F-14: Destroy or damage ground targets with A-A weapons.

[ValhallaAB]

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This loadout is one of my go-to for crowded places with lots of light targets and some SAM threat which I can fly over, Rapier sites in this case 8000m / 26k feet for safety. I dropped my GBU-16's on the two sites and took out the remaining 4x ZSU-23-4 by dropping Mk-82 bombs as normal while in a slight dive, almost loosing a wing from the AAA fire. However when I expended my remaining 670+ rounds of AP/HE 20mm I still had 3x BMP-1/2 left.

I figured I had enough skill to aim my ADL on the target at a 40* dive and boresight the missiles (I fired my 2 AIM-9's too but they went up and much more spread to the sides of the ADL. The AIM-54 Phoenix however did a great straight line for the target a bit under my ADL, (I aimed for the empty area between the two units). First try ever doing it because I saw somebody do a similar thing to boats or a crowded factory with light vehicles. A BMP-1 is hard to crack with the 20mm unless you come straight from above and waste 100 rounds or so. 

The reason for posting this is if anybody has any similar experiences or funny air-to-air-air-to-ground experiments. If this topic already exists and is alot wider than the F-14 I understand but without my AIM-54 I would have gone home one less enemy down and not as happy as I am that I tried. null

[bernyssen]

Your post made me curious so I set up a quick mission to mess around with some cargo ships. I know the missiles and radar were not designed to engage ground targets, but it was a fun experiment!

I was able to get a radar lock on a cargo ship using PAL, but neither Phoenixes or Sparrows tracked it after launch. Launching an active Phoenix did not work either, it didn't manage to lock the ship. Finally, boresight mode with the Sparrows was also unable to guide the missile. 

Looks like you have great aim!

[captain_dalan]

On 12/30/2023 at 12:19 AM, bernyssen said:

 I know the missiles and radar were not designed to engage ground targets

 

You can't know that for sure

[draconus]

On 12/30/2023 at 12:19 AM, bernyssen said:

I was able to get a radar lock on a cargo ship using PAL, but neither Phoenixes or Sparrows tracked it after launch. Launching an active Phoenix did not work either, it didn't manage to lock the ship. Finally, boresight mode with the Sparrows was also unable to guide the missile.

PAL is a pulse mode so it can lock a ship. Phoenix needs pulse-Doppler mode for a lock but a ship will be dropped by the filter. All A2A missiles can be launched boresight although ships in DCS having simple - but with a lot of HP - damage model will be very hard target to touch.