Flying tips

[jdbecks]

Hi all,

 

I am new to the game and so far I am struggling to survive whilst flying the A10 which is my fav plane.

 

At the moment I fly as low to the deck as possible on route to the target, however on route I get intercepted by enemy fighters, I start getting warning beeping. I use ECM and when someone has a missle lock on me, I deploy chaffs and flares and make some hard break turns. But I still get shot down.

 

I am finding it hard to penetrate and hit my targets and I can not seem to use my A2A missiles for self-defence,this is whilst playing MP.

 

Any tips for a wannabe A10 stick? in both offensive and defensive manoeuvres? and what's the best way to try and fight off any enemy planes?

 

 

despite being cannon fodder..this is a very fun game :D and flying a few feet above the tree tops is great fun!

[zakobi]

First: Only use flares if you suspect IR missiles, you wont get any warning with those! so only use Chaffs.

 

Ask for escort (not that type ;)) and see if anyone will provide topcover. After all it's a Multiplayer game ;)

[h00t74]

We have a designated Fighter WIng to help us. Lonewolfs usually don;t last long. Find some friends to buddy up with. You are more than welcome to check us out Virtual66th.com

 

Flying Low all the time is not the answer either. You need some room to manuever and you take one option away at low altitude.

[topol-m]

In the A-10 forget about fighting enemy fighters. The only chance you have is if the enemy fighter is out of missiles and you are able to spot him before he guns the hell out of you, so basically tiny tiny chance :) Your missiles are useful against other ground attack aircraft or helicopters.

 

That being said, to reach your targets and return in one piece is a complex task. First of all you should know exactly where you are and where your targets are. Aproaching them directly is suicide, if you have mission waypoints it is not obligatory to follow them strictly. In MP the situation is dynamic meaning the preplanned course might not be the best one at any given moment. Roundabout routes should be chosen if the situation requires it, for instance if your forces do not have air superiority at some point of the mission course.

 

Intensive use of terrain cover if you know or suspect there is enemy fighter activity the way you are going. Friendly fighters cover is much needed but not always present so if you`re going without it you`d better stay low. With the maneuverability the A-10 has it shouldn`t be a problem to keep it several dozens meters above ground hidden from radars if we are talking about mountain terrain. If the terrain is flat and there are birds of prey in the sky you are as good as dead. So better don`t take off until the air threat is dealt with.

 

In the worst case scenario if an enemy fighter launches a missile at you never go high in an attempt to outmaneuver the missile, go as low as possible trying to put a hill between your aircraft and the missile (praying you`ll have the time to do so :)) and GTFO of there as fast as you can as low as you can.

The Hog might have a scary name and looks but in reality when it comes to air-to-air combat you are nothing more than a sparrow trying to survive in an area where the hawks are hunting, and you should behave as one - staying out of sight, evading danger. :thumbup:

Edited May 15, 2010 by topol-m

[kingneptune117]

Ive shot down multiple enemy fighters in an a-10 before. what you need to do is lure them in close. Do whatever you can to dodge their missles. Turn hard, get a visual on missile, pump out a BUNCH of chaff/flares, whatever. Once hes within range of your heaters, get a lock and shoot him down.

[Frostie]

Ive shot down multiple enemy fighters in an a-10 before. what you need to do is lure them in close. Do whatever you can to dodge their missles. Turn hard, get a visual on missile, pump out a BUNCH of chaff/flares, whatever. Once hes within range of your heaters, get a lock and shoot him down.

Nothing like a young bold A-10 pilot, makes sending them down in flames all the more enjoyable. :D

[herig2]

As a old A-10 pilot, since Lockon came out. I fly 10 to 12 thousand feet AGL to avoid IR SAMs whenever possible. Know the map, print them out, study the briefing, Used the intel provided, but stay weary, there may be hidden SAMs or AAA. Use your eyes, zoom in, watch for missile launches. Puffs of smoke, and/or smoke trails. In FC2 its much harder to locate targets.( More realistic.) Under 10,000 ft, used flairs if over enemy territory.

If AWACS is on duty, listen to it. If there is a enemy fighter within 45nm and no friendly fighters to protect you, RUN, use ECM, but remember there is a HOJ system. Hit the deck, if the RWR shows your being track, jinks around, don't fly straight for more than 3 seconds, and get inside your side's SAM coverage.

Get to know the RWR system. Know your enemy, range of what showing on the RWR, Air defense capacity of the ground vehicles.

And don't try to be a hero. When things get too hot, back off, get over friendly ground. Take a deep breath, think out what happen, and how to safely engage the targets.

A good source of A-10 tactics and the ideas behind them is the book, Warthog, Flying the A-10 in the Gulf War, by William L. Smallwood.

[herig2]

P.S. I'v killed a few fighters, usually they over run you, after the missile attack, (chaff/flares, and hard turns defeat them). Thats when you get a sidewinder lock.

Edited May 15, 2010 by herig2

[Moa]

Flying at 10,000 might have been used in the Gulf Wars once the ground and air threats were dispensed with. It is indeed a good tactic as it protects you from AAA and shorter-ranged SAMS.

 

In a Cold War scenario (eg. LockOn) flying at such an altitude is tantamount to suicide on multiplayer servers (IMHO). You must stay low. This is what was done in real life by Hogs training for The Next Big One. They learnt to read maps and spot targets while dodging obstacles at 100 feet (which is extremely low in real life on anything other than pancake terrain). High = advantage for fighters; Low = survival for attack and bombers (which is why B1B was designed to operate so low; and B-52 adapted from high to low role).

 

Keep a close eye on your RWR. If a fighter makes it to the middle ring (getting close) you ought to turn and run for base or a friendly SAM. You can lure fighters into your SAMs if you remember where the are (I've done it a couple of times and am always amazed by the stupidity of the fighter pilots looking for an 'easy' kill).

 

There is no way you can duke it out with a fighter unless you have no stores left (Maverick Ds and Mk-20s are heavy so your famous turning ability is useless with them on). If the fighter gets low for a gun shot you can kill them (they often forget about your Sidewinders in their bloodlust). If the fighter remains high then you must get away from it - as that pilot knows what they are doing. In all cases you need to read and use the terrain to your advantage. Once a fighter gets with active missile turn-and-run range (R_tr) and has a clear shot you are toast - so bug out before they get that close (you need to bug out early since they have twice your speed). Fortunately with the Hogs miserly turbofans if you run away you can loiter for a bit before continuing with your mission (a MiG-29 would long have run out of gas chasing you before then - although not every fighter pilot flies with the intent of making it back to base).

 

Best defense in mp is to join TeamSpeak and ask a friendly fighter to cover you. Many fighter pilots take great pleasure in helping you (plus, you are wonderful 'bait' to which the dumber enemy fighters are drawn which makes for easy kills :) ).

Edited May 15, 2010 by Moa

[herig2]

Even in MP servers (I'm fly in the 51st, 104th and 3sqn) with emeny fighters around I proceed to the attack WP at 10,000 ft untill I know what down there, then I may go low depending what the threats are. The fighters seem to be too busy doing A to A against other to notice me. If and when they do find me, and I can't raise a friendly fighter for help, I jettsion all but the sidewinders and ECM pod, and RUN.

Edited May 15, 2010 by herig2

[Smoky]

Great thread and advice so far. I'm a long-time A10 LO pilot, (been a fan of the plane since it's delivery, and simming in it since A10 Tank Killer long ago). I've been getting more serious about Lock On again since FC2 came out. So I'm interested in brushing up on my A10 skills.

 

Flankertraining.com has the best SAM avoidance video featuring the A10. http://flankertraining.com/ironhand/supad.htm

 

 

Basically it's all cat and mouse. Use the RWR to spot general location. Sometimes you WANT to get them to fire at you to reveal themselves, though they become easier to spot over time (not many things are arranged in columns as far as civi equipment). But if you go in with the idea of luring them into firing, then dodging missiles that you expect and know are coming, then you get the idea of how you need to fly. One run in, get them to reveal, dodge, turn out. Next run on the known target, lock, fire, expect missile, dodge, etc. If you find yourself fiddling with the "tools" (Maverick cam, target slewing, autopilot selection, alt/speed management, etc) then bug out and come in for another round. Every run is another chance for both of you to kill each other. You are the only one with the control to minimize the other's opportunity. Fire at range, don't allow yourself to slip in too close. And stay aware. If you start fiddling with a gun camera or something for too long, or take your eyes off the sky for one moment while on a run, you are dead.

 

Another thing...the RWR and launch detection alarm go off AFTER the missile is airborne. Meaning when you are on a run in at low altitude then your chances go way up if you can SEE the missile launch and react to that. You should already have begun "faking" the inbound missile when you hear the alarm. That's where you need to be to become proficient at spoofing SAMS.

 

To complete a run, basically you:

1. Head to intel-provided waypoint of target location.

2. On ingress, 10-15m out begin a search pattern. DO NOT GO STRAIGHT IN.

3. Use autopilot a lot. Follow route for waypoint nav, Alt-hold and Alt-hold/Path-Hold for managing "tools" like gun cams, etc.

4. Use the gun cam, the RWR, and of course your EYES to scan for targets. Look for columns. Beware around enemy airbases of course.

5. Ingress towards RWR or visual threat. Go slowly. YOU CONTROL THE PACE.

6. ID, Lock, Fire, egress.

7. Avoid off-mission SAMs as needed (don't go hunting for the sake of it).

8. Never fly over your target, even after a kill.

9. When you can do no more, RTB. Ie...don't try to use bombs on a Shilka or other AAA/SAM. Don't be a hero. RTB, refuel, rearm, and continue clearing out the bad guys.

 

Hope that helps! I'm still learning myself.

 

I appreciate the book reference above. Are there others? I have "The Great Book of Modern Warplanes" which I've had since I was a kid. It has great coverage of early A-10 variants. Any Janes books that would be useful? Or other recs?

 

Thanks!

Edited May 16, 2010 by Smoky

[Moa]

Carry the Imaging Infrared Mavericks (AGM-65D). They are heavy (so you carry fewer than Maverick Ks) but they have better range and are great for spotting targets. I save the Mavericks for known SAMs and try leave one on the rail to spot further targets - only firing when I'm done with the target area.

 

Smoky's point 8 is excellent. Generally you don't overfly your target. Sometimes you can if you've reconnoitered very thoroughly (with Maverick D) and know there's nothing nasty there (usually you don't spot everything though). All it takes is one lowly punk with an Igla you didn't spot and your war is over. Best to use standoff weaponry if you can.

[jdbecks]

cheers guys, Ive managed to survive alot longer and destroy some targets, I took a longer causes and used the valleys and hills to flank the target zone before making my attack, this way I can evade the fighter sweep :joystick: