DCS FC3 Questions & Answers Thread

[GGTharos]

You might be able to calculate this data but it isn't available publicly.

 

What's excessive AoA? Have you been able to pull beyond 45deg? Up to 45 (55 units) is recorded in RL and although definitely not recommended (can/will lead to departures if there are defects on the nosecone - N/A in all our perfect DCS birds), it's reached easily and maybe even regularly during basic defensive maneuver practice. In real life.

 

Max performing the aircraft isn't too hard if you keep it just below the max AoA warning tone which sounds at 30 units.

[DIR3W0LF]

Newbie question; I'm willing to try the Mig29 but it has a HUD repeater. I cannot figure out how to change the MFD to the datalink screen like in the Su27.

[RED]

Our 29 doesn't have the screen like the 27. You can't change it.

[DIR3W0LF]

Our 29 doesn't have the screen like the 27. You can't change it.

 

 

 

Well that is a shame, thanks

[ked]

Any update on the Su-33 PFM ? Feels like we've been waiting for this forever :(

[Leroy24]

You might be able to calculate this data but it isn't available publicly.

 

What's excessive AoA? Have you been able to pull beyond 45deg? Up to 45 (55 units) is recorded in RL and although definitely not recommended (can/will lead to departures if there are defects on the nosecone - N/A in all our perfect DCS birds), it's reached easily and maybe even regularly during basic defensive maneuver practice. In real life.

 

Max performing the aircraft isn't too hard if you keep it just below the max AoA warning tone which sounds at 30 units.

 

Excessive AoA is anything beyond CL Max. In the real world when dogfighting we have the ability to pull beyond CL Max for a shot, but although the nose is tracking further as commanded, your lift is actually decreasing exponentially while drag and turn radius is increasing exponentially.

 

For example lets say CL Max for the F-15 is 30 as you mentioned. If I am fighting you in a 1 circle fight and you are remaining below the CL Max warning tone at 28 AOA while I am flying dead on at 30 AoA, I will outperform your turn radius as I am max performing my aircrafts wing. Likewise if you pulled beyond CL max at 32 AoA although your nose may seem like it is going to come to bear faster you are actually bleeding airspeed and increasing turn radius which will also result in my aircraft getting a shot first.

 

At the end of the day in the real world CL Max AoA is one of if not the most important number to reference when trying to max perform your aircraft in any situation. It is essential to know in order to employ your aircraft to its max ability vs an adversary. Thus any info on the subject would be great. Same goes for any of the other DCS aircraft.

 

Leroy

[GGTharos]

The STR charts for the F-15 are available. Perhaps you can calculate the CL Max from that?

 

In any case, the in-game eagle matches those graphs quite well.

[jackmckay]

The STR charts for the F-15 are available. Perhaps you can calculate the CL Max from that?

 

In any case, the in-game eagle matches those graphs quite well.

 

Not at all. Still much work has to be done.

[GGTharos]

Not at all what? Doesn't match the charts? Which part?

Edited April 18, 2017 by GGTharos

[jackmckay]

AoA vs Cd. STR is too linear. Non lateral AoA axes fluctuations do not effect energy loss right (if any). On the other hand, structural damage by over G does not exist and thus eagle can sustain 12+G ITR. Way out of chart spec according to AoA vs Mach limit.

[GGTharos]

Way out of spec with respect to which chart? We're aware regarding the over-g ... but don't worry, real eagles have sustained 12+G too ;)

 

It'd be nice to have landing gear and flaps over-g and over-speed as well.

[MRaza]

I read that an enemy's RWR can pick me up from a distance greater than I can pick them up using my radar. Is this true?

 

If so, is it possible that I'm on someone's RWR even though I'm not picking them up on the radar screen?

[Sryan]

I read that an enemy's RWR can pick me up from a distance greater than I can pick them up using my radar. Is this true?

 

If so, is it possible that I'm on someone's RWR even though I'm not picking them up on the radar screen?

 

The answer is yes in both cases. At certain ranges, the energy is large enough to be registered by the RWR, but not enough is being reflected to be picked up by the radar scope.

[MRaza]

The answer is yes in both cases. At certain ranges, the energy is large enough to be registered by the RWR, but not enough is being reflected to be picked up by the radar scope.

 

Damn that's crazy

[Ironhand]

Damn that's crazy

 

Not really. Keep in mind that your radar is transmitting at full power, while only a small portion of that "power" is being reflected back to you. The strength of the reflection will depend on range and the contact's radar cross section (reflectivity, in a sense).

[GGTharos]

No, it's just math.

 

The power received at the RWR is proportional to 1/(r^2) (r=distance from you to target), power received at your radar is proportional 1/(r^4)

 

Pick a value for r and plug it into your calculator. Better yet, graph it in excel or something.

 

Damn that's crazy

[MRaza]

What's the general procedure when defending against a radar-guided missile in the F-15 or MiG? I've seen many different tutorials that all say different things.

 

One says to put the bandit at your 10 or 2 o'clock, and that once you are fired upon, perform a Split-S while burning and deploying chaff, and to get as low as possible.

 

Another says that once you fire your missile, keep the target at your radar's gimbal limits. Then once you're fired upon, put the target at your 3 or 9 o'clock, get low, and notch.

 

One last source says to keep the target at your 10 or 2, and keep it there even after you're fired upon. Once the missile gets close, break hard in the opposite direction.

 

I'm really confused as to how to defend against radar-guided missiles.

[Sryan]

What's the general procedure when defending against a radar-guided missile in the F-15 or MiG? I've seen many different tutorials that all say different things.

 

One says to put the bandit at your 10 or 2 o'clock, and that once you are fired upon, perform a Split-S while burning and deploying chaff, and to get as low as possible.

 

Another says that once you fire your missile, keep the target at your radar's gimbal limits. Then once you're fired upon, put the target at your 3 or 9 o'clock, get low, and notch.

 

One last source says to keep the target at your 10 or 2, and keep it there even after you're fired upon. Once the missile gets close, break hard in the opposite direction.

 

I'm really confused as to how to defend against radar-guided missiles.

 

In air combat, there is hardly a single tactic that works each and every time. Similarily, none of these tactics are very bad, but they might not work in every situation.

 

The whole 10 to 2 o'clock thing is to keep the bandit within the gimbal limits of your radar. As long as the bandit is between your 10 and 2, you can keep him locked and keep guiding weapons onto him.

 

Doing things like a split-s or diving is typically a good idea against weapons that were fired close to or at their maximum engagement envelope. When you dive, the weapon will follow you down, this provides two disadvantages for that weapon. The most important one is that as the altitude decreases, drag increases, slowing the missile down. A somewhat lesser important factor is that as the altitude decreases the specific impulse of the rocket engine also decreases. All missiles that are equiped with proportional navigation will follow you in this dive. The currently (to my knowledge) only existing exception existing in DCS is the AIM-120 AMRAAM, wich will follow a lofting profile, keeping its altitude up before diving in to chase the kill. Doing a split-s (or an aggresively angled chandelle turn for that matter) might make things worse for the missile, as it not only has to follow you in the dive, but also change its own direction drasticly. Tactics I have just described will hardly work against a missile fired from within Rtr (also known as the no-escape zone)

 

Having an emitter on the 3-9 line means you are not closing in or receding from that emitter anymore than the surrounding terrain. Your aircraft will cause no dopplershift that might allow it stand out from the surrounding terrain or dropped chaff. I took the time to explain how this worked with coloured images in the guide you can find in my sig.

 

A hard break might work against a missile fired from long range, but it should not save you from any shots taken at within Rtr.

Edited May 2, 2017 by Sryan

[MRaza]

At what range does the AIM-120 go pitbull? If fired from within this range, will it come off of the rail in a pitbull state?

[GGTharos]

7-8nm and yes.

[MRaza]

7-8nm and yes.

 

Aw. I was hoping that if you fire from under 7-8nm, you could guide the missile all the way to impact without the enemy getting a RWR warning :lol:

[Sweep]

FLOOD me up, fam.

[MRaza]

FLOOD me up, fam.

 

If I remember correctly, FLOOD mode gives no RWR warning correct?

[Sryan]

If I remember correctly, FLOOD mode gives no RWR warning correct?

 

Flood always sounds as if a missile has been fired at you, even if you didn't.

[MRaza]

Flood always sounds as if a missile has been fired at you, even if you didn't.

 

Because of the immense amount of radar waves hitting the aircraft right?