Shield (Default DCS)
-P-19 Flat Face (Default DCS)
-55G6 Nebo-U/Tall Rack (Default DCS, Added for those who don't want to use other mods)
-P-37 Bar Lock (SAM Site Asset Pack/2SAP)
-P-14 Tall King (P-14 Tall King Mod)  **See Known Issues**

 

Known Issues:
-Comes up as an "Unknown" on RWR.  Because of the way ED changed how RWR indications work, we cannot hijack the default SA-5's RWR indications like we could if it was an "older" SAM site like the SA-10.  Therefore, on NATO RWR's, it will come up as a "U" for Unknown.  
-The P-14 Tall King Mod has an error in it's Sensor.lua which needs fixed in order to work.  On their mod page (https://forum.dcs.world/topic/328269-p-14-tall-king-radar-v-10/#comment-5257238), at the bottom, you can see the fix.  Easy enough!
-You CANNOT mix the default SA-5 launchers or track radars with this mod and have them work.
-Skynet Compatibility hasn't been tested.

Install:
Installs into your DCS Saved Game's Folder.  File structure should allow for a direct drop into the Saved Game Folder or use of a mod manager.

 

Bugs, etc:
If you find any bugs, let us know here or on the GitHub and we'll try and work through them!  Thanks!

Edited July 11, 2023 by Whiskey11

[tripod3]

Impressive.

[Rowdy_Davido]

Finally a P-14 that works with the SA-5. Just thank you.

[Whiskey11]

2 hours ago, Rowdy_Davido said:

Finally a P-14 that works with the SA-5. Just thank you.

It's not a perfect solution due to the RWR limitations and lack of Skynet integration (although I was able to make it work through some LUA editing of the Skynet Compiled file), but it is a great temporary fix until ED gives us a P-14 and PRV-13/17

 

Nothing like seeing an SA-5 launch at 80nmi! 

[UN9249]

40 minutes ago, Whiskey11 said:

I was able to make it work through some LUA editing of the Skynet Compiled file

Can you share please?

[Wild_Weasel_31]

Any ideas, how can I force SA-5 launch it's missiles from nearly max range, out of no escape zone?
Made a mission, A-50 passing by at 9000 meters within SA-5 range, with the closest distance of about 160 km, and got no launch (but radar following worked). Engage distance set to 100%.

[Whiskey11]

1 hour ago, Wild_Weasel_31 said:

Any ideas, how can I force SA-5 launch it's missiles from nearly max range, out of no escape zone?
Made a mission, A-50 passing by at 9000 meters within SA-5 range, with the closest distance of about 160 km, and got no launch (but radar following worked). Engage distance set to 100%.

There are certain aspects of the game which are hardcoded behaviors that I'm not sure we can change.  You might be able to accomplish it with Skynet and forcing the engagement range to be longer, but the launch/range window is determined by DCS and when the SAM site thinks it has the highest PK.  This mod increased the engagement range to about 80nmi or so over the about 55-65nmi before.  I'll have to look into the LUA to see if there is a way to increase that further.

[Whiskey11]

On 7/13/2023 at 5:24 AM, UN9249 said:

Can you share please?

My version of Skynet is a super experimental branch which involves some advanced functionality (things like the ActMobile branch, and fixed jammer tables).  I have no problem sharing it, but understand that I haven't addressed the AI switching behavior issue that has been fixed by folks over on the Skynet discord... which means it may not correctly update emission states while a SAM site is active and the change occurs.

 

skynet-iads-compiled-actMobileMerged.lua

[UN9249]

6 часов назад, Whiskey11 сказал:

My version of Skynet is a super experimental branch which involves some advanced functionality (things like the ActMobile branch, and fixed jammer tables).  I have no problem sharing it, but understand that I haven't addressed the AI switching behavior issue that has been fixed by folks over on the Skynet discord... which means it may not correctly update emission states while a SAM site is active and the change occurs.

 

skynet-iads-compiled-actMobileMerged.lua 129.95 \u043a\u0411 · 1 загрузка

Thank you sir! I was just lacking of modern SAMs. I don't understand how it works and what does exactly. I just like SAMs have more human-like behaviors. 

[Whiskey11]

27 minutes ago, UN9249 said:

Thank you sir! I was just lacking of modern SAMs. I don't understand how it works and what does exactly. I just like SAMs have more human-like behaviors. 

Ahh, Skynet is a script you use in the mission editor... I'd recommend reading up on it and its use as it can be quite daunting to implement.  Wheelyjoe's IADS script is a bit easier to implement in a mission but is far more basic.

[UN9249]

10 минут назад, Whiskey11 сказал:

Ahh, Skynet is a script you use in the mission editor... I'd recommend reading up on it and its use as it can be quite daunting to implement.  Wheelyjoe's IADS script is a bit easier to implement in a mission but is far more basic.

Yeah. I know how to put it in a mission. How to name units etc. But i'am zero at lua programming.

[Sierra99]

So the required assets for this to work are Tall King, Tin Shield, 107th Square Pair and 107th Launchers?

[Whiskey11]

On 6/20/2024 at 10:53 AM, Sierra99 said:

So the required assets for this to work are Tall King, Tin Shield, 107th Square Pair and 107th Launchers?

There are a couple of options for configurations of the site

Always Required:
-"107th Square Pair" 
-"107th Launchers"

One of the following:
-55G6 (For "Stock" compatibility)
-ST-68U Tin Shield (The one from the default SA-5)
-P37 Bar Lock (From the Sam Site Asset Pack (2SAP))
-P-14 Tall King (From the P-14 Tall King mod)
-P-19 Flat Face (From the Default SA-2/SA-3)

You only need one of the search radars and none of the "mods" are required.  You can use the 55G6 if you want even though it isn't realistic.  The goal was to remove the search radar as the limitation to the SA-5's max range.  The 55G6 was included as an option for those who wanted a mostly stock experience.

Edited June 25, 2024 by Whiskey11

[norman99]

Question re the composition of an SA-5 site using this mod. After firstly swapping the launchers and tracking radar to the 107th modified version, I then subsequently swapped the ST-68U Tin Shield for the P-14 Tall King. The template I used also included the P-19 Flat Face, which has a similar range to the Tin Shield I've replaced. If I choose to keep this unit in the SA-5 group, will it affect the engagement range, effectively overriding the addition range of the P-14?

Does the order of units within the group matter? Currently I have the modified 107th Square Pair 1st, the P-14 Tall King 2nd, and the P-19 Flat Face 3rd. 

[Whiskey11]

On 1/4/2025 at 12:14 AM, norman99 said:

Question re the composition of an SA-5 site using this mod. After firstly swapping the launchers and tracking radar to the 107th modified version, I then subsequently swapped the ST-68U Tin Shield for the P-14 Tall King. The template I used also included the P-19 Flat Face, which has a similar range to the Tin Shield I've replaced. If I choose to keep this unit in the SA-5 group, will it affect the engagement range, effectively overriding the addition range of the P-14?

Does the order of units within the group matter? Currently I have the modified 107th Square Pair 1st, the P-14 Tall King 2nd, and the P-19 Flat Face 3rd. 

The order shouldn't matter unless you are running a modified Skynet-Compiled LUA with this setup in it, in which case, the search radar (P-14, etc) should be first.  Without Skynet, the order shouldn't matter.

As for multiple search radars in the group, I'd obviously caution against it as I can't predict how DCS will handle having two search radars there... I imagine it shouldn't cause problems, but I can't guarantee it either.  =\  Such is the life of DCS!  I haven't tested it with multiple search radars, so your mileage may vary!

[norman99]

Thanks @Whiskey11. I am actually running a modified Skynet, but I’ve always placed the tracking radar first, so in this case the Square Pair. I’ll swap it with the search radar.