LANTIRN ALAS functions above 25kft

[Rex854Warrior]

Hello,

Fairly straight forward, when using ALAS above 25k ft, the laser still fires and allows bombs to track. Attached is two tracks where I release 6 GBU-54 LJDAMs and one GBU-12 from above 25k ft (and stay there). The first track is using MLAS and as expected, the LJDAMs all reach their target and the GBU-12 misses. The second track is using ALAS where a majority of LJDAMs and the GBU-12 all land on the TPOD designated point (the LJDAMs that did not make it I suspect lost the laser or never got it, in any case, the GBU-12 tracked which is not supposed to work).

MLAS_above25k.trkALAS_above25k.trk

PS : I know this is not related, but it merits to be written, the JDAMs released in an extremely poor state (selection bugs, bombs disappearing from the SMART WPNS page, bombs going astray, no synchronisation in MC) and really is a stain in the track record for RAZBAM that has been improving for a while now. Anyhow, happy bug hunting.

Sincerely,

Rex

Edited November 19, 2023 by Rex854Warrior

[VladimirSputnik]

Is here a function IRL to adjust this 25 000 ft setting fore mountainous terrain?

What if you are attacking a target on a mountain with elevation 20 000 ft? You will only have 5 000 ft to work with and get into the range of the defences.

Just saying, I don't think the designers anticipated the USAF will ever fight in the Alps or Andes (or Afghanistan), but yes, it's old technology.

But some red guy placed an EWR on mount Kazbeg in the Caucasus and it made lobbing LGBs a bit limiting.

Or was the 25 000 ft (just over 4nm) maybe meant as slant range measured by the LASER instead of altitude?

[Ramsay]

49 minutes ago, VladimirSputnik said:

Is here a function IRL to adjust this 25 000 ft setting fore mountainous terrain?

Not AFAIK.

49 minutes ago, VladimirSputnik said:

What if you are attacking a target on a mountain with elevation 20 000 ft? You will only have 5 000 ft to work with and get into the range of the defences.

Correct.

 

49 minutes ago, VladimirSputnik said:

... was the 25 000 ft (just over 4nm) maybe meant as slant range measured by the LASER instead of altitude?

No the limitation is barometric, AFAIK the low air pressure makes cooling the laser/electronics difficult.

Above 25,000 ft ISA? the laser Safes to protect the pod from damage.

Edited December 11, 2023 by Ramsay

[VladimirSputnik]

Makes sense, thanks