GAU-8 damage

I'm finding it very difficult to kill tanks with guns only. I either have to make several passes or come at them low enough that their MGs can fire at me. I did a search on this forum and found a couple of threads from 2014 talking about how the GAU-8 on the A-10C is underpowered. Is this still the case? I don't get the reasoning behind nerfing the only signature weapon of this plane.

Too inaccurate, yes, but underpowered? Never read anything here about that ...?

But in fact, while the A-10 was designed as "tank killer", it is actually not that easy to kill tanks, especially more modern ones, with it. See also the current discussion here: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=199122

In the real world, A-10s can do enough damage in one pass to render a tank inoperable even if it doesn't "explode."

Engines can be disabled. Gun barrels can be damaged. Crews can be shocked so badly they give up and abandon the tank.

All subtleties we don't enjoy in DCS...

Makes sense. So I'm better off using bombs/missiles on tanks and saving the gun for lightly armored targets such as trucks and infantry?

Yes, but if you do it right, you can kill a tank with about 20 rounds with the gun.

not mentioned which side you attacked from. Rear attacks more effective.

^^^ This ^^^

Try to kill a tank with, for example, su-25t cannon, and then tell me if a-10c cannon is still underpowered.

In my opinion, GAU - 8/A is most powerful gun, ever put into plane.

I guess that depends greatly on your definition of "powerful" and "put into a plane".

I'm sure some AC-130 guys would argue that point. ;)

EDIT: I'm personally a fan of the 75mm gun mounted in the nose of the B-25G in WW2. It saw quite a bit of action in the Pacific theater.

Makes sense. So I'm better off using bombs/missiles on tanks and saving the gun for lightly armored targets such as trucks and infantry?

APCs/IFVs are also fairly easy to kill with the gun, and if you enjoy a challenge, kill a ZSU-23 with it without getting shot out of the sky. :)

But yeah, MBTs eat a lot of rounds in DCS unless you're up close and personal, where their 50cal return fire is probably going to ruin your day. In DCS, they only know "alive", "burning" and "dead", so unless you score a critical kill, they'll remain fully mission capable.

I mean attack/fighter/strike aicraft, not heavy gunship like AC-130.

It was a bit unclear that that's what you meant by saying "plane".

You may find this A-10 pilot's coloring book educational:

https://imgur.com/gallery/fd4sK

APCs/IFVs are also fairly easy to kill with the gun, and if you enjoy a challenge, kill a ZSU-23 with it without getting shot out of the sky. :)

I'll roll in on a Shilka with the gun every time rather than waste a bomb or mav that I could use on a tank or SAM.

I was having the same problem so I created a mission to analyze and practice tank busting. After seeing how effective it was I expanded it into a tutorial with voice overs and shared it out to the community.

There's a version for both Caucasus and NTTR.

I created a tutorial/training mission centered on gunning tanks. There are voice overs and procedural notes to help you refine your methods. After flying it several times I was able to go from being a lawn dart that had to reload three times, to killing all tanks with a single load of rounds with very little sweat. I think it's fun as well as instructive. Hope you enjoy.

 

Tank Busting 101

The current issue lies with the accuracy / dispersion of the GAU-8 in DCS. The dispersion value is far too high and has been demonstrated to be more times than I care to mention. The USAF has run numerous evaluations on the performance of the GAU-8 and it's all documented and public information so there's no excuse for it's current state.

As for the damage inflicted to the target, this is a limitation of DCS. The idea behind the GAU-8 is the a mission kill - a critical part of the vehicle is damaged so much so that the vehicle is inoperable. This could be for example the barrel of a tank, the engine, detracked, injured crew and so on and so forth.

DCS is limited in this regard as a vehicle can only occupy 1 of 3 states; 1) full health 2) burning about to be blow up 3) destroyed. There's no room in there for damage to individual parts of the vehicle and as such a mission kill is impossible. You have to outright destroy the vehicle which is a tall order for the gun alone. It is possible but it's gonna take up most of gun ammo, if not all of it.

You may find this A-10 pilot's coloring book educational:

 

https://imgur.com/gallery/fd4sK

I can never find my box of crayons when I need them! :thumbup:

can only occupy 1 of 3 states; 1) full health 2) burning about to be blow up 3) destroyed.

Well your #1 isn't actually true. Ever seen the lifebars on the AI machines? Plenty of health states between 100 and 0 there. Although I'm not sure if their health % actually affects their performance in any way TBH... was that what you meant?

Although I'm not sure if their health % actually affects their performance in any way TBH...

it actually does. Units move slower the more damage they take and supposedly their skill level decreases as well (i.e. take longer to aim, shoot worse, etc.).

Well your #1 isn't actually true. Ever seen the lifebars on the AI machines? Plenty of health states between 100 and 0 there. Although I'm not sure if their health % actually affects their performance in any way TBH... was that what you meant?

Yeah, exactly that.

it actually does. Units move slower the more damage they take and supposedly their skill level decreases as well (i.e. take longer to aim, shoot worse, etc.).

In my experience that either isn't happening or is simulated to such a marginal extent that it's unnoticeable.

You have to outright destroy the vehicle which is a tall order for the gun alone. It is possible but it's gonna take up most of gun ammo, if not all of it.

That is not my experience. In the mission linked above I've been able to kill 16 tanks with the GAU-8 without reloading.

because the gau8 isnt a godly insta kill 1 hit Gatling Cannon like American history Channel makes it out to be.

Gau8 Still requires top down attacks against Turret Roof or its Engine Deck to reliably penetrate them. ( even against older traditional Steel Tanks like T55 and T62)

Here is the A10 pilots colouring book from 1977

https://imgur.com/gallery/fd4sK

Generally speaking the only vehicles that the gau8 will cut through like Swiss cheese at any angle of attack on any part of its Silhouette will be lighter armored type like BMP IFV's or Personnel Carriers.

EDIT: I'm personally a fan of the 75mm gun mounted in the nose of the B-25G in WW2. It saw quite a bit of action in the Pacific theater.

It sure did, but almost all of that was against shipping.

The current issue lies with the accuracy / dispersion of the GAU-8 in DCS. The dispersion value is far too high and has been demonstrated to be more times than I care to mention. The USAF has run numerous evaluations on the performance of the GAU-8 and it's all documented and public information so there's no excuse for it's current state.

 

I have been within two hundred yards of impact of dozens of A-10 gun runs. The dispersion area is very compact. The rounds do stay in a tight pattern, the whole point of the PAC system was to make this happen and yes I do not believe round dispersion is correctly modeled for the A-10C in DCS World. That's not the only issue however. I have had bomb hits within a foot or two of APC's in DCS and the target was not destroyed. That would not be the case real world.

If someone confused CEP-50 with CEP-80 (or CEP-90) concept or intial/eventual dispersion or bench/live or even triangular/Gaussian distribution figures that could explain a moderate difference in gun performance.

Penetration at normal firing range (0.5-0.7nm) is only 30-80mm which you must compare to T-series armor which can be up to 300mm in places.

That would not be the case real world.

Well, a 155mm artillery shell is deadly to a MBT from 30-50m range, so what would a 250kg bomb do?

We just don't yet have fragmentation modeling or even random calculation, that renders bombs, rockets and missiles ineffective or even unsuitable for tasks designed.

Tried searching online to find a downloadable version of the coloring book. Does anybody have any links to where I can download it?