[ALREADY REPORTED] Radar too unreliable on ACM and RWS

These are videos from reals F/A-18A and C using the radar.

At first we will analyze the lock time (seconds) on real dogfights using different ACM modes.

REAL LIFE F/A-18 vs F-5 (ACM)

Video link:

• GACQ: 0:46 - 0:48 -> 3.0s lock time
  

REAL LIFE RAAF F/A-18A vs F/A-18A (ACM)

Video link:

• GACQ: 0:17 - 0:20 -> 4.0s lock time
  
• BST: 0:25 - 0:25 -> 0.3s
  
• GACQ: 0:50 - 0:52 -> 2.5s
  
• GACQ: 1:15 - 1:17 -> 2.5s (VERY HIGH G's)
  
• VACQ: 4:29 - 4:30 -> 0.5s
  
• GACQ: 8:23 - 8:24 -> 2.0s
  
• GACQ: 8:54 - 8:56 -> 2.0s
  

The lock time is variable in the real life because you have different probabilities of have the antenna in the correct position to lock the target. Also the RCS of the F-5 and the F-18 differs. But we can get these times for some ACM modes:

• GACQ: from 2s to 4s. (from 2s to 2.5s is the usual)
  
• VACQ: arround 0.5s
  
• BST: arround 0.3s
  

These are similar dogfights using those ACM modes in the current DCS 2.5 Open Beta.

DCS F/A-18C vs F/A-18C (ACM) (current EA state)

Video link: https://streamable.com/xsjb1

Track attached: 18v18-dog2.trk

Unusual lock times:

• GACQ 0:17 - 0:27 (10s)
  
• VACQ 0:52 - 0:58 (6s)
  

Usual lock times:

• GACQ 0:28 - 0:31 (3s)
  
• GACQ 0:32 - 0:36 (4s)
  
• GACQ 0:38 - 0:40 (2s)
  

• VACQ 0:59 - 1:01 (3s)
  
• VACQ 1:04 - 1:05 (1s)
  
• VACQ 1:05 - 1:08 (3s)
  
• VACQ 1:13 - 1:15 (2s)
  
• VACQ 1:15 - 1:19 (3s)
  

• BST 1:23 - 1:24 (0.5s)
  
• BST 1:26 - 1:26 (0.5s)
  

• GUN 1:53 - 1:57 (5s)
  
• GUN 2:19 - 2:22 (3s)
  

* As you can see, the VACQ lock times are very high, it must be around 0.5s, on the other hand the GACQ, BST and GUN modes seems ok. Great job ED!

* Also is remarkable two strange locks marked as "unusual lock times".

EDIT: The next text is outdated and it's only stored as a history archive.

DCS F/A-18C vs F-5E (ACM) (old EA state)

Video link: https://streamable.com/s9wv7

Track attached: 18v5-dog1.trk

* All modes are too unreliable and it's almost impossible to get good timings.

DCS F/A-18C vs F/A-18C (ACM) (old EA state)

Video link: https://streamable.com/jx3vn

Track attached: 18v18-dog1.trk

* All modes are too unreliable and it's almost impossible to get good timings.

(I didn't found a real video for the WACQ mode, but also seesm to be unreliable)

At first i'd think that the problem can be the antenna movement speed, but if we compare the real bar scan movement with the DCS simulated it's almost the same.

REAL LIFE F/A-18C (RWS)

Video link:

• The full 140º bar scan takes 3s
  

DCS F/A-18C (RWS) (old EA state)

Video link: https://streamable.com/yqwhw

• The full 140º bar scan takes 3s
  

(Also the AACQ RWS mode didn't work for me, probably it's WIP.)

Later i tested the RWS scan reliability on DCS and the result was a lot of contact loses and very strange behaviours, for example, when you change from ACM to RWS the radar works and at few seconds seems to be blanked, also i tested if the problems are related to only OPR or STBY modes, and it seems the same.

Video link: https://streamable.com/nmeqs

Track attached: 18-rws1.trk

Maybe the ACM lock unreability and the RWS contact loss are related (too low sensibility maybe?)

P.S. Thank you ED for this module, it's awesome!

18v18-dog1.trk

18v5-dog1.trk

18-rws1.trk

18v18-dog2.trk

Thank you :)

RWS scan time is heavily dependent on selected range and mode - in VS the antenna would run slow probably. In RWS it's probably running at around 60deg/s, but it's possible that a smaller radar needs more time.

At short ranges, the antenna motion can increase to as fast as 90deg/s or sometimes more, and bars are opened up since the useful reflected power is available a further distance from the mainlobe center.

This also allows ACM modes to run faster.

maybe this helps:

during the lock process (between tdc press and lock aquired) the radar beem has no stabilization: it keeps the same angle relative to the plane. rolling or pitch sweeps away the beam and breaks the lock.

after a successfull lock the roll stabilization of the beam is too weak. only slow rolling can keep a lock. faster rolls result in unintended beam-sweepings that breaks the lock. this happens in rws and all acm modes.

maybe this helps:

during the lock process (between tdc press and lock aquired) the radar beem has no stabilization: it keeps the same angle relative to the plane. rolling or pitch sweeps away the beam and breaks the lock.

after a successfull lock the roll stabilization of the beam is too weak. only slow rolling can keep a lock. faster rolls result in unintended beam-sweepings that breaks the lock. this happens in rws and all acm modes.

This has been my experience as well. I found I need to fly straight and level while the radar acquires a lock while it RWS mode. Once in TWS any hard maneuvering will break the lock. I don't have any tracks to provide since this is difficult to reproduce consistently.

I updated the post with new data using the latest OB.

Confirmed - VACQ is still too slow.

Still present in the latest hotfix.

Somewhat related question. Would the results of the radar and how it currently functions also affect the Sparrows? My kill rate with these things is so low.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Somewhat related question. Would the results of the radar and how it currently functions also affect the Sparrows? My kill rate with these things is so low.

Maybe this is related to this one: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=216195

Somewhat related question. Would the results of the radar and how it currently functions also affect the Sparrows? My kill rate with these things is so low.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Yes. The AIM-7 is dependent on the radar's functionality for guidance, and it glitching the heck out will definitely affect it's efficacy in deployment.