Air Targets

[Lowboy]

Ummm.....is there a secret to locking on air targets? Flying along at altitude, enroute, and I come across a bandit.....I find it nearly impossible to lockon or get guns on target. Is this just the way it is, or am I missing something?:helpsmilie::book::mad:

[element1108]

It's very difficult the KA-50 was NOT meant for air to air situations obviously, switch the Schval to A/A mode and pray hehe. It really just takes practice...best bet is to avoid them all together. Most choppers you come up against have a seperate gunner and boy does that make their lives much easier for the pilots.

[26-J39]

If you can, get to a hover to lock up the target, makes it alot easier... Otherwise flying directly towards the target will make it easier to lock up...

Use your HMS to point the shkval in the rough position then manually slew to target from there.. Can be difficult here chasing the bandit with the shkval... :P Zooming out on the shkval will give you a faster slew too.. So use this if you can't catch that speeding heli..:smilewink: Overall it is a tough gig...:joystick:

[isoul]

Think of this... Shkval is an Optical Sensor. Which aircraft relies on Optical Sensor to acquire airborne targets? NONE

 

Ka-50 is a ground attack helicopter, like most of attack helos! The Shkval is sufficient for ground attacks but is lacking for aerial combat. Even the AH-64 which may carry 2 Stinger missiles has an IR sensor in order to acquire airborne targets and still the Apache is considered a ground attack helicopter(or at least that its main role).

 

In case you meet another helo you have a chance to lock it at some distance(which is quite difficult) and fire a Vikhr missile... which isn't a fire and forget missile and requires constant LOS to the target till impact. At close range I think that things are a lot easier! Switch your cannon to Manual Mode(?) which fires straight ahead and go for a typical WWII dogfight!!!

 

Don't underestimate your cannon... Even a Mi 24 Hind is an easy prey for it! You may want to switch to slow firing rate to save ammo since a couple of hits can blast a helo out of the sky.

 

JUST INFO :

While the idea of Ka-50 to be equipped with only an Optical Sensor seems somewhat "old-fashioned" compared to AH-64D Longbow Radar(which increases the Apache's target acquiring/engaging capabilities way further) I found this on the net

 

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/1997/04/30/2309/kamov-flies-modified-ka-50.html

 

According to it(article dating since 1997) the Ka-50N (the new variant of Ka-50) is equipped with a FLIR pod(thus making the use of IR AA/AG missiles possible) and Kamov is intending to equip Ka-50 with a Radar sensor (the Arbalet... which means Crossbow!).

 

Lets just hope that this variant is under production and ED will implement it!

Edited October 4, 2009 by isoul

[159th_Viper]

. Is this just the way it is.....

 

No - The Shkval locks Aerial Targets with relative ease, even from Max Range of Vikhrs and Beyond......You'll only have problems if the Bandit gets into the Weeds - obviously gets more difficult.

 

Difficulty often arises in attempting to 'Chase' the Bandit with the Tracking Gate in an attempt to obtain lock. Don't do this. Anticipate the Bandit's Flight Path and wait for him. Once he crosses the Gate, Lock him up - should obtain Lock no bother.

 

The problem then lies in keeping lock. As soon as the LWR starts shouting, you can bet he's headed for the trenches. Once there, losing lock is relatively easy. Helps to launch a Vikhr at him and lock him up moments before Impact. That way he barely has time to contemplate the warning before he gets sent on his way..........:gun_sniper:

[Lowboy]

Thanks for the suggestions. I knew this was a ground attack sim but was thinking the air-to-air mode was more help than it turns out to be. I hadn't tried anticipating his flight path....that works a bit better for me than trying to slew to catch up, etc. I am a bad shot when trying to aim the cannon in manual mode........

[InsaniD]

Thanks for the suggestions. I knew this was a ground attack sim but was thinking the air-to-air mode was more help than it turns out to be. I hadn't tried anticipating his flight path....that works a bit better for me than trying to slew to catch up, etc. I am a bad shot when trying to aim the cannon in manual mode........

 

What I did to help with aiming for air targets, is I mapped the POV on my flight stick to control the Shkival movement up, down, left, right, and then because I like to also use it for looking around the cockpit, I binded the POV to look around the cockpit with the right CTRL modifier. This way, I can easily track targets with the Shkival, and have the ability to adjust my view in the cockpit. I also find it's a bit easier with HMS on, so you can lock a target with mouse-look. It's not an easy task, by any means, but with a little practice, you can be decent at it.

[Shez]

95% of the time I can't even see the heli to attack it. So I just send a wingman while I extend away. Seems to work so far.

[wickedpenguin]

Thanks for the suggestions. I knew this was a ground attack sim but was thinking the air-to-air mode was more help than it turns out to be. I hadn't tried anticipating his flight path....that works a bit better for me than trying to slew to catch up, etc. I am a bad shot when trying to aim the cannon in manual mode........

 

Think of traditional WWI and WWII dogfighting. The pilots are never shooting at the enemy aircraft - they're shooting where he's going to be. They lead the target.

 

Also, in FPS games with sniper rifles and accurate ballistics (like Red Orchestra) you never fire at a moving target directly. It's all about anticipation. Sometimes, when I'm sniping at a guy running perpendicular to my position, I'll steady the sight twenty feet ahead of him and just wait til he jogs into my scope's view. Pull. Bang. Down he goes, and I didn't have to chase him.

 

You have to apply that with Shkval targeting in AA mode. Figure out the enemy helicopter's position and flight path. Using the HMS, draw an imaginary line horizontally in front of the enemy helicopter and Uncage the Shkval. Then, just wait until the enemy helo saunters into your Shkval's view and lock him up.

 

Chasing the helo, as others described it, will work, but it's extremely frustrating. It's best to be patient and wait for the enemy to fly into your sights.

[Speed_2]

Just a little note about air to air targets:

When I'm engaging them with GUNS, I use Ground Moving Target mode.

When engaging with Vickhrs, I use air to air mode.

 

This is because as far as I know, only Ground Moving Target mode leads your target automatically for you, meaning your cannon rounds will be on target regardless of whether you have a mover locked up in the air or on the ground. According to the manual, all air to air mode does is set your Vickhrs for a proximity fuse. For some reason, you cannot have both GMT and ATA modes active at the same time, even though, by description of the manual, they do entirely different, non-conflicting things.

 

Furthermore, while you are engaging air to air targets with your cannon in GMT mode, press laser designate before you fire your rounds to make sure you have the very latest range information for your weapons computer to calculate lead with.

Edited October 7, 2009 by Speed_2

[26-J39]

Interesting info there Speed 2.....:thumbup:

I have always though A2A with cannon was abit out of sorts..

Will have to try this.. Cheers :P