GAU-8 Damaged Reduced After Patch?

[Teriander]

I've done a few strafing runs on the first campaign and I've noticed it's taking a lot of rounds to destroy a tank. I remember before the patch it wasn't so difficult. Did they reduce the damage for the main gun or am I mistaken?

 

I know Im hitting my target because I see the gun bullet holes in the ground around the target area through my TGP. In the real world less than a dozen direct hits is enough to make a t-80 continue its career in a museum. If I spit 400 rounds at it and they all landed within a 30ft radius, surely at least 12 found their mark. But yet the tank isn't even smoking.

 

I just hope Im mistaken and the damage from the gun wasn't reduced.

[159th_Viper]

No reduction as far as I am aware. Ensure your ammo type is CM as opposed to HEI - made that mistake myself a coupla times.

 

Post a track and we can have a looksee from there.

[Teriander]

Im having absolutely NO luck with using the Gun against a T-72. Once again I opened up all of my 1150 rounds on a single T-72 on several passes and it wasn't even smoking. I know I was hitting it, it even popped smoke a few times to hide itself when it was getting shot at!

 

Im going to make a quick track attacking a tank today. Its really annoying the hell out of me!

[Quirkitized]

How far are you shooting your rounds? Sounds like 5 miles out lol.

[Teriander]

I think I started around 2 miles are so, but I just tired a test map and the tank did blowup this time. Maybe I was just missing and had back luck. I dont know.

 

That leads to a question I have, Is it possible to force the TGP diamond on the hud to stay visible? Mine disappears when the CCIP dot when using guns moves over the TGP diamind, which makes it more difficult to actually know if Im 100% aligned with the target. Do you know what I mean?

[Kaiza]

You should be shooting from .7 to .5 NM away, so the tank will be in full view and you shouldnt need the TGP diamond.

 

Check out Matts vid: http://www.youtube.com/user/wagmatt#p/a/u/0/w_syY84odcY

[Herbie.no]

Range is everything when engaging tanks it seems, probably true since those DU-rounds lose their speed kinda fast...

[Teriander]

Ahh, That could be the issue. I'll focus more on waiting till the target is in within .7nm. Thanks guys.

[EtherealN]

Yes, what you want is three things:

 

1 - Angle. Ensure your rounds will hit from above.

2 - Aspect. Ensure you are firing at it from it's rear.

3 - Range. As mentioned, .7 to .5 is your gun envelope against the heavier MBT's. (Not only to ensure hits, but also to ensure that what hits hasn't bled off all it's energy through friction with the air.)

 

Basically, if you hit the turret and/or front armor of something like a T-80, and is doing so from range, you might as well be shooting at it with rubber balls. The rounds will have lost a lot of their energy and they'll be striking some of the strongest armor ever bolted onto a vehicle.

[XarBat]

Wait; you can have all HEI ammo now?

[Teriander]

Ok guys, I just looked at the log file, and I am hitting the tanks. I fired on 2 tanks T-80s to be exact. Log file says:

 

Me > Shot > GAU8 30 AP

Me > Shot > GAU8 30 HE

Me > Group #9 T80U > Hit GAU8 30 AP

Me > Shot > GAU8 30 AP

Me > Shot > GAU8 30 HE

Me > Group #13 T80U > Hit GAU8 30 AP

Group #13 > Me > Hit 7 62x54

Me > Failure

Group #13 > Me > Hit Utes 12 7x108 T

Me > Failure

Me > Shot > GAU8 30 AP

Me > Shot > GAU8 30 HE

Me > Group #13 T80U > Hit GAU8 30 AP

Group #13 > Me > Hit Utes 12 7x108 T

Me > Failure

Me > Landed

 

As you can see, I successfully hit the tanks. One of them even returned fired and hit me back! On two runs, causing me to return to base for repairs.

 

I have to call BS on this. If a tank was just struck twice by an A-10, lets say 30+ rounds hit it. It will NOT be able to return fire. No way. Especially so accurate on the same pass that the A-10 has to return to base. No way in hell. I can send the Log file if you want to see it.

[Iceman2011]

I have found that tanks are quite ubers in this game... and your the tankbuster.. yea ok...

[Druid_]

There is no random element to detection with AI other than the Average,Good, excellent setting in the ME for each unit. It would be nice if occasionally you could catch the AI units napping so to speak. At the moment they always know your location.

[ARM505]

...and they can be unbelievably accurate with their MG's, yes.

[Teriander]

Im still waiting for someone to explain how this tank (log detail above) can return accurate fire after getting hit twice by an A-10's GAU-8. Most importantly, how is still survived and still combat effective. Its impossible.

Edited June 12, 2011 by Teriander

[Rider1]

I had an incident with one that was moving inside a steep canyon. I just couldn't get an accurate long burst from a good angle. Through pod I was seeing that I hit him on every pass. He was popping smoke and that machine gun was still pouring lead up at me until the tank caught fire and popped.

 

I thought I had read the machine gun could be damaged or destroyed?

[Iceman2011]

"Im still waiting for someone to explain how this tank (log detail above) can return accurate fire after getting hit twice by an A-10's GAU-8. Most importantly, how is still survived and still combat effective. Its impossible."

 

Drank Red Bull?

[BBQ]

I'm too, having difficulty killing tanks with the mighty gun. Hit #7 3 times, per screenshot, and it wasn't even smokin'--except the machine gunner maybe, a cigarette while plugging my wings with rounds.

 

[lanmancz]

you need to shoot it from behind. i killed lots of tanks with gau-8 but if the fire is not hitting the tank from behind then its a waste of ammo - check your approach with tgp.

[EtherealN]

Wait; you can have all HEI ammo now?

 

You have always been able to do so. GAU-8 ammo load type is selected through mission editor when preparing the mission. The selections are TP (training, inert), CM (Combat Mix - colloquially known as the "party mix" of AP and HEI), and HEI-only.

[EtherealN]

I have to call BS on this. If a tank was just struck twice by an A-10, lets say 30+ rounds hit it. It will NOT be able to return fire. No way. Especially so accurate on the same pass that the A-10 has to return to base. No way in hell. I can send the Log file if you want to see it.

 

Your "30+ rounds" is an interesting approximation. What data did you use to arrive at this number?

 

The ability to return fire and be combat effective depends entirely on the type of hit incurred. Please do remember that the GAU-8 may be an awesome piece of equipment, but it is still a 30mm. Main Battle Tanks are made to contend with much more powerful shells than that. (Remember the tank in Baghdad that took some 13 hits by RPG's and wasn't even a mission-kill?) The important thing is not how many shells landed on the tank, the important thing is where they hit, how they hit and the energy they had when they hit.

 

As for returning fire and striking the A-10 such that it has to return to base, this is a simple thing to do. With luck an infantryman with a Kalashnikov can achieve this, and an HMG such as those commonly mounted on the turret of an MBT most definitely can. The reason is that the only thing the titanium bathtub really protects is you, the pilot. Computers, sensors, and the general avionics bay are all outside of it. You do not need a strong weapon to knock them out.

Edited June 12, 2011 by EtherealN

[molyporph]

I have no problems destroying T-72 and T-80 with GAU-8 in patch 1.1.0.8. Remember this is a serious sim and not Battlefield. So you HAVE to execute the attack run properly as has been said before.

 

You mist attack MBTs from behind and in a dive. Use PAC and first trigger stage to stabilize early, CCIP pipper just below MBT. I find it rather useful that the TGP diamomd and HUD TDC are hidden when below the pipper, so you can have visual on target.

 

Then let the PAC fly the aircraft towards 0.7m indication and open fire. Short burst will destroy MBT if executed like above.

 

Do not open fire to early. Do not attack from anywhere but behind. Use TGP to position yourself right. Then its a piece of cake. And dont slow down. Use the dive to build speed for quick getaway :-)

[EtherealN]

...and they can be unbelievably accurate with their MG's, yes.

 

Depending on your flight profile as you attack a target, you might very well appear to them as a completely stationary target. This is of course of greatest effect on the target you are attacking - you are as stationary to it as it is to you. If you can stay with steady aim on him, why would he not be able to hold steady aim on you?

[Iceman2011]

Actually, I wanted to ask are you gonna fix that SPI circle disappearing, obviously there's some png image which just hides all behind it, but I doubt you loose your SPI from your view in real A-10

[EtherealN]

Actually, I wanted to ask are you gonna fix that SPI circle disappearing, obviously there's some png image which just hides all behind it, but I doubt you loose your SPI from your view in real A-10

 

SPI indication is, as far as I know, verified as accurate by the actual A-10 pilots who have consulted in the design of the product, as well as through knowledge transfers gained through the previous DTS project for the United States Air Force towards the use in training of A-10C pilots.

 

(This is as far as you mean the fact that the SPI indicator is decluttered when conflicting with the gun reticle.)