Offset Bombing no go (Jester)

[RichardG]

Offset bombing will not work. Does jester know what hes supposed to do at the IP? My bombs never come off the plane. 

[Zabuzard]

Jester doesn't support RIP attacks. But you can do VIP, Jester doesn't have to do much for that besides entering the offset coordinates that you told him with the Bombing Calculator.
The VIP is then designated by you holding the Bomb Button when you overfly it.

[Bacab]

I am sorry to insist but I have the same issue : upon overflying the VIP the manual tells us "the WSO simultaneously presses the Freeze Signal and Target Insert Signal buttons on the Cursor Control Panel; doing so initiates INS target tracking." From your answer I guess Jester should do those two actions when I press the bomb button as a pilot, however I think this is not the case currently. Indeed, when overflying the VIP, when I press the bomb button, the flight director still sends me to my next waypoint, not to the offset I told Jester to set. I have done a track although I think opening the bombing calculator in flight seems to brake it.

EDIT : If you manually do the pressing of the Freeze signal and Target insert as the WSO when overflying the VIP, then it works fine.

 

F-4E_Offset_bombing_no_luck_v2.trk

Edited June 2, 2024 by Bacab

[jojo]

37 minutes ago, Bacab said:

I am sorry to insist but I have the same issue : upon overflying the VIP the manual tells us "the WSO simultaneously presses the Freeze Signal and Target Insert Signal buttons on the Cursor Control Panel; doing so initiates INS target tracking." From your answer I guess Jester should do those two actions when I press the bomb button as a pilot, however I think this is not the case currently. Indeed, when overflying the VIP, when I press the bomb button, the flight director still sends me to my next waypoint, not to the offset I told Jester to set. I have done a track although I think opening the bombing calculator in flight seems to brake it.

EDIT : If you manually do the pressing of the Freeze signal and Target insert as the WSO when overflying the VIP, then it works fine.

 

F-4E_Offset_bombing_no_luck_v2.trk 1.27 MB · 0 downloads

 

 

Here we discuss INS and offset. LOFT does work with Jester.
He computes offset between current IP and the next with Bombing Table when you click "Tell Jester".
Then, when squeezing bomb release button when overflying the IP you're guided toward the offset target.
 

 

[Bacab]

14 minutes ago, jojo said:

 

Here we discuss INS and offset. LOFT does work with Jester.
He computes offset between current IP and the next with Bombing Table when you click "Tell Jester".
Then, when squeezing bomb release button when overflying the IP you're guided toward the offset target.
 

 

You are missing the point: the issue is not to say that it doesn't work in Loft or in Offset, just to say that Jester does not automatically set the VIP upon overflying it even if you press the bomb button as a pilot (even if you have told him the correct offset through the bombing calculator). When overflying the VIP you have to take the role of WSO, press the "Freeze Signal and Target Insert Signal buttons" yourself and then upon returning to the pilot position you will be guided to the release point and everything will work as intended.

[Zabuzard]

Jester doesnt yet operate the freeze/insert buttons.

[jojo]

3 hours ago, Bacab said:

You are missing the point: the issue is not to say that it doesn't work in Loft or in Offset, just to say that Jester does not automatically set the VIP upon overflying it even if you press the bomb button as a pilot (even if you have told him the correct offset through the bombing calculator). When overflying the VIP you have to take the role of WSO, press the "Freeze Signal and Target Insert Signal buttons" yourself and then upon returning to the pilot position you will be guided to the release point and everything will work as intended.

Then how does Ian Christies put bombs on target in his video ?

I also did it but with more lateral deviation...but it's on me.

Edited June 2, 2024 by jojo

[MBot]

39 minutes ago, jojo said:

Then how does Ian Christies put bombs on target in his video ?

I also did it but with more lateral deviation...but it's on me.

You are mixing modes. Loft is an ARBCS mode where the pilot designates with the Pickle Button. Offset is a WRCS mode where the WSO designates with the Target Insert button. Two different bombing computers are used by these modes and they are operated differently.

Edited June 2, 2024 by MBot

[AvroLanc]

For Offset and TGT FIND you can easily hop into the WSOs seat just prior to the VIP overfly to hit Freeze and Insert buttons. Hopefully Jester will be able to do this with a special VIP waypoint action. 

[LastRifleRound]

If I had my vote I'd say the jester context button should do this for a VIP overfly

[Zabuzard]

For the time being, we temporarily exposed the WSO binds for those buttons to the pilot:

That way one can do OFFSET bombing and Pave Spike WRCS ACQ-Mode Solo without hopping into the backseat until Jester learned doing it himself.

Edited June 12, 2024 by Zabuzard

[Pillowcat]

So, what current procedure actually is? Can't find any clear tutorials on offset bombing. Holding bomb button over IP doesn't do anything except beeping sound for me currently, it was different on module release IIRC

[Sickdog]

I want to bump this thread back to life… just started practicing this with one of my F-4 mates, and we’re trying to approach this bombing method scientifically with some good tests. I’ve done as much research on the web and YouTube as possible; and thus far we’re able to get bombs within 1500’ of our targets but nothing closer.

Our main issue is when calculating the offset with the bomb table by entering the true bearing and distance in NM of the IP to target, we’re consistently dropping long. Were dropping at 10,000’, 450 KTAS, and I’ve taken out winds at all altitudes to eliminate that variable. We started to make a fudge factor of subtracting 1.5NM for the bombing table (using an actual distance  of 7.0NM from IP to target), and we’re getting inconsistent results. Some bombs are long and some are short. 
 

But for anyone wondering, yes, we’re using those binds for the WSO (TGT freeze, insert, and reset), and hitting freeze when passing directly over the IP (verified via F-10 map), and then hitting TGT insert), and doing VIP nav fix after every drop to eliminate INS drift issues.

 

I’ll report back here if we have any more luck or learn something, but so far it’s been somewhat inconsistent. 

Edited March 26 by Sickdog