can not reproduce Is IFF not working after the last update?

[Eclipse]

The past couple nights of flying, I have not gotten a single radar track to be identified, even while in single target track on that target at close range. The HAFU remains a yellow bracket "unknown" symbol. This has been in a air-to-air experimentation mission with no AWACS, and my datalink (the second D/L page) is turned on, with auto-IFF turned on from the AZ/EL page.

Am I missing a setup step that is keeping IFF from functioning? Has something changed? I'm at a loss. 

 

*edit*

The only thing I can think to check is to make sure Non-Cooperative Target Recognition (NCTR) is still boxed on the RWS radar format by default. The opposing fighters have been high aspect flying directly at me while in STT, so NCTR should have identified them as hostile.

Anyone else feeling like something has changed?

Edited July 16, 2024 by Eclipse
Added NCTR info

[Archer.xd]

Need a track to see what exactly is going on, but so far I havent noticed any change or bug with IFF.

In STT, you need to be within 25nm and target aspect has to be within 30 degrees nose or tail.
For a contact to be classified as hostile (red), you need 2 sources. Either your own IFF + offboard track that determines its hostile too, OR your own IFF + NCTR.
So, if the target is not within NCTR parameters, and you dont have AWACS (or another fighter in your flight/donors), the contact will remain yellow.
ED FA18 Manual pg 209-212 should give enough info.

[Eclipse]

11 minutes ago, Archer.xd said:

Need a track to see what exactly is going on, but so far I havent noticed any change or bug with IFF.

In STT, you need to be within 25nm and target aspect has to be within 30 degrees nose or tail.
For a contact to be classified as hostile (red), you need 2 sources. Either your own IFF + offboard track that determines its hostile too, OR your own IFF + NCTR.
So, if the target is not within NCTR parameters, and you dont have AWACS (or another fighter in your flight/donors), the contact will remain yellow.
ED FA18 Manual pg 209-212 should give enough info.

Thanks for the response. I have had the target locked in STT while it's flying directly at my nose, well within 25nm, and the HAFU remains unknown. So either NCTR or my internal IFF isn't doing its job.  I'm fairly certain I even saw the target under cursor data in the lower right of the SA page had the aircraft identied as a Su27 at one point, and yet the HAFU remained an unknown. 

Nice to see a fellow RTFM guy!

[Archer.xd]

I'd see if L+S INT is somehow turned off (AZ/EL L MDI PB2) OR maybe IFF itself isnt turned on from UFC. Im able to get the situation you described only by turning off datalink and L+S INT or IFF entirely. And of course this is normal as its just NCTR giving info without any IFF or link.

Edited July 16, 2024 by Archer.xd
addition

[Eclipse]

23 minutes ago, Archer.xd said:

I'd see if L+S INT is somehow turned off (AZ/EL L MDI PB2) OR maybe IFF itself isnt turned on from UFC. Im able to get the situation you described only by turning off datalink and L+S INT or IFF entirely. And of course this is normal as its just NCTR giving info without any IFF or link.

 

Could you please describe how IFF is turned on or off via the UFC?   Nevermind, I see the IFF button on the UFC. Clearly I didn't accidentally turn it off since I forgot the button existed! The manual could use some updating for some things (like datalink having 2 pages but still having only 1 covered in the manual).

I'll have a look at the L+S INT setting on the AZ/EL page tonight, as well. I have never intentionally unboxed it, and I specifically go in to the AZ/EL page to enable Auto INT, so either way it should have been working, whether automatically or bc of the STT.  Unless IFF now needs to be turned on somewhere else that I'm not aware of  

I really appreciate the help!

Edited July 16, 2024 by Eclipse

[Archer.xd]

Sure thing. Click IFF push button on UFC. You wont see anything on UFC, hold ON/OFF for about a second. Then it'll turn on and when it does you should be seeing this, and thats all you need to do :



And yeah I definitely agree manual could use some big updates.

EDIT in response to your edit :

L+S INT is enabled by default, but IFF is not. So if you did a cold start, then you need to turn IFF on. But in air start, both should be on by default.

Edited July 16, 2024 by Archer.xd

[Eclipse]

4 minutes ago, Archer.xd said:

Sure thing. Click IFF push button on UFC. You wont see anything on UFC, hold ON/OFF for about a second. Then it'll turn on and when it does you should be seeing this, and thats all you need to do :



And yeah I definitely agree manual could use some big updates.

EDIT in response to your edit :

L+S INT is enabled by default, but IFF is not. So if you did a cold start, then you need to turn IFF on. But in air start, both should be on by default.

 

Thank you so much, that one bit there is gold. That is probably the issue - I never knew IFF had to be manually turned on!  In the simplified experimentation and training type of mission we were running I had no donors on datalink with me.  So all this time I've been relying on datalink correlated tracks rather than my own IFF.  This would explain some of the weird finicky behavior I've always experienced with the hornet radar...

I'll retest tonight and respond back.

Have a great day

[Eclipse]

I'll retest with attention to the AZ/EL azimuth and range settings to verify whether Auto INT is working.  I did verify tonight that a STT did immediately identify the target as hostile, so the IFF is working there at least, now that it's turned on!

Edited July 17, 2024 by Eclipse
New information after rewatching AZ/EL page video from Wags