What's the best altitude, bank and distance to target to track on the TGP?

[Avatar72]

I'm having a hell of a time trying to track targets on the TGP while preventing it from getting masked. Clearly there is an issue with my distance to target, mixed in with altitude and bank roll that I'm using. I've tried mixing it up. It seems when I approach a target and overfly it or need to pick up a new target, that while doing so, I'm constantly having to fight masking of my aircraft.

Even when circling high above close to 8-10K I'm suffering the same problems.

 

So what's the best strategy for distance, altitude and bank. Should I circle clockwise or counter?

 

Anything else I should know?

[MTFDarkEagle]

Do you have a track file, so we can have a look how you are doing?

[Laud]

Should I circle clockwise or counter?

 

Pod under right wing -> clockwise Else you would bring your fuselage between the pod and the target.

[Bahger]

I don't think you're approaching this in the best way, Avatar72. You can track targets from a very long way off with the TGP, so you should have plenty of time to get your maneuvering done in advance to set up a straight-in approach with the target waypoint at between 10 and 2 o-clock. Fly at 6000ft and higher (to about 15,000ft in clear visibility) and use China Hat FWD Long to slew the crosshairs to the waypoint whose vicinity you want to search for the target. Use autopilot Path/Alt and keep your speed down to 250kts. You can set up this way more than 10nm out, the further the better, the TGP has great zoom capability. Use the cursor to search methodically (up and down roads, for example, if you are searching for a vehicle convoy) and slew it back to the WP if you get disorientated. Switch to the next WP if you come up empty. Offset and circle back rather than press it and wind up on top of the target. If there is no FAC/JFAC, you need to be flying a flightplan that has intelligently-placed waypoints relative to the targets and a decent brief. At that point, it's about setting up early, flying a stabilised approach with AP and harmonising the TGP with WPs using the slew commands.

 

Use Active Pause until you get used to all the TGP switchology.

[Frederf]

If the TGP is on the right side of the airplane, do a right-hand orbit. TGP left do left-hand.

 

To genuinely do a forever circular orbit at constant standoff spacing you need to keep the target on your 3/9. Lateral distance dictates turn rate which dictates bank. Certain banks are going to be incompatible with masking.

[Avatar72]

I think for the most part, if I'm going after a static target, it's not really an issue. The flight plan knows where the steerpoint is and findingthe target on the TGP is actually not too hard. Its keeping it visually on the TGP that is the hard part.

I think it's moving targets I'm having the hardest time with.

I'm trying to make a distinction here between finding a target and just keeping it on the TGP. When targets are moving though and your TGP gets masked, its a chore of having to deal with both issues.

For instance, the two first missions on the instant action selection. The last part of the mission has you going after a column of 8 targets moving Southwest through town. If I'm lucky enough to find them, I want to keep tracking them as I have to circle around for another pass. However, the TGP doesnt continue to lock a moving target when I'm not facing it and I completely lose my target when it gets masked. I'm trying to prevent this from happening. This is the primary source of concern for my question.

[Bahger]

TMS Up Short gives you an Area designation. To track a moving target, use TMS Up Long, i.e. get a Point designation on an individual vehicle. You should never lose that ground-stabilised designation even if you have to offset 180 degrees. You can designate via the TGP from a long distance/altitude, say 5nm and 8000ft. With this kind of stand-off, you shouldn't have to worry about masking because the target will be safely within your 3 -9.

[Bubb]

TMS Up Short gives you an Area designation. To track a moving target, use TMS Up Long, i.e. get a Point designation on an individual vehicle.

 

Wrong. TMS Up Short designates both AREA and POINT modes depending on the image of the sensor. TMS Up Long makes that point SPI.

[nomdeplume]

However, the TGP doesnt continue to lock a moving target when I'm not facing it and I completely lose my target when it gets masked. I'm trying to prevent this from happening. This is the primary source of concern for my question.

 

If you're tracking a moving target and mask the TGP, it will continue to 'track' the targets last known speed and heading. When unmasked, the TGP attempts to automatically re-acquire the target. It normally succeeds at this, so long as the target isn't too far from its expected position.

 

This works well for ground vehicles, since they tend to travel in straight lines a lot of the time. You can get unlucky of course if it just happens to turn when you do, but you shouldn't be losing sight for that long a time.

 

If circling isn't an option or isn't working well for you, try flying a bowtie sort of pattern, using sharp turns to minimise the time the target is masked by your aircraft, and flying level most of the time. If you've sufficient altitude, you should be able to track targets pretty much anywhere when flying level. I generally consider 12-13k feet to be the floor when searching/tracking targets with the pod, since that ought to keep you out of MANPADS range.