Are the Smart WPNs problems solved in current 2024 version?

[Rhinozherous]

Hello!

Can anyone confirm if the problems with the smart weapons (not releasing bomb from station, jumping over stations.... ) are solved in the current 2.9.3.51704 version of DCS? 

I did read the Changelog but could not associate anything with this bugs.

Thank you!

[Swift.]

It appears a lot of the issues still aren't fixed.

[Darkdiz]

From what I have seen, there is still a huge desynch problem with the smart weapons. If the WSO designates a tgt AND transfers the tgt coords to a smart weapon, the pilot will not get the drop cues (in multiplayer). The WSO will get the correct cues in the HUD repeater, but nothing for the pilot. The workaround is either have the WSO do the weapon release, or for the WSO to designate the tgt (say with the TPOD for example), and have the pilot transfer the coords using PB 1 on the smart weapons page to the selected smart weapon. Even if the transfer TPOD legend is not shown on the pilot's page next to PB1, pressing PB1 still transfers the designated tgt coords correctly.

[Tenkom]

It still skips bombs when changing stations making it impossible to pre-program all the bombs.
It's typically not a huge problem since you can select the skipped bombs after the other bombs have been dropped but still can be a little annoying.

[bal2o]

1 hour ago, Tenkom said:

It still skips bombs when changing stations making it impossible to pre-program all the bombs.
It's typically not a huge problem since you can select the skipped bombs after the other bombs have been dropped but still can be a little annoying.

for information, no problem if you don't have release program set when you program your jdam

Other think, bomb can be select if you unselect/select pylon in program page

[SloppyDog]

1 hour ago, bal2o said:

for information, no problem if you don't have release program set when you program your jdam

Other think, bomb can be select if you unselect/select pylon in program page

Well, I love the 'E', and I believe most people here do as well, but we have to recognize that the commands and controls are cumbersome and not intuitive at all. 

That said, what I have noticed is that you need to have a program set, or programs, before going to the smart weapons page. And then it will, inside that particular Program, sequence the bombs in the right order, not skipping stations and transferring the coordinates in the right order (in single player at least, never tried in MP). 

Also, the dropping sequence that I have noticed, for CFT mounted pylons, is always the back end bomb first, then the middle one, then the front one (R3, R2 and R1; L3, L2 and L1), so one must be aware of that when transferring coordinates.

About the programs, if you have, let's say, 3 GBU-38s on the left CFT, 3 GBU-54s on the right CFT, two GBU-31s under the wings and one GBU-31 on the center pylon you won't be able to change stations in the Smart Weapons page. At least, that's has been my experience.

What I have noticed, and have been working for me, is that you need to assign programs to the corresponding stations before moving to the Smart Weapons page.

As an example,  Program 1 is for the left GBUs, Program 2 for the right GBUs, Program 3 for the under wings GBUs and Program 4 for for the lonely center GBU. Then in the Smart Weapons page, with Program 1 selected, you are able to change stations inside that program, in the example, left CFT GBUs. On Program 2, you can step through the 3 right side GBUs and so on.

Well, I don't know nothing about real life operations or if that's the way it is supposed to be, but this is the way it is working in game right now.

 Anyway, it is a complex bird, with complex systems, and the more I fly it, the more I'm convinced it is a two people aircraft, with lots of work for both to do. 

 

  

[Swift.]

On 3/21/2024 at 6:25 PM, Darkdiz said:

From what I have seen, there is still a huge desynch problem with the smart weapons. If the WSO designates a tgt AND transfers the tgt coords to a smart weapon, the pilot will not get the drop cues (in multiplayer). The WSO will get the correct cues in the HUD repeater, but nothing for the pilot. The workaround is either have the WSO do the weapon release, or for the WSO to designate the tgt (say with the TPOD for example), and have the pilot transfer the coords using PB 1 on the smart weapons page to the selected smart weapon. Even if the transfer TPOD legend is not shown on the pilot's page next to PB1, pressing PB1 still transfers the designated tgt coords correctly.

What is happening is that the transfer sources dont sync. What happens is this:

Situation 1:
No designations exist, both pilots have no transfer.
WSO creates designation with radar, WSO sees XFER RDR. Pilot sees no transfer option.
WSO will see coordinates transfer but pilot wont. Desync.

To stop this, do the following:

Situation 2:
No designations exist, both pilots have no transfer.
Target Point is selected, NAV designation is created for both members, both members see XFR STP.
WSO creates designation with radar, WSO sees XFER RDR. Pilot sees XFR STP.
Both pilots will see correct coordinate transfer and targeting symbology.

 

The CRITICAL thing here is to do what you should be doing all the time with strike eagle anyway: Always start with a NAV designation.
Yes, its bugged. But if you follow good technique regardless of the bug, you won't have an issue.

[Darkdiz]

On 3/22/2024 at 5:54 PM, Swift. said:

What is happening is that the transfer sources dont sync. What happens is this:

Situation 1:
No designations exist, both pilots have no transfer.
WSO creates designation with radar, WSO sees XFER RDR. Pilot sees no transfer option.
WSO will see coordinates transfer but pilot wont. Desync.

To stop this, do the following:

Situation 2:
No designations exist, both pilots have no transfer.
Target Point is selected, NAV designation is created for both members, both members see XFR STP.
WSO creates designation with radar, WSO sees XFER RDR. Pilot sees XFR STP.
Both pilots will see correct coordinate transfer and targeting symbology.

 

The CRITICAL thing here is to do what you should be doing all the time with strike eagle anyway: Always start with a NAV designation.
Yes, its bugged. But if you follow good technique regardless of the bug, you won't have an issue.

What I have found is that even if the pilot's XFR (PB1) button has nothing beside it, if the WSO designates (with whatever sensor) the transfer by the pilot STILL transfers the coords to the selected JDAM. To check, the pilot reads off the last 3 digits of the lat and the last 3 digits of the long, they SHOULD match what the TPOD/RADAR/Seq Pt says. The NAV designation (steerpoint with a decimal) gets you going in the right direction, and in the vicinity, unless it is a static tgt (building etc), then you can pick off exact coords and transfer them (pilot if he wants to do the drop and get the proper release cued. Agreed, its bugged, and hopefully fixed as the desynch issue has been problematic for some of the newer folks to the F-15E, and has detracted from several missions we have run.

[Thundersmoke]

I can at least report some of the bugs must still be present.  Had 6 x GBU-54's and 1 JSOW loaded today.  Was able to XFER SEQ PT to JSOW and launch.

Then, after that, change program to the -54's, and was unable to transfer the same nav (target) point, unable to take command of the TPOD and slew around and designate to XFER TPOD, or anything else.  Couldn't cycle between stores.  Smart Weapons page became mostly unresponsive.

I was able to change the laser codes in Sensor subpage and transfer those to the munitions (which I'd done beforehand since I was working with a JTAC).  But when it came time to start using the -54's, the page was pretty much frozen.

Tried undesignating, tried resetting SAFE/ARM, tried resetting TPOD, tried cycling to guns and back to clear systems, tried unselecting the munitions from the program and re-programming / re-selecting them in PACS, tried everything I could think of.  Very frustrating to cold-start, transit to AO for 20 mins, and then be unable to release ordnance.

Here's hoping for a lengthy list of fixes on the 3rd or whenever next patch rolls out.  Alternately, I'd be happy to find that I missed a key step.  But I've been doing it successfully before, so...?

Only thing I did differently this time is I pre-emptively changed the laser codes on all the -54's while en route to the target point.  Sensor -> enter code -> Xfer Weapon -> Next Store -> repeat for all 6 bombs.

I won't be doing that again, and will instead just do 1 at a time in between each attack run.  Maybe all that manipulation and cycling of stores somehow fouled them up.

Edited March 31, 2024 by Thundersmoke

[SloppyDog]

On 3/30/2024 at 9:33 PM, Thundersmoke said:

 Maybe all that manipulation and cycling of stores somehow fouled them up.

 

Right now it is not working properly, as you experienced.

A workaround to avoid this errors is to create separate programs to each station, or type of stations. Example: as you mentioned, 6 GBU-54s and 1 JSOW.

So, Program 1 for the left CFT GBUs, then Program 2 for right CFT GBUs, then Program 3 for the center JSOW. On the Smart Weapons page you select a Program first, then it will move around the three bombs on that station only. Then other program to set up the other bombs on the other station. It is not guaranteed it won't freeze the page, but helps avoid the problem.

[Rhinozherous]

Say goodbye to a solution for this and any RAZBAM module in general.