Anti-helo Vikhr

[Commissar]

I tried doing a search, but didn't find a topic specifically about this. From my understanding, the Vikhr can be used in an AA role and you can activate a prox fuse for this purpose. However if I am perpendicular to an enemy helo (for example, he is flying West-East and I am flying North-South) and I try to use the Vikhr to shoot him down the Vikhr never hits. If I am directly at the enemy helo's 12 or 6 or something like this, the Vikhr works fine. It makes a very nice boom and splash one helo. Is this because the target helo is too fast to work effectively when flying perpendicular to the target or am I just missing an important step in this condition?

 

Anyway, I am loving the game. It reminds me when I first played Longbow. Wish I had TrackIR back then.

[nemises]

To activate the proximity fuse, you need to select the "A/A" button on the weapon control panel.

 

If the Heli is coming towards you / front aspect , then also select the "A/A HO" button , which (presumably) shortens the fused delay to account for a target rapidly approaching, otherwise the shot detonates behind the target because of the closure rate.

 

In the even that you are north south, and he is east / west, the Vhikr will be constantly adjusting its heading (like beaming an a2a missile in LO) .. it stands to reason (?) that the Vickr can eaither run out of propellant as a result, and fall short, or, that it it unable to change course at a rate fast enough to track such a target.

 

It is pretty hard to hit a moving air target, as they tend to start dodging as soon as they pick up your laser ranger tickling them...so, maybe 50/50 at best with a2a vhickr shots ? in my experience anyway

[EtherealN]

There is a trick to decrease their warning time if you do a manual launch, where you would launch ahead of the target - thereby not painting the target with your laser and not setting off his laser warning receiver. You then slew the laser carefully onto the target midflight and lock him up.

 

I have however never managed to do this myself (though I have done very very little air-to-air combat in DCS:BS), but I have seen it mentioned. The difficulty there is that if you slew the laser too fast the missile won't be able to maneuver to stay within the beam and then lose guidance.

[LastRifleRound]

Make sure you don't have high aspect (AA push button, not the toggle switch for the prox fuse) activated for all but head on shots, it throws the algorithm off for high deflection shots (Ground moving target should be activated for lead calculation, even though it isn't a ground target, at least in my experience).

 

It is true what neimses says, though. It is pretty hard to hit a maneuvering air threat with a vikhr. Most people enjoy the most success with the trusty ol' 30mm for air targets.

[EtherealN]

Aye, words cannot describe the satisfaction you get when you see the rain of 30mm HE death make contact with that pesky Apache that has been upsetting your front line, and then enjoy the spectacle of a blissful spiral down to a symphony of flames and loud explosions...

 

Besides, I hate it when I have to fly to the FARP to reload on Vikhr's for the enemy MBT's, so whenever I can I try to keep the Vikhrs solely for them and use the cannon for most other things.

[TangoRomeo]

I ignore enemy helicopters. As a last resort, if they get too pesky, gun.

Doing it "by the book" in the "battle" mission, i wasted 3 Vikhr on a single AH-1, and finally shot it up with 30mm. Later i was tinkering with the mission builder, to test out some non related things. Something could be noticed however. I had an A-10 dropping MK82`s on a runway an AH-64 was taxiing on. One bomb impacted about 5m left of the Apache's side fuselage - nothing happened. Taxi resumed and it took off....Made me think.

Can anyone actually confirm the damage/kill radius of a Vikhr when in proximity mode - or can kills be attributed to direct hits - even when proximity mode is on?

[Hobnail]

I had an A-10 dropping MK82`s on a runway an AH-64 was taxiing on. One bomb impacted about 5m left of the Apache's side fuselage - nothing happened. Taxi resumed and it took off....Made me think.

 

The implementation of blast effect of weapons is one of the more problematic issues in BS IMHO

[Reticuli]

There is a trick to decrease their warning time if you do a manual launch, where you would launch ahead of the target - thereby not painting the target with your laser and not setting off his laser warning receiver. You then slew the laser carefully onto the target midflight and lock him up.

 

 

I also use that technique for firing around power towers. Fire off to the side slightly; when the missile is mid-flight, retarget.

 

If the AA target is just flying perpendicular to you, try just having moving target track on. The analog EO sensor suite on the early KA-50's difficult to get a lock, though. Try changing the size of your brackets and adjust them down when you get a cue.

Edited May 17, 2009 by Reticuli