[2.9.5.55918 MT] Drag index of rocket pods independent of presence of nose/tail cones and load // Excessive LAU-68 drag

[Stickler]

According to the RL Dash-1, the drag index of rocket pods depends significantly on whether the tail and/or nose cones are present and whether the pods are empty or full.

Based on performance testing, the game currently seems to assume that independently of the presence of the nose/tail cones and load, LAU-3/A pods have a drag index corresponding to their full, no nose/tail cone state (12.2 or 13.5).

The drag-independency of the pod configuration can be most easily tested by flying straight and level at military power and determining maximum aircraft speed, then partially firing the rockets. Expected behaviour is a decrease in speed since drag just increased significantly. In the game, no apparent drag change occurs.

For in-game LAU-68 pods which do not come with a nose or tail cone, the same non-increase of drag after firing is present, however the pods generally seem to have a larger in-game drag index than the RL pods.

A full LAU-68 without nose and tail cone should have a drag index of 5.4, however actual performance data rather matches the 12.2 or 13.5 drag index of a full LAU-3 without nose/tail cone.

The fact that e.g. {HB_F4E_LAU-68_MK1_3x}.lua and {HB_F4E_LAU-3_MK1_3x}.lua both have a Cx_pil of 0.00683453125 seems to support the assumption that the LAU-68 drag is currently too high and matches the LAU-3 drag.

I'm assuming that rocket pod drag cannot be made load-dependent due to DCS limitations, however I do recommend to decrease LAU-68 drag so game performance matches the books.

Edited July 6, 2024 by Stickler