Ballinger French Posted June 7, 2024 Posted June 7, 2024 Hi, This doesn't actually appear to be a bug with the F-16, but rather a purposefully designed realistic limitation when using Mavericks in PRE mode with automatic handoff enabled from the TGP. Specifically, there appears to be a minimum range to target that the Maverick missile seeker head can be correlated with the target locked on the TGP in automatic handoff mode. If one is beyond this minimum range but within the Maverick missile's normal weapons engagement envelope, the Maverick seeker head will properly lock on the target designated by the automatic TGP handoff. However, inside a 'close range' to target but still within the Maverick's normal engagement range, there appears to be a minimum distance to target in which a TGP handoff to the Maverick cannot be accomplished (parallax error coincident with close range to target). This limiting condition doesn't appear to be documented in the official DCS F-16 manual, so I though I would point it out to others on here. I read through the F-16 bug list section, and one of the DCS Moderators participating pointed out that boresighting Mavericks with the TGP whilst airborne cannot be properly accomplished with a target in close range (3 NM or less?) due to normal parallax error. I assume the limiting range I described above is an extension of the programmed (correctly) parallax condition. Cheers.
RyanR Posted June 7, 2024 Posted June 7, 2024 Something has been "off" since the INS update a few months ago. A recent fix made it "better", but it can't be right. If this is "correct as is", then auto-handoff does not work at all on the real plane. The Maverick seeker is considerably "off" from the TGP at 7nm.... and the disparity degrades from there. Manual slewing the Maverick in the WPN page works fine, and the TGP gets you pretty close. Though, every time you fire a Maverick, you need to DMS-down to the TGP to get the missile on the opposite pylon to look where the TGT is looking (the SPI). This can't be correct either. In the end.... it's OK right now. I suspect we need to simply wait for the Sniper ATP to come to fruition. -Ryan
Ballinger French Posted June 8, 2024 Author Posted June 8, 2024 37 minutes ago, RyanR said: Something has been "off" since the INS update a few months ago. A recent fix made it "better", but it can't be right. If this is "correct as is", then auto-handoff does not work at all on the real plane. The Maverick seeker is considerably "off" from the TGP at 7nm.... and the disparity degrades from there. Manual slewing the Maverick in the WPN page works fine, and the TGP gets you pretty close. Though, every time you fire a Maverick, you need to DMS-down to the TGP to get the missile on the opposite pylon to look where the TGT is looking (the SPI). This can't be correct either. In the end.... it's OK right now. I suspect we need to simply wait for the Sniper ATP to come to fruition. -Ryan Hmmm, I may have completely misunderstood this situation then. I seem to be getting the TGP to properly handoff to the Mavericks in a recent mission I created, but I have certainly encountered the situation where the Maverick fails to look at the same area as the TGP after handoff attempt (this is what I interpreted as being too close in range at time of handoff attempt). It does get close as you mention, but far enough off that an auto lock doesn't happen. I'll attach the track file from my mission in which everything works like it's supposed to, although I now have no idea why it's working. Maverick PRE mode testing.trk
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