New to Mirage F1

[Silent Film]

Hello! I have purchased Mirage F1 few days ago, and I love it, I really feel that cockpit as my office, preferably the CE version, and it is such a pretty aircraft. I am a M2k guy, but I really detest fly-by-wire system, it feels awkward and prevents me from the real flight simulator experience.

I've got few questions.

I think I have seen on Youtube that players use boresight for radar lock, but I can't find such control in the Control Panel.

Also, when I fire one R530F IR missile, after a minute or so the other one becomes deselected in the HUD, although it is seleced with the button. It just won't appear on the HUD anymore, it becomes unusable. Why is that?

[Sknusk]

5 hours ago, Silent Film said:

Hello! I have purchased Mirage F1 few days ago, and I love it, I really feel that cockpit as my office, preferably the CE version, and it is such a pretty aircraft. I am a M2k guy, but I really detest fly-by-wire system, it feels awkward and prevents me from the real flight simulator experience.

I've got few questions.

I think I have seen on Youtube that players use boresight for radar lock, but I can't find such control in the Control Panel.

Also, when I fire one R530F IR missile, after a minute or so the other one becomes deselected in the HUD, although it is seleced with the button. It just won't appear on the HUD anymore, it becomes unusable. Why is that?

Hello,

Welcome to the Mirage F1 enjoyers club. The 3-way switch you are looking for is labelled as:  Radar telemeter/ area zone scanning selector switch

UP: TL Air-to-Air  5 degree square can (size about the hud glass) 400m to 7Km range

Center: OFF (regular radar operation)

Down: BZ Area Scanning 20 degree scan zone 7km range

https://chucksguides.com/aircraft/dcs/mirage-f1/#pf12f

I think the IR missile issue is a bug.

[Silent Film]

14 hours ago, Sknusk said:

Hello,

Welcome to the Mirage F1 enjoyers club. The 3-way switch you are looking for is labelled as:  Radar telemeter/ area zone scanning selector switch

UP: TL Air-to-Air  5 degree square can (size about the hud glass) 400m to 7Km range

Center: OFF (regular radar operation)

Down: BZ Area Scanning 20 degree scan zone 7km range

https://chucksguides.com/aircraft/dcs/mirage-f1/#pf12f

I think the IR missile issue is a bug.

Thank you!

I don't know for the missile issue it probably could be a glich or a bug. Sometimes when I select both buttons for R530F IRs, and fire one, after few minutes the other one is disabled and can't be selected nor used anymore.

I am also getting trouble with locking targets on the radar, so far no successful locks, both track while scan and single target track.

[Sknusk]

8 hours ago, Silent Film said:

Thank you!

I don't know for the missile issue it probably could be a glich or a bug. Sometimes when I select both buttons for R530F IRs, and fire one, after few minutes the other one is disabled and can't be selected nor used anymore.

I am also getting trouble with locking targets on the radar, so far no successful locks, both track while scan and single target track.

You're welcome. Yes, the radar is very tricky to use I think that is a typical experience. If you're still learning, definitely take the time to read Chuck's Guide, which is the link I sent previously. I learned most of what I know from that guide. The radar has multiple non bore-sight modes for different situations and there is a dial used to change mode. The developers are working on a more realistic radar model as the current one is over-performing. If the targets speed is the same as your aircraft's speed, the track will drop.

[Vibora]

On 2/24/2025 at 10:46 AM, Silent Film said:

Also, when I fire one R530F IR missile, after a minute or so the other one becomes deselected in the HUD, although it is seleced with the button. It just won't appear on the HUD anymore, it becomes unusable. Why is that?

We would need a trk. If it's a short one recorded in Caucasus, much better.

Thank you for your feedback!

[Silent Film]

1 hour ago, Vibora said:

We would need a trk. If it's a short one recorded in Caucasus, much better.

Thank you for your feedback!

The situation is like this.

When I select both buttons for 530 missiles on the right cockpit panel and use the radar versions, two R530F EM or two S530F, and I fire, both of them go one by one, which looks like it should be I guess.

But when I select both buttons and use two R530F IR missiles, when I fire, only one goes, instead of both. Then, usually, I can use the other one later. But sometimes, the other one becomes unusable. Also, what I experienced today, I fired the first one, then few minutes passed, then I aimed the other one with the boresight without radar, I got the tone signal, and the missile just went by itself towards the target, without me pressing the fire button.

So, to be honest, I should be selecting 530s one by one and not both at the same time, so it is not a big issue. But I will try to record some "trk" file.

[Capt_Haddock]

On 2/24/2025 at 9:46 AM, Silent Film said:

I am a M2k guy, but I really detest fly-by-wire system, it feels awkward and prevents me from the real flight simulator experience.

I can totally sympathise. I love the Mirage 2000 but the flying always felt a bit on rails. It's probably modelled super accurately, and the M2K is meant to have one of the best fly-by-wire controls of that generation (allegedly much better than the F-16), but sometimes you want to feel the air, and the F1 is perfect for it.

You are in for a treat. She handles beautifully

[Silent Film]

9 hours ago, Capt_Haddock said:

I can totally sympathise. I love the Mirage 2000 but the flying always felt a bit on rails. It's probably modelled super accurately, and the M2K is meant to have one of the best fly-by-wire controls of that generation (allegedly much better than the F-16), but sometimes you want to feel the air, and the F1 is perfect for it.

You are in for a treat. She handles beautifully

Yeah, if only the M2k didn't have fly-by-wire, it would have been superb. I want to feel the air and how my speed and attitude are influencing flight controls, sometimes I want to slide and glide when I turn or lose the speed, and feel the plane, and it is so enjoyable. But flying with fly-by-wire feels like an arcade game. When I'm landing, I want to feel that slide downwards when I reduce the power, but with fly-by-wire I reduce the power and the aircraft just continues flying straight, it feels so awkward and unfulfilling.

That is why I love the Tomcat, it provides me with that feeling of flight perfectly. But with the Tom I've got other issues, like it was made primarily for BVR, and BVR is nonsense in a simulator. Also those Phoenixes hit one of four launched, but they are boring anyways.

I've been keeping an eye on the Mirage F1 for a long time, I love how it looks, both from the outside and inside the cockpit, love that multicolored HUD with dots and triangles and squares, it just looks cute like an early 1970s design. I wonder why don't all aircraft have multicolored HUDs. And that old R530F missiles look and feel wonderful, it's like you've launched a bomb and not a missile, they are super cute, and especially when they hit, they bring so much joy.  Not a perfect dogfighter, but it is a challenge how to handle it, and it is actually fairly maneuverable within the range of speeds from 400 to 600 knots. And if I really need good results, then those modern Magic 2s and S530Fs hit every time.

[TheSkipjack95]

1 hour ago, Silent Film said:

Yeah, if only the M2k didn't have fly-by-wire, it would have been superb. I want to feel the air and how my speed and attitude are influencing flight controls, sometimes I want to slide and glide when I turn or lose the speed, and feel the plane, and it is so enjoyable. But flying with fly-by-wire feels like an arcade game. When I'm landing, I want to feel that slide downwards when I reduce the power, but with fly-by-wire I reduce the power and the aircraft just continues flying straight, it feels so awkward and unfulfilling.

That is why I love the Tomcat, it provides me with that feeling of flight perfectly. But with the Tom I've got other issues, like it was made primarily for BVR, and BVR is nonsense in a simulator. Also those Phoenixes hit one of four launched, but they are boring anyways.

I've been keeping an eye on the Mirage F1 for a long time, I love how it looks, both from the outside and inside the cockpit, love that multicolored HUD with dots and triangles and squares, it just looks cute like an early 1970s design. I wonder why don't all aircraft have multicolored HUDs. And that old R530F missiles look and feel wonderful, it's like you've launched a bomb and not a missile, they are super cute, and especially when they hit, they bring so much joy.  Not a perfect dogfighter, but it is a challenge how to handle it, and it is actually fairly maneuverable within the range of speeds from 400 to 600 knots. And if I really need good results, then those modern Magic 2s and S530Fs hit every time.

The 2000 could not fly without its FBW, nor have the performance it has. It would be a Mirage III. I think it's actually the only good FBW model in DCS. Stick displacement = g-command moderated by aoa is perfectly illustrated and unlike the Fs, it actually trims out everything else for you and lets you bang around the envelope virtually care free. Cant say the same of F-16.

[Capt_Haddock]

I recently watched an interview with a French pilot saying that (to his knowledge) there's never been a M2000 lost to G-lock, unlike F-16s... Credit where it's due. 

[Mini_is_Drunk]

I would also recommend you to check out this guys channel:

 

[TheSkipjack95]

21 hours ago, Capt_Haddock said:

I recently watched an interview with a French pilot saying that (to his knowledge) there's never been a M2000 lost to G-lock, unlike F-16s... Credit where it's due. 

There's at least one documented incident (ie a pixellated video on youtube), of a two seater almost eating dirt because of G-LOC. These things are airframe agnostic, unless you spend the dosh to add auto GCAS I guess.

[Silent Film]

On 2/27/2025 at 3:36 PM, Mini_is_Drunk said:

I would also recommend you to check out this guys channel:

 

Thank you! I have watched almost all of his Mirage 2000 videos, now I will check his Mirage F1 videos. 

[Silent Film]

On 2/25/2025 at 8:55 PM, Vibora said:

We would need a trk. If it's a short one recorded in Caucasus, much better.

Thank you for your feedback!

I have tried to reproduce my "issue" with 530 IR missiles several times, but everything went fine. The "issue" happened when I was flying for more than two hours on my custom single player mission, with multiple landings, refuelings, rearmings, taking offs, so after such a long time in the same mission maybe some random glitches occured. I suppose it's not a big deal. And also maybe it was me who did something wrong. Anyways, not worthy of reporting a bug.

But what I wonder is why, when both 530s are selected with the buttons, the IR variant fires one at a time, and the radar variants fire both at a time.

[Silent Film]

Oh, I got it, when I press the fire button for a longer time, then both missiles fire at once.

[Silent Film]

On 2/25/2025 at 8:55 PM, Vibora said:

We would need a trk. If it's a short one recorded in Caucasus, much better.

Thank you for your feedback!

I have managed to save a track where both 530 IR and Magic 1 won't fire. It is a bit longer track around 50 minutes on my Caucasus training scenario.

Around 20th minute, I successfully shoot down the F-15 with the left 530 IR. Then I head for the north, engaging the autopilot. I disengage the autopilot, and try to shoot down the Mirage 2000 with the right 530 IR. I am having the tone and pressing the fire button, but the missile won't fire. I shoot the Mirage with the guns. Then I head for the MiG-19. I try to fire the 530 IR once again, but it still won't fire. I select the dogfight mode and shoot down the MiG with the right Magic 1. Then I head for the MiG-21. This time, the triangle for the 530 IR in the HUD disappears. I turn the dogfight mode once again, but this time the left Magic 1 also won't fire.

I hope the track will be accurate and useful.

MF1CE.trk

[Mr_sukebe]

I seem to remember that the missiles cool for around 20 mins.  Had you let them warmup again

[Silent Film]

17 hours ago, Mr_sukebe said:

I seem to remember that the missiles cool for around 20 mins.  Had you let them warmup again

I never warm them up to be honest, how to do that?

But I suppose, if the missiles are selected and are giving the tone, that they should be able to fire.

[Bremspropeller]

You need to keep the button depressed for some time (1sec or so).

[Silent Film]

I have tested it once again. Selected the 530 IRs, and the triangles in the HUD disappeared after 20 minutes. Then I have deselected them for 10 minutes, selected them once again, and they didn't work. It seems that I got 20 minutes after I select them that they would work.

But, after that, I have selected the dogfight mode, and I successfully fired the right Magic 1, but then the left Magic 1 didn't want to fire although it was displayed selected in the HUD and gave me the tone.

[Bremspropeller]

50 minutes ago, Silent Film said:

But, after that, I have selected the dogfight mode, and I successfully fired the right Magic 1, but then the left Magic 1 didn't want to fire although it was displayed selected in the HUD and gave me the tone.

You need to keep the button depressed for some time. The left Magic will launch if you keep the button pressed.

Running out of coolant for the 530IR seems reasonable.

[Vibora]

On 4/1/2025 at 7:55 PM, Silent Film said:

I have managed to save a track where both 530 IR and Magic 1 won't fire. It is a bit longer track around 50 minutes on my Caucasus training scenario.

Around 20th minute, I successfully shoot down the F-15 with the left 530 IR. Then I head for the north, engaging the autopilot. I disengage the autopilot, and try to shoot down the Mirage 2000 with the right 530 IR. I am having the tone and pressing the fire button, but the missile won't fire. I shoot the Mirage with the guns. Then I head for the MiG-19. I try to fire the 530 IR once again, but it still won't fire. I select the dogfight mode and shoot down the MiG with the right Magic 1. Then I head for the MiG-21. This time, the triangle for the 530 IR in the HUD disappears. I turn the dogfight mode once again, but this time the left Magic 1 also won't fire.

I hope the track will be accurate and useful.

MF1CE.trk 4.6 MB · 1 download

We have reworked missiles launch code, and most probably the problem will be solved once these changes go public.

FYI, when we replay the track with our recent internal changes, the MiG-19 is shot down by the right R530.