using LIMAs with FCR vs George from backseat

[skypickle]

From Wags videos,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeovzU78uVg

I see that targets on the FCR can be attacked simply by firing LIMA hellfires with the FCR doing all the work.

So what is a use case for asking george to select a target and giving him consent to fire a LIMA? (This was the way LIMAs could be used before the FCR-presumably, George was identifying the  target with TADS, lasing to get ranging info which is then handed off to the LIMA)

 

With FCR targetting, LOBL is used for targets less than 2500 meters, and LOAL for targets at greater ranges-this means the hellfire has to use its own radar to find something for those further targets. Is this limitation also true for Hellfires launched by George using the TADS?

 

ALSO, what is the benefit of LOBL inhibit? isnt LOBL a more accurate solution since the target is provided to the missile before it leaves the rail?

[Raptor9]

44 minutes ago, skypickle said:

So what is a use case for asking george to select a target and giving him consent to fire a LIMA?

If the FCR is not available for targeting, such as if it has been damaged, it is being used by the Pilot for another purpose at that moment, or the FCR simply isn't installed on the aircraft. The FCR has many uses beyond just sending AGM-114L missiles toward targets on the battlefield, so it may not always be dedicated to targeting.

[skypickle]

@Raptor9 thank you. So is the 2500 meter limitation valid for both targetting modes with the LIMAs? (FCR and TADS w George)

Any suggestion for when to usde LOBL inhibit?

[NeedzWD40]

1 hour ago, skypickle said:

So is the 2500 meter limitation valid for both targetting modes with the LIMAs?

2500m isn't a limit, it just means it's too close for the missile to do DBS. You can get LOBL further out, but the target has to be moving.

LOBL Inhibit would be used if you wanted the missile to always use DBS (where possible) and projected target position. Ie you have one static target and multiple moving targets nearby and you want the static target to take priority (with the understanding the missile still may acquire one of the moving targets).

Long, complicated subject short: the missile itself has several ways of acquiring targets and the information passed from the aircraft to the missile is same/similar data, whether it comes from the FCR, TADS, or RFHO. Main use case for TADS with a 114L is being able to reach out further for static targets, plus VID of the chosen target. We'll have the ability to link TADS to the FCR (and vice versa) in the future, but if your TADS is already there then you can just laze and fire.

[skypickle]

@NeedzWD40Thank you. I am unfamiliar with the difference between FCR and RFHO( radio freq handoff). I thought they are one and the same. Could you elaborate?

 

BTW, this article:

https://premium.globalsecurity.org/military/library/budget/fy1997/dot-e/army/97hellfire.html

states:

'Longbow flight crews frequently elected to override the system's automatic mode selection logic and fire missiles from a masked position. This powerful technique can significantly increase the helicopter's survivability, but has not been validated with missile firings during developmental or operational testing'

That article strictly discusses early kilo model hellfires that were SAL. So I assume it is referring to the preference of the crews to go into LOAL mode, unmask, and lase for the last 10secs of flight. But it seems that philosophy was extended to the LIMAs as well.

[NeedzWD40]

1 hour ago, skypickle said:

I am unfamiliar with the difference between FCR and RFHO( radio freq handoff). I thought they are one and the same. Could you elaborate?

RFHO is sending targets via datalink to other aircraft. It allows the FCR equipped aircraft to find targets and send them back without exposing the other flight members. This would be the true masked capability for the aircraft, as it would be possible for one aircraft to scan, prioritize, amortize, and assign targets to the other flight members, then execute a rapid engagement from concealment and/or cover.

Without that, you could unmask, scan, then mask and fire as a single ship, provided ideal circumstances.