Calculating Bomb Spacing

I'm flying the FC3 planes for now and am curious if anyone's found a formula or chart that explains how to calculate bomb spacing using the plane's altitude, speed and ripple delay. This would be for slick bombs suck as MK-82/84 dropped in CCRP mode. Thanks.

I was going to bomb a runway at different speeds, altitudes and ripple delays and just measure them...unfortunately, I don't see a way to measure bomb crater spacing either.

Place airshow poles along the runway in constant interval. There is a ruler in mission editor and other objects, that you can use as makeshift ruler marks. You may need to them to be indestructible.

Wysłane z mojego MI MAX 3 przy użyciu Tapatalka

Thanks for the reply. I cannot find air show poles in the Mission Editor but I added some flags at 20 foot increments with every 100 feet marked off as well. I probably need over 500 feet of flags which is tedious. Also cannot use an item such as an ISO container as everything added to the map shows up as a point object.

I did add 200 feet of flags and dropped bombs at a 20 ms ripple, 250 knots and 1,500 feet altitude but then when I went to measure it I couldn't pause the game (?) and the free look camera is clunky at best.

There's gotta be an easier way. Heck, it's be nice if I could group objects and copy/paste them then move them as a group but the Mission Editor can't do that and copy/paste is essentially useless as you cannot move a group as a group...they move as individual items.

Probably the best way to do this is via math...

I don't remember where the poles are. Search in key bindings for pause button. You do can copy paste items with standard key shortcuts, perhaps you can also group flags with templates. This is all I can remember on top of my head.

Wysłane z mojego MI MAX 3 przy użyciu Tapatalka

I don't remember where the poles are. Search in key bindings for pause button. You do can copy paste items with standard key shortcuts, perhaps you can also group flags with templates. This is all I can remember on top of my head.

 

Wysłane z mojego MI MAX 3 przy użyciu Tapatalka

I changed the pause keybinding to something I remembered and it still didn't pause which would explain my frustration. I've found some hints at a formula but they describe a mythical table that I still have yet to find.

I made a quick mission, using units instead of static objects (there's a constant spacing between them and you can move them as a group)

20m spacing inbetween soldiers

100m inbetween m113s

A radar truck to mark 500m.

It might not be useful since it's based on a meter scale tho...

There's a A-10A starting in the air already lined up with the runway and I've also added a A-10 on the ramp for your pausing issue. Press escape, select role and select the ramp start A-10.

mission

The trajectory of each released weapon looks the same (i.e. the shape of the ballistic curve) as all release parameters are the same. The only difference is the timing - and therefore the position of the releasing aircraft over ground. So, in theory the spacing should only be affected by the speed of the aircraft, right? I.e. the distance the aircraft travels in-between two bomb releases should be equal to the distance of the impact points.

disclaimer: only trying to apply common sense and I am actually only guessing. If there is more to it, I am happy to learn with all of you! :-)

I made a quick mission, using units instead of static objects (there's a constant spacing between them and you can move them as a group)

20m spacing inbetween soldiers

100m inbetween m113s

A radar truck to mark 500m.

It might not be useful since it's based on a meter scale tho...

There's a A-10A starting in the air already lined up with the runway and I've also added a A-10 on the ramp for your pausing issue. Press escape, select role and select the ramp start A-10.

 

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Thanks for the mission...

The trajectory of each released weapon looks the same (i.e. the shape of the ballistic curve) as all release parameters are the same. The only difference is the timing - and therefore the position of the releasing aircraft over ground. So, in theory the spacing should only be affected by the speed of the aircraft, right? I.e. the distance the aircraft travels in-between two bomb releases should be equal to the distance of the impact points.

 

 

disclaimer: only trying to apply common sense and I am actually only guessing. If there is more to it, I am happy to learn with all of you! :-)

I believe the timing is the major factor in determining crater spacing but the height above the target will affect it as the bomb falls further from the previous bomb along the plane's course.

I've attached what I believe depicts the problem. There are equations online that can be used to calculate the delay from release to impact from which we can derive the spacing but I need to digest them.

Thanks for the mission...

 

I believe the timing is the major factor in determining crater spacing but the height above the target will affect it as the bomb falls further from the previous bomb along the plane's course.

 

I've attached what I believe depicts the problem. There are equations online that can be used to calculate the delay from release to impact from which we can derive the spacing but I need to digest them.

Look at your diagram: d1 = t1

Given the same height above target and a constant speed of the aircraft, the bomb trajectory looks identical (your blue triangles). The only difference is that they are shifted.

If you release 2 bombs at the same time, they will impact at the same spot. But if you drop the 2nd bomb after your aircraft moved 100 ft further, the bomb will also impact 100 ft further. If you want to archieve a certain spacing, calculate how long your aircraft must move to cover that distance between two release points.

How long the bomb(s) fall, what height they are released (given that the height is the same at least), etc are all interesting questions, but have no bearing on the given problem, imo.

Look at your diagram: d1 = t1

 

Given the same height above target and a constant speed of the aircraft, the bomb trajectory looks identical (your blue triangles). The only difference is that they are shifted.

 

If you release 2 bombs at the same time, they will impact at the same spot. But if you drop the 2nd bomb after your aircraft moved 100 ft further, the bomb will also impact 100 ft further. If you want to archieve a certain spacing, calculate how long your aircraft must move to cover that distance between two release points.

 

How long the bomb(s) fall, what height they are released (given that the height is the same at least), etc are all interesting questions, but have no bearing on the given problem, imo.

I also saw that but since my drawing isn’t to scale I don’t think we can say t1=d1. It might be as simple as you put it but because bombs fall on an angle I don’t know if it’s that simple.

I also saw that but since my drawing isn’t to scale I don’t think we can say t1=d1. It might be as simple as you put it but because bombs fall on an angle I don’t know if it’s that simple.

But all bombs fall the same way, with the same angle and all - as the release parameters are all the same for each release. The only difference is the point in space / position over ground of the release point. So that difference should be responsible for the difference of the impact points.

To calculate the actual impact point is much more complex. If you want to know where your aim point is so you know where the bomb will hit the ground (i.e. slant angle), you have to calculate the bomb trajectory itself. The parable the bomb will follow is depending on height, speed and what it makes really difficult: drag / air resistance during it's fall.

But if you only want to know when to release the 2nd bomb to impact the ground at a certain distance of the 1st bomb ... you just have to release it after your aircraft covered that distance.

But all bombs fall the same way, with the same angle and all - as the release parameters are all the same for each release. The only difference is the point in space / position over ground of the release point. So that difference should be responsible for the difference of the impact points.

 

 

To calculate the actual impact point is much more complex. If you want to know where your aim point is so you know where the bomb will hit the ground (i.e. slant angle), you have to calculate the bomb trajectory itself. The parable the bomb will follow is depending on height, speed and what it makes really difficult: drag / air resistance during it's fall.

 

 

But if you only want to know when to release the 2nd bomb to impact the ground at a certain distance of the 1st bomb ... you just have to release it after your aircraft covered that distance.

The bomb spacing will be proportional to the speed of the plane but also proportional to the time they take to fall (slant angle).

The bomb spacing will be proportional to the speed of the plane but also proportional to the time they take to fall (slant angle).

The time of fall is the same for each release if your aircraft keeps the same altitude.

The displacement of the aircraft between two releases is the same as the displacement of the impact points - as every other parameter is 100% identical.

Ok, I think, I got it know what you are trying to say .... hrm ...

Your diagram with the triangles was probably putting me in a slightly wrong direction as it is too simplilfied. The bomb follows a parable, not a straight line with a certain slant angle. One factor that contributes to the parable is air resistance, i.e. the forward movement of the bomb is slowed down, while the forward movement of the aircraft remains steady.

So, the distance the aircraft travels between point Aa and Ba is the same as between Ba and Ca. Also the impact points spacing between Ai and Bi is the same as for Bi and Ci. But the distance Aa - Ba is NOT the same as between Ai and Bi.

The actual impact point spacing is shorter the higher the release altitude was!

At the end of the parable, there bomb falls almost directly vertical as it has minimum forward speed. Depending on the starting speed and the altitude, this end phase of the parable is reached earlier or later, but makes the impact spacing always shorter than the release spacing.

So, you were right, I suppose, and I admit, I have no clue how to calculate that. But as I said earlier, I, too, am happy to learn here! :-)