JTAC lasing with AGM-65E's

Hey guys,

I need a little hint, as stupid as my help might sound. I'm doing my first campaign ever since i discovered DCS around 2009-2010, i tend to stay away from campaign because i suck.

I love it so far, it's the Serpent Head 1, the guy did a cool hob.

Though, here's my thing, in the mission, we need to meet with JTAC, get lased om 2 SAM sites (2 sams x 2 sites) then use AGM-65E, here my problem, SAMS shoota at 5.5 nm, Maverick locks around 10 NM and laser, i've read, lase around 8 NM. Now, my problem is, so many time i wast my maverick, because they drop way off where it locked, when it lock laser, i wait a few scond and shoot, usualy it falls off spot, as if, shot too far from laser to track, then i said, ok, ok, i'll wait til the SA8 shoots me, which will be around 5.5 nm or so, under the 8 nm of the laser, though, i miss a few times, i never finish the mission, cuz i run out of maverick killing the first 2 sams, i can't head back to Kutaisi to eitehr refuel or rearm, as triggers finishes the mission as fail.

If the target lased is way off the WP reference over 3-4 nm from the target, as the Maverick just shows a IN RNG indication as no exactly distance to the target it locked on, how to i know when to shoot the freaking thing so it tracks the laser as i don't know the distance to the target to gauge the JTACs laser distance, cuz if i shoot when it looks, it doesn'T work, agm falls of course.

Thing is, in this game, we never know when the JTAC are broken or not, when a ltitle thing miss set makes them not working etc.. I'm just a tiny hair from simply retsarting the mission, equip JDAMS instead of the mavericks, drop in a tpod to LST the JTACT laser on the TGP, if TGP doesn't track yet lasers, i'll simply drop my TGP on the targets, as with the many times i tried the mission and emptied all the SA8 by making them shoot at me, i totaly know the inches where they are, then i'll simply go in low and using terrain masking, LOFT Toss those TTOed JDAMS on those sucker sams.

So in short, how to know when the laser will make the maverick track, when i'm in proper range?

Thanks!

If the "X" is displayed on MAV page then not tracking and solid box displayed is tracking.

I did find that the missile found the laser spot exactly closing inside 10nm. I fired both missiles at about 9.5nm which both easily reached the target from ~11kft. It also said "IN RNG" as soon as the box appeared.

I thought maybe this can be tested coming in much lower where 10nm isn't inside kinematic range but laser can be seen. Oddly the box started to flash inside 10nm coming on very briefly and mostly showing the X. I had pre-designated the LOS to a waypoint. Lastly I did it again but without pre-designating the area and it found the laser while scanning and even from 1000' managed to reach the target.

It does say "MAV LKD" on HUD and the box on the MAV DDI page replaces the X. Is that happening for you? Is the missile losing guidance or coming up short when fired with the above indications?

If the "X" is displayed on MAV page then not tracking and solid box displayed is tracking.

 

I did find that the missile found the laser spot exactly closing inside 10nm. I fired both missiles at about 9.5nm which both easily reached the target from ~11kft. It also said "IN RNG" as soon as the box appeared.

 

I thought maybe this can be tested coming in much lower where 10nm isn't inside kinematic range but laser can be seen. Oddly the box started to flash inside 10nm coming on very briefly and mostly showing the X. I had pre-designated the LOS to a waypoint. Lastly I did it again but without pre-designating the area and it found the laser while scanning and even from 1000' managed to reach the target.

 

It does say "MAV LKD" on HUD and the box on the MAV DDI page replaces the X. Is that happening for you? Is the missile losing guidance or coming up short when fired with the above indications?

I will retry and let you know, i didn't know about the X and filled box, will check it out, so far i did my release around 7k ft, as mission scrambles enemy migs if passed over 10k ft. I will retry and pay attention to the filled box and shoot only if i get it. I thought having MAV LKD on HUD was a safe queue for shooting.

If the "X" is displayed on MAV page then not tracking and solid box displayed is tracking.

 

I did find that the missile found the laser spot exactly closing inside 10nm. I fired both missiles at about 9.5nm which both easily reached the target from ~11kft. It also said "IN RNG" as soon as the box appeared.

 

I thought maybe this can be tested coming in much lower where 10nm isn't inside kinematic range but laser can be seen. Oddly the box started to flash inside 10nm coming on very briefly and mostly showing the X. I had pre-designated the LOS to a waypoint. Lastly I did it again but without pre-designating the area and it found the laser while scanning and even from 1000' managed to reach the target.

 

It does say "MAV LKD" on HUD and the box on the MAV DDI page replaces the X. Is that happening for you? Is the missile losing guidance or coming up short when fired with the above indications?

Here's 3 test i made, one at 7.5k ft, second at 95k ft, tracks are too large, can't even attach. i did a last test from 11k-14k and nothin, in those 3 cases, i kept having an X, once in a while the box flashed but never stayed, i tried to put the X right in the middle of the mav's boresight or stayed level and left the X where it track, in both test still no joy, i cannot get a solid box even as close as 5.5 nm from what tacview showed, i ended up even killed from sam and never ever got a filled box.

Anotehr test, i found out my X issues was i kept WP as designated target, so once lase spoted, MAV's triangle went from the TGT to the lased target, but having WP as designated target seems to avoid the MAV with the box which i didn't know, i finaly have the box queue, but even when i shot with the box filled for a few seconds, the mavericks touched ground quite before the target, later i'll just retry, but higher ground maxed i can go in there, 9.5k.

Watching the tacview, shows i fired the mav at 9nm and it hit ground close to the jtac and not even the target....

If the "X" is displayed on MAV page then not tracking and solid box displayed is tracking.

 

I did find that the missile found the laser spot exactly closing inside 10nm. I fired both missiles at about 9.5nm which both easily reached the target from ~11kft. It also said "IN RNG" as soon as the box appeared.

 

I thought maybe this can be tested coming in much lower where 10nm isn't inside kinematic range but laser can be seen. Oddly the box started to flash inside 10nm coming on very briefly and mostly showing the X. I had pre-designated the LOS to a waypoint. Lastly I did it again but without pre-designating the area and it found the laser while scanning and even from 1000' managed to reach the target.

 

It does say "MAV LKD" on HUD and the box on the MAV DDI page replaces the X. Is that happening for you? Is the missile losing guidance or coming up short when fired with the above indications?

Here's the final tests:

1- Shot once i got Full Box and MAV LKD on HUD, around +/- 9 nm or so, hit ground. i fired from 7k-7.5k ASL

2- Shot once i got shot at by SA8 at +/- 5.6 NM,Full Box and MAV LKD on HUD and direct hit. i fired from 7k-7.5k ASL

3- Shot once i got locked by SA8 at +/- 8.4 NM,Full Box and MAV LKD on HUD and direct hit. i fired from 7k-7.5 ASL

In other words, no visual queue as per when in range of the laser as to know when you'Re below 9 nm if no direct WP or anything? Since Box is full and MAV LKD on HUD when mav is lock on laser either too far or in range of the laser....

When you say "hit ground" did it look like (from F6 view) that missile was attempting to guide toward laser or not? I just want to know if guidance was happening or not. If it's guiding but just outside kinematic range and weapon is falling short that's a totally different set of questions.

The box on the MAV DDI and HUD "LKD" message I think are just two ways to say the same thing. I've never seen one without the other.

No direct indication of range is not something I know about. Famously Maverick has no real way to say if in range or not. It has to rely on indirect methods to estimate or omit cue altogether.

Whoah!!! When I read that first sentence I thought I was watching a 'Jabbers' video! lmao...

Hey guys,

 

 

I need a little hint, as stupid as my help might sound. I'm doing my first campaign ever since i discovered DCS around 2009-2010, i tend to stay away from campaign because i suck.

 

 

 

I love it so far, it's the Serpent Head 1, the guy did a cool hob.

 

 

 

Though, here's my thing, in the mission, we need to meet with JTAC, get lased om 2 SAM sites (2 sams x 2 sites) then use AGM-65E, here my problem, SAMS shoota at 5.5 nm, Maverick locks around 10 NM and laser, i've read, lase around 8 NM. Now, my problem is, so many time i wast my maverick, because they drop way off where it locked, when it lock laser, i wait a few scond and shoot, usualy it falls off spot, as if, shot too far from laser to track, then i said, ok, ok, i'll wait til the SA8 shoots me, which will be around 5.5 nm or so, under the 8 nm of the laser, though, i miss a few times, i never finish the mission, cuz i run out of maverick killing the first 2 sams, i can't head back to Kutaisi to eitehr refuel or rearm, as triggers finishes the mission as fail.

 

 

If the target lased is way off the WP reference over 3-4 nm from the target, as the Maverick just shows a IN RNG indication as no exactly distance to the target it locked on, how to i know when to shoot the freaking thing so it tracks the laser as i don't know the distance to the target to gauge the JTACs laser distance, cuz if i shoot when it looks, it doesn'T work, agm falls of course.

 

 

Thing is, in this game, we never know when the JTAC are broken or not, when a ltitle thing miss set makes them not working etc.. I'm just a tiny hair from simply retsarting the mission, equip JDAMS instead of the mavericks, drop in a tpod to LST the JTACT laser on the TGP, if TGP doesn't track yet lasers, i'll simply drop my TGP on the targets, as with the many times i tried the mission and emptied all the SA8 by making them shoot at me, i totaly know the inches where they are, then i'll simply go in low and using terrain masking, LOFT Toss those TTOed JDAMS on those sucker sams.

 

 

 

 

So in short, how to know when the laser will make the maverick track, when i'm in proper range?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks!

When you say "hit ground" did it look like (from F6 view) that missile was attempting to guide toward laser or not? I just want to know if guidance was happening or not. If it's guiding but just outside kinematic range and weapon is falling short that's a totally different set of questions.

 

The box on the MAV DDI and HUD "LKD" message I think are just two ways to say the same thing. I've never seen one without the other.

 

No direct indication of range is not something I know about. Famously Maverick has no real way to say if in range or not. It has to rely on indirect methods to estimate or omit cue altogether.

Not too sure man, sometimes it seemed like it lost track as it went down not too long after i shot, though inside 9 nm.

Anyways i sorta fixed the issue of not knowing the proper range to the target/laser range, i simply waited till the SA8 locks me knowing it made me about 9nm, then getting ready to fire, once it fired at me, around 6 nm, i then fired my mav, it was for sure in the laser's range and has enough kinetic energy for sure to get there. So mission success. I just never ever practice shooting down sam's with mavs at low altitude and pretty close to them so it kept getting me doing mistakes trying to hurry, i'm more the chicken shit type to drop either GBU or JDAMS from high altitude.

Once in a while it was a direct hit shooting a few seconds after it locked me and sometimes the mav's just misses, but each time i shot upon shooted on, it was a direct hit.

Thanks for the few tips i didn't know.