LANTIRN Designation Sequence Question

[bonesvf103]

OK, so let's say you find a target, and you designate it with LANTIRN. Then as you get closer and get a better image int he LANTIRN you see you're designation is off target a bit. If you move the crosshairs to where you want to correct, but do not designate again, when you fire the laser, is the laser firing at the new undesignated point in your crosshairs, or at the last designated point?

 

I've tried correcting without redesignation and with and both seem to yield the same result, whether I use manual or auto lasing.

 

Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

v6,

boNes

[Northstar98]

AFAIK, if you designate a point all it does is provide steering and weapons delivery information to that point (so long as an appropriate one is selected).

 

The laser is boresight to the crosshairs, and can't move independently of the IR sensor, if you slew LANTIRN, the laser will fire at whatever you're pointing at.

 

AFAIK, this is the same for all TGPs (at least those present in DCS).

[bonesvf103]

Thanks.

 

So what I was doing after a while was designating, dropping the bomb, then if I saw it was off, area track, slew/adjust the laser, then designate again. This seemed to work but then I lose my TTI info as it changes to TTG. That makes sense from your post since re-designating caused it to change delivery info. I would as a safeguard manually lase the target even if it was set to auto because since TTI turned to TTG, I don't think the computer knows to start lasing automatically at 10 seconds to impact...so I have to do it for the LANTIRN.

 

Another time I dropped, then area designated, slewed/adjusted, but did not redesignate. I still had TTI, and the LANTIRN knew to auto lase.

 

Usually both ways I would still hit the target. The danger was that sometimes if I slew/adjusted the laser, it would lose track and drift away, and I wouldn't be able to catch it on time to put it back on target. Hence why as I safeguard I would area tack before slewing/adjusting.

 

v6,

boNes

[sublime]

Im pretty sure it works like this. when you lase you get the info for the laser beam you sent out at that moment. Auto lase, or manual, or latch, sends a continous laser beam, auto last 10 seconds, I usually if MP would manually lase and ping it until 15 miles and then 'latch' laze. then id do 5 second intervals until 5 4 3 2 pickle for the pilot

I know many many times the bomb was in flight and i moved the crosshairs and got the bomb to miss OR occasionally saved a bomb by moving them and having it hit the right spot

[QuiGon]

Designating a target only affects steering cues for the pilot. Neither the bomb nor the laser care about the target designation. The laser is point wherever your LANTIRN crosshairs are point at and the bomb homes in on the laser (provides it is within the bomb's laser seeker field of view).

 

That means you can designate a point somewhere near the target, drop the bomb on it and then guide it onto the target.

 

I've had it happened a few times, that I designated a target, dropped the bomb on it, but then the target got destroyed by someone else while my bomb is still in the air, so I slewed the laser onto another target nearby to make the bomb hit that one instead.

[bonesvf103]

I know many many times the bomb was in flight and i moved the crosshairs and got the bomb to miss OR occasionally saved a bomb by moving them and having it hit the right spot

 

 

Yeah that has been what I have experienced as well. Thanks!

 

v6,

boNes

[bonesvf103]

 

I've had it happened a few times, that I designated a target, dropped the bomb on it, but then the target got destroyed by someone else while my bomb is still in the air, so I slewed the laser onto another target nearby to make the bomb hit that one instead.

 

Had that happen once too but unlike you I couldn’t find another target in time haha.

 

Thanks

[Northstar98]

Thanks.

 

So what I was doing after a while was designating, dropping the bomb, then if I saw it was off, area track, slew/adjust the laser, then designate again. This seemed to work but then I lose my TTI info as it changes to TTG. That makes sense from your post since re-designating caused it to change delivery info. I would as a safeguard manually lase the target even if it was set to auto because since TTI turned to TTG, I don't think the computer knows to start lasing automatically at 10 seconds to impact...so I have to do it for the LANTIRN.

 

Yes, I would've thought that calculating TTI has some bearing on the pod knowing where QDES is, but I would've thought that slewing the pod near the target wouldn't change the TTI by a significant margin...

 

Another time I dropped, then area designated, slewed/adjusted, but did not redesignate. I still had TTI, and the LANTIRN knew to auto lase.

 

I'm pretty sure autolase is purely TTI, it doesn't really care where the laser is pointing.

 

I don't know how the real pod actually works, but it probably calculates the approximate TTI up until the bomb is released. After release it's just a simple timer - no recalculation, and it just autolases when the countdown reaches a certain number (10s for the LANTIRN IIRC). I'll have to do some testing.

 

Usually both ways I would still hit the target. The danger was that sometimes if I slew/adjusted the laser, it would lose track and drift away, and I wouldn't be able to catch it on time to put it back on target. Hence why as I safeguard I would area tack before slewing/adjusting.

 

Yeah, so long as you stay within the envelope of the LGB, it should still manage to hit, and yeah with LANTIRN it's good practice to do that :smilewink:

[bonesvf103]

I'm thinking the timer post drop must be based on the data at the time of the drop, not just a generic timer otherwise how would it know when the bomb will hit at 0 seconds? For example, if it was a simple timer, and the bomb impacts at 0 seconfs if you dropped at angels 10, it wouldn't impact at 0 seconds if you dropped again at angels 20. The bomb always seems to hit at right around 0 seconds no matter what altitude you dropped at.

 

Thanks!

 

v6,

boNes

[Northstar98]

I'm thinking the timer post drop must be based on the data at the time of the drop, not just a generic timer otherwise how would it know when the bomb will hit at 0 seconds? For example, if it was a simple timer, and the bomb impacts at 0 seconfs if you dropped at angels 10, it wouldn't impact at 0 seconds if you dropped again at angels 20. The bomb always seems to hit at right around 0 seconds no matter what altitude you dropped at.

 

Oh, it's based on data - where the plane is, where the impact point is, and the ballistic properties of the weapon. However, once the weapon is dropped, then it's most likely a simple countdown, if you move the crosshairs after being dropped it won't adjust the countdown, maybe it doesn't update the TTI even if a new QDES is designated.

 

At least, that's how I think it works, I'll do some testing later.