Maverick and EO time question

[Baggy MacDouche]

Been looking around for answers but nothing is jumping out in search. I know it has been discussed before but I'll ask again.

 

Will the Mavs eventually malfunction once you get the EO Time message? I thought I read somewhere that it is just a warning, but that nothing will actually happen if the sensor isn't powered off(in the game).

 

The reason I ask is I have encountered an issue with mavs a couple times now where no matter what I do, I can not launch a Mav. I was able to earlier in the mission and didn't change any settings or anything. Went through all the regular target acquisition steps I normally do, but when it came time to release the weapon...nothing. Release cue is flashing, etc. No error messages in the MFD, etc.

 

The only thing I can think of is that I had the Mav powered on too long and it broke. Maybe not. Is there anything else that anyone can think of that may lead to this outcome?

 

I don't have a track to post right now, but will try and get one if I encounter this again.

[bartleby]

Was it after a reload? That might be the culprit.

 

I'd like to get an official answer on this, too. I've seen mentions both ways.

[Heli Shed]

AFAIK, the EO timer will come on around 28 minutes and will need to be reset, before the mavericks can be used.

 

If you have reloaded you different AGM65 variants, you will need to reload the appropriate pylon.

 

Regards

 

'T'

[jeffyd123]

if you are getting track/launch inhibits that may be from the mav camera becoming overheated and not tracking anymore. I have had this happen to me but I dont recall if the EO timer warning was on.

 

I try to cycle mine if the timer warning comes on.

 

I know if you leave your laser on it will burn out and stop working after an hour or so.

[Baggy MacDouche]

The last time it happened to me I was doing one of the campaign missions from the first campaign. I don't like the fact that the load-out they give to start is a few measly mavs and no tgp, so I would load an anti-armor load-out with 65Ds and CBU-97s and then reload the dsms. Mind you, this was the mission where I had already fired off a few mavs before I wasn't able to release any more.

 

I have a feeling that the timer had gone long. I usually just ack the message as soon as it comes up out of habit because I, for some reason, thought that it didn't really matter.

 

One thing I did not try was to power it off and then back on again. I wonder if in real life, another 3 minute power-up would effectively cool it down enough to prevent damage. Anyway, this will be the first thing I will try if it happens again.

 

p.s. I didn't know about the laser burning out either. Will you get any kind of error when that happens? Will the "L" still flash when activating the laser even if it is not actually working, and will recycling it make it work again?

[jeffyd123]

I think the "L" doesnt show up anymore. tried cycling it in the TGP menu, didnt help either.

 

I have cycled my Mavs when the EO comes up and they work fine.

 

Also Ive had the mavs sort of "go bonkers" and I find deselecting/reselecting them on the DSMS makes 'em work right again.

[nomdeplume]

I think the "L" doesnt show up anymore. tried cycling it in the TGP menu, didnt help either.

 

Yep, it's a known issue: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=70763

[Speed]

I've never really noticed a problem with my EO time going too long; I've certainly used Mavericks that have been on for more than 30 minutes... I'm pretty sure I've used some that were on for an hour or more.

 

I have occasionally encountered some weird behavior where my Maverick becomes *ground stabilized* even while slewing, and won't lock on targets. This sounds a lot like the behavior one would expect if they still have TGP SOI and SPI after slewing the maverick to the SPI, but I'm pretty sure that's the first thing I check. It's a weird problem, donno if it is user error, a symptom of leaving them on too long, or a bug.

 

Usually though, I tend to try to only turn my Mavericks on only when I need them, and then turn them off again if I don't expect to be firing them within the next three minutes.

[RodBorza]

From what I've seen so far, I believe they will fail. The seeker will be degraded to some point.

I thought otherwise tough. But after reviewing MAV performance on the first missions I did since Betas, I now believe that they cannot track and engage anymore.

But an official answer, including a answer on the official FAQ, would be very helpful.

[Zeke]

happened to me last night, I was driving around practicing and the EO timer said 34 minutes, I could not lock the MAV, in fact the mav screen in the MFD was just a picture of what the seeker was seeing, no cross-hairs or range bars on the left. I turned off the EO, waited a few minutes (gunned up some tanks), then went back and turned it on. Had to wait awhile but after that it worked and I was able to knock out a 23 with it. Worth the wait!! The tanks near the 23 were pissed.

[arteedecco]

Had to wait awhile but after that it worked and I was able to knock out a 23 with it. Worth the wait!!

 

Just in case someone is reading this who doesn't know:

 

Maverick alignment takes 3 minutes

 

Once you've powered the Mav ON, you can check the timer on the MAV display on the MFCD, bottom-right corner.

 

Thanks Zeke, I didn't know you could power OFF and then power back on to regain capability (not sure how true to RL that is, but good to know!).

[Heli Shed]

I've never really noticed a problem with my EO time going too long; I've certainly used Mavericks that have been on for more than 30 minutes... I'm pretty sure I've used some that were on for an hour or more.

 

 

Usually though, I tend to try to only turn my Mavericks on only when I need them, and then turn them off again if I don't expect to be firing them within the next three minutes.

 

Well, time flies when you're having fun right? but, it may well not have been an hour. The seeker head actually needs to 'warm up' after being 'cooled down' for 30 minutes, so if you were able to track with the head, it is likely that there were inaccuracies or inhibition of launch.

 

Turning the mavericks on, just before you need them (or during ingress) is wise, and many of us could save ourselves some dissapointment when pressing the OSB for 'Ack', when the inevitable 'EO Timer Out' message appears, because we started to cool the seeker head by turning the EO Timer on, just before take off! ;-)

 

'T'

[BlueRidgeDx]

The 30 minute time limit is due to thermal heating of the GCS when maverick video is on. The time limit is on a "per sortie" basis. As a rule of thumb, it takes twice as long for the electronics to cool down as it took to heat up.

 

Only the D/G/G2 model seekers are cooled, yet they still have the same time limitations due to GCS heating as the rest of the EO/CCD Mavericks. The cryogenic cooling, surprisingly, is not a limiting factor.

Edited April 29, 2011 by BlueRidgeDx
Included the "IR" models in the discussion.