DCS: F-14 Tomcat by Heatblur Simulations

 

AVIA page coming together!

 

FONTE https://www.facebook.com/heatblur/photos/a.683612385159716/1394982410689373/?type=3&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARBN3gJVL7Dl9B76ATwVSyallZm9C_ykgFfOCYpARVcX3Swa6p9zN9CTlFgfSjeuttGlF14-IuJuiZ7yiIBru6zUVpLbraiXAWz84_NJlQ6d-UCRB2JzDy6qNCDQ33rBo0c8-y-OhlIFnfX9zuvhsyLsmye-Gb8KlSQhlp7bVVNamoYXFxppZZBPllkyoHet2KYakpD1QMAT-Es-1G03mRzrk-YEAr8co6U2BaGvJFmxb3E7pVYDwdImxKihnPs5UIQ0O2G0byX4Xnfng3QcS6cfrThBXprNHLXY6ovFYcPvLm0_yH-gtqCBVUzZDShOHThWs92kKTG1W6-pcLXNNp1kGQ&__tn__=-R

Bye

Phant

TWS-Auto Cometh!

Bye

Phant

 

 

Dear All,

 

Another quarter has passed with blazing speed. To say that it has been an interesting three months is quite the understatement. We hope that you are all keeping safe, healthy, and doing your part in flattening the curve(s). While we’re a remote team and impact on our development has been minimal due to quarantine measures, it’s difficult to avoid any and all impact - especially with family and friends involved, and with one team member already having been ill. Hopefully the Heatblur team will see absolutely minimal disruption to our continued development over the next few months, and we’ll keep you updated if anything should change.

 

This quarter we’ve been working diligently on getting some big ticket items ready, with the intention to ship them this quarter as well. We’ve ended up somewhat short of our ambitious goals shipping wise, as we’ve fallen slightly behind and tally only a few new features shipped in February and March, together with the usual slew of fixes and changes. For those of you who have not been following along each set of patch notes; here’s the full list of changes from Q1 2020:

• Added Cage the Bear campaign COOP version, thank you Kaba!
  
  
• Fixed Bone Strike mission for SP and COOP
  
  
• Updated most SP missions to have mission goals enabled
  
  
• Fix for datalink showing missiles
  
  
• Fixed various initialization issues
  
  
• Fix to nozzle logic during engine starts and shutdowns
  
  
• Tweaked damage resistance for engines and wing tanks - direct missile hits will cause more damage
  
  
• Aerodynamic damage improvements - direct missile hits will cause more damage
  
  
• Fix for doubling of trim rate when using a FFB stick (also ignore vJoy as a FFB device)
  
  
• Significantly improved drawcall efficiency of VDI and HUD - may boost FPS on drawcall/CPU constrained systems
  
  
• Added default pilot bindings for the new VKB F-14 stick
  
  
• Reduced audible range of exterior sounds
  
  
• Added new compressor stall sounds.
  
  
• Fixed sound files paths for RWR, KY-28 and Walkman (2.5.6 compatibility)
  
  
• Added lubber line to Whiskey Compass
  
  
• Fixed gaps in weapons selector on pilot’s stick
  
  
• Added RIO white floodlights
  
  
• Added CAP category knob CW/CCW keybindings
  
  
• Multiple low speed and ground effect handling qualities improvements in pitch axis
  
  
• Slightly Increased Stab Power (also in ground effect)
  
  
• Additional MIL and AB thrust tweaks for performance following stores drag improvements
  
  
• Tweaked drag while maneuvering above mach 1.2
  
  
• Reduced landing gear pitch moment
  
  
• Removed glass from collision model
  
  
• Fixed custom cockpit livery not registering (Thanks uboats!)
  
  

18-02-2020

• Use INS for radar stabilization instead of real-time DCS values
  
  
• Fixed regression in angle limits of radar stabilization that caused contact/track loss in RWS/TWS at large pitch angles.
  
  
• Fixed the transponder panel code ranges: M1 00-73 (5 bit octal), M3 0000-7777 (12bit octal)
  
  
• Fixed regressions caused by SDK mismatch:
  
  
• Fixed trim not working
  
  
• Fixed debriefing window not appearing
  
  
• Fixed AIM-9 SEAM/Lock
  
  
• Mission starting in F10 view
  
  

17-03-2020

• NEW! Added TID AVIA page (displaying AoA, Vertical velocity, ILS and ACLS), enabling the RIO to closely monitor landing procedures and assist the pilot with pattern work
  
  
• Fix for radar ground stabilization at high roll angles
  
  
• Fix for radar range scale reverting to 200NM during P-SEARCH HCU acquisition in multicrew
  
  
• Fix for RWS contacts on TID timing out too soon in a 1-bar scan
  
  
• Added COMM1_FREQ and COMM2_FREQ params exported to lua scripts for ARC-159 and ARC-182 radios (for example to be used with “cockpit param” in mission editor)
  
  
• Fix for AB lighting at too high of a throttle position
  
  
• Improvements to pilot stick travel animation
  
  
• Added afterburner markers on controls indicator
  
  
• Removed debug carrier glideslope on controls indicator
  
  
• Added FFB trim checkbox option for more realistic trim operation feel while using a FFB joystick (works if ANY non-vJoy FFB device is detected!)
  
  
• More realistic FFB travel with trim actuator movement
  
  
• Adjusted compressor stall spool dynamics
  
  
• Fine tuning of pitch axis handling qualities
  
  

More importantly, however, is of course what is to come and will be shipping in the near future.

 

The team is focused on launching two major features in the short term; The

Forrestal

class carriers and

TWS-Auto

functionality for the AWG-9.

 

Forrestal Class Carriers

I have egg on my face. I felt pretty safe in my statement here on hoggit that we’d launch the Forrestal in March; and our plans have revolved around doing a standalone, alpha/beta release here on the forums. This would allow us to gauge feedback and actively develop the carriers before merging them into our live branch and distributing the content through one of the next patches.

 

Unfortunately, we’ve had to take a few steps backwards with regards to all of our plans. Not only has our schedule slipped somewhat on completing the Forrestal itself; but the recent carrier launch issues and the work needing to be done to support the new Super Carrier module has kept things in flux. This is a frustrating scheduling miss for us as we were hoping to already have this content out late last year; but we’d rather keep things in the oven a little longer and provide a more enjoyable small-carrier experience. It is coming- you paid for it- we’ll deliver.

 

Another element to this has been the launch of the Super Carrier. We have great respect for our partners at Eagle, and while we don’t believe our Forrestals will cause any issues for the SC (especially since the Forrestal is not designed to have feature parity anyways!) - we still want to respectfully give the SC breathing room in the spotlight; as it is undoubtedly a great investment of time and effort by the ED team and an exciting product.

 

In the meantime; we’ll focus on getting out a Forrestal focused update to you all in the next week, and we’ll show off our work through some pleasing eye-candy and hopefully launch shortly thereafter (either through a download, or through a patch if the timing works out). In the meantime; our apologies for the missed timeline. This feature is a top priority for us.

TWS-Auto

 

 

We’re now very close to launching TWS-A! :)

 

Due to the size, complexity and importance of this feature, we will be doing a separate dedicated article on it in the coming few days.

 

Stay tuned!

F-14A

F-14A work continues as one of our top priorities, outside of the Forrestal, Jester LANTIRN, -B engine gauges, and other big ticket items. Features still in development include;

• Artwork changes (engine nozzles, engine nacelles, sensors, differing cockpit panels, etc.)
  
  
• P&W TF30 Engines
  
  
• New soundset (and sound overhaul for F-14B!)
  
  
• ALR-45
  
  
• Liveries
  
  

It’s very likely that we will launch the F-14A without all of its features implemented. This is to avoid a longer wait before everything is perfectly in place. We’ll try to keep the number of frankensteined elements to a minimum, however.

 

WiP TF-30 Nozzle

 

One of the biggest items on the agenda for the F-14A are the P&W TF30 engines. We’ve been busy adapting our engine models to simulate the TF-30. We’re pleased to announce that the TF30 equipped F-14A is ready for internal testing! Lets dive in depth on what this means;

F-14A TF30 Engine Development Update

In an attempt to keep things fairly short, the focus will mainly be on major differences between the TF30 and F110, as well as unique TF30 systems and characteristics. If you’d like to read more about turbofan engine components and their modeling, go

here

and

here

.

 

The F-14A is powered by two Pratt & Whitney TF30-P414A low-bypass turbofan engines with afterburner for thrust augmentation. The TF30 was originally developed by Pratt & Whitney in the early 60s for the cancelled F6D Missileer. An afterburner section was then added for its use on the product of the TFX program; the F-111. The Navy wasn’t satisfied with their version, the F-111B, and decided to go with a new design from Grumman Aerospace. To save cost and time, it was decided to re-use the engine from the TFX program and then upgrade the fleet with improved, higher-thrust engines later. This new design resulted in the F-14A, which entered service in 1974. The US Navy received 478 F-14A airframes and Iran received 79. It was 1986 by the time the higher thrust, F110-powered F-14B showed up, and in much smaller numbers than the F-14A.

 

Let’s get into the details of major features that differentiate the TF30’s operation from the F110:

 

• Afterburner
  
  
  The operation of the afterburner on the TF30 is similar to the F110 with the exception of the fuel control, which is divided into five “zones”. You can think of zones as a discrete state of the afterburner fuel control. Each zone lights progressively, increasing thrust as AB fuel flow increases with each zone. Because of this, it may take 8-10 seconds to go from idle all the way to Zone 5 afterburner. Check out a couple videos of the AB stages lighting
  and
  . If an AB blowout occurs, the AB fuel controller must be reset before attempting an AB re-light by taking the throttles out of AB range. The nozzle generally opens more at higher AB stages, but it may fluctuate to control turbine pressure ratio.
  
  
• Fuel Control System
  
  
  The fuel control is a hydromechanical unit with limited engine protection functionality. There is no digital engine control like a FADEC or AFTC to fully protect the engine from damage. A TIT limiter assists in preventing temperature excursions and has an authority equivalent to 2% RPM.
  
  
• Mach Lever
  
  
  The Mach Lever is similar to the idle lockup protection feature on the F110. It limits engine RPM based on mach number to reduce supersonic inlet buzz (which can lead to compressor stalls) and control engine airflow. It also increases engine idle speed in high AOA flight to increase compressor stability margins.
  
  
• Mid Compression Bypass
  
  
  In order to reduce pressure distortions at the compressor face, a bypass system ports air from the low pressure compressor into the fan bypass duct. This increases the quality of the air downstream and greatly reduces the chance of a compressor stall. However, it comes at a cost of about 3000 lbf (13344 N) of thrust per engine when active. It is activated in several scenarios where you likely need thrust the most; Zone 5 AB while the gear handle is down (takeoffs, wave-offs, and bolters), High AOA flight, and when large rudder commands are being applied. It also activates during gun firing and aerial refueling operations to reduce the chance of stall from ingesting gun gas or jet wash.
  
  

 

 

 

It’s easy to see that the TF30 has many subsystems that attempt to reduce the possibility of compressor stalls. That’s because the TF30s developed a reputation for issues, primarily compressor stalls at inopportune moments. However with some throttle and aviating discipline, they can be avoided. For what it’s worth, our primary pilot SME only had one stall in his entire Tomcat career, and he admits that it was caused by an erroneous throttle movement while at zero airspeed.

 

And with that, here’s a glimpse into the Tomcat dev world. This is a WIP version of a TF30 engine start with some of our debug tools running. The second is a takeoff to show the AB staging and spool-up times. Anything seen in these videos is subject to change and may not represent the final product.

F-14A TF30 Startup

 

 

F-14A TF30 Zone 5 Take-Off

Looking ahead, the TF30 subsystems will be wrapped up soon, along with engine performance tuning and testing.

We expect this to happen in the near future along with completion of the TF30 nozzle.

 

We don’t want to give a hard date on the F-14A but we hope (barring any major setbacks) to have an EA version out within the next couple DCS open beta cycles.

A more basic compressor stall model will ship with the EA release and it will be enhanced in subsequent updates.

 

There will likely be another mini update regarding compressor stalls once they are complete.

 

 

Future of the DCS: F-14

 

It's important for us to note that we remain committed to a long and rich level of support for the F-14, as well as the inclusion of many new features and improvements yet to come. Just to get some perspective on our roadmap; here's a

non exhaustive

list of what we're planning to tackle in the near and medium term future:

 

• TWS Auto
  
  
• Jester LANTIRN (Voice + Functionality + Including input overhauls)
  
  
• A-6E & KA-6 AI
  
  
• TARPS (Limited Feature)
  
  
• Two Campaigns
  
  
• Forrestal Class Carriers
  
  
• Significant sound improvements
  
  
• New pilot models for cockpit
  
  
• Keybinding improvements
  
  
• Jester additions and improvements
  
  
• F-14B Digital EIG
  
  
• Various corrections -B vis a vis -A
  
  
• Improved Trap Model / Dynamics
  
  
• New Afterburner VFX
  
  
• AIM-54 Phoenix issues
  
  
• Yaw String
  
  
• New compressor stall effects and animations
  
  
• Completion of fire suppression systems
  
  
• Add progressive fire damage
  
  
• Jamming additions
  
  
• LAU-7 Art corrections
  
  
• LAU-138
  
  
• MAK-79 bombclamp corrections
  
  
• cockpit panels:
  
  
• Various cockpit artwork corrections
  
  
• Addition of IFF interrogator panel
  
  
• Wheel Chocks
  
  
• Missing Oxygen gauge
  
  
• F-14A
  , including:
  P&W TF30 engine model
  
  
  MACH LEV position on Pilot’s master test panel
  
  
  Aerodynamic fairing (bullet) cover for TCS
  
  
  New liveries
  
  
  ALR-45 RWR
  
  
  Art Changes: Nozzles, panels, etc.
  
  
  New P&W TF30 Soundset

  
  
• ...and more.
  
  

 

Stick with us and believe in us - we're not going anywhere, and we will deliver on what we set out to do 4 years ago.

 

That’s it for this update; stay tuned for the article on the TWS-A in the next few days and another development update on the Forrestal class next week.

April will also see new additions and changes in the Viggen, and we will detail those separately as that module fully exits EA.

 

As always, thanks for all of your support.

Stay safe in these trying times, the Heatblur team wishes each and every one of you all the best.

 

Sincerely,

HB

Bye

Phant

Bye

Phant

Sono contento che lo sviluppo F/14 continua! : Pilotfly:

E perchè dovrebbe fermarsi?

Abbiamo pagato anche per Forrestal e versione A!

Sono contento di sentire che la versione A sia a pochi passi dalla uscita , non vedo l'ora!

chiedo a voi possessori ...la versione attuale è finita? vale la pena comprarlo se nn lo si gioca online?

chiedo a voi possessori ...la versione attuale è finita? vale la pena comprarlo se nn lo si gioca online?

Ne consiglio l'acquisto nel modo più assoluto!

Certo volarlo in due é qualcosa di meraviglioso, ma il modello di volo é fantastico!

Inviato dal mio LG-H870 utilizzando Tapatalk

Questi hanno un livello qualitativo assurdo, veramente eccezionale.

chiedo a voi possessori ...la versione attuale è finita? vale la pena comprarlo se nn lo si gioca online?

Tecnicamente parlando è il modulo meglio realizzato in assoluto, poi per carità come aeroplano ha i suoi limiti e i suoi pregi, ma quello va al di la di come la HB lo ha sviluppato.

Il modulo attuale è considerato ancora in EarlyAccess, ma considera che funziona più di prodotti dichiarati in release da molti anni. :music_whistling::music_whistling:

È comunque in continuo sviluppo per migliorie e bugfix, oltre ovviamente a mancare la variante A e la Forrestal, che arriveranno! :thumbup:

Io lo straconsiglio, e a mio avviso il massimo lo da in multiplayer con RIO umano. TOP :pilotfly:

chiedo a voi possessori ...la versione attuale è finita? vale la pena comprarlo se nn lo si gioca online?

Concordo con quanto detto da Tournament e Maverick87Shaka, in merito alla tua ultima domanda, si anche in singolo è godibilissimo, anche se il massimo lo ottieni in multi con equipaggio completo umano (pilota e RIO). Al momento l'unico limite di Jester (il RIO AI) e che non può usare il Lantirn ma a breve sarà implementata anche questa feature :thumbup:

Modulo consigliatissimo.

Se piace il genere non sottovaluterei il Viggen. E' fatto con la stessa qualità del Tomcat ma si vola in 1, quindi senza lo "sbattimento" del RIO IA se non si ha un RIO umano. Ovviamente è tutt'altro tipo di velivolo, ma anche questa non è colpa di HB... io ancora non l'ho preso per via dell'etichetta early access (che non è ancora stata tolta), ma credo che ormai non manchi quasi più nulla.

Se piace il genere non sottovaluterei il Viggen. E' fatto con la stessa qualità del Tomcat ma si vola in 1, quindi senza lo "sbattimento" del RIO IA se non si ha un RIO umano. Ovviamente è tutt'altro tipo di velivolo, ma anche questa non è colpa di HB... io ancora non l'ho preso per via dell'etichetta early access (che non è ancora stata tolta), ma credo che ormai non manchi quasi più nulla.

Il 14 è superlativo anche se voli senza RIO umano e non perchè è il 14...(altrimenti il pinguino di turno che fa la discussione su alcuni moduli si e altri no).

Con la versione A ed altre piccole correzioni che usciranno siamo già al TOP. : Thumbup:

grazie mille per le info gentilissimi...il mio dubbio è principalmente sul discorso doppio abitacolo e la necessità di essere in 2 per essere volato....poi il 14 non è sicuramente il mio aereo preferito ma se ben riprodotto e se non ci sono bug allora potrebbe essere un buon acquisto ...anche perchè se mi dite che è il migliore come riproduzione siamo a cavallo...

Se piace il genere non sottovaluterei il Viggen. E' fatto con la stessa qualità del Tomcat ma si vola in 1, quindi senza lo "sbattimento" del RIO IA se non si ha un RIO umano. Ovviamente è tutt'altro tipo di velivolo, ma anche questa non è colpa di HB... io ancora non l'ho preso per via dell'etichetta early access (che non è ancora stata tolta), ma credo che ormai non manchi quasi più nulla.

+1. Se ti piace l'AG, è una bestia meravigliosa.

grazie mille allora provo a guardare anche quello non l'avevo mai preso in considerazione per via della solita dicitura EA

Il 14 è superlativo anche se voli senza RIO umano

A me sinceramente la ruota di Jester che occupa la parte centrale della schermata (io gioco in VR e non ho idea di come funzioni in quel contesto) non mi pare così intuitiva ed è anche piuttosto anti-immersiva; d'altro canto immagino che il 14 giocato in due, magari proprio in VR, sia probabilmente uno dei moduli più belli di dcs, se non il più bello (ma bisogna essere in due, e forse preferire l'AA - io sono principalmente un "bombardiere").

A me sinceramente la ruota di Jester che occupa la parte centrale della schermata (io gioco in VR e non ho idea di come funzioni in quel contesto) non mi pare così intuitiva ed è anche piuttosto anti-immersiva; d'altro canto immagino che il 14 giocato in due, magari proprio in VR, sia probabilmente uno dei moduli più belli di dcs, se non il più bello (ma bisogna essere in due, e forse preferire l'AA - io sono principalmente un "bombardiere").

Se non sbaglio usi Voice Attack, mi pare che il 14 sia nativo per essere usato con VA.

A me sinceramente la ruota di Jester che occupa la parte centrale della schermata (io gioco in VR e non ho idea di come funzioni in quel contesto) non mi pare così intuitiva ed è anche piuttosto anti-immersiva; d'altro canto immagino che il 14 giocato in due, magari proprio in VR, sia probabilmente uno dei moduli più belli di dcs, se non il più bello (ma bisogna essere in due, e forse preferire l'AA - io sono principalmente un "bombardiere").

Per quanto riguarda Jester la soluzione c'è ed è sempre quella: VAICOM PRO, in questo caso con l'estensione aggiuntiva AIRIO.

Il pacchetto completo di tutto al momento costa 14.95 EUR, praticamente regalato per quel che offre.

Per il resto, togli pure il 'probabilmente': è senza ombra di dubbio uno dei moduli più belli in assoluto, anche non in VR.

In due ovviamente te lo godi al massimo e da RIO posso dirti che il sedile dietro, se ti piace avere a che fare con delle avioniche vecchio stile (quindi non facilissime da usare e per ottenere risultati bisogna conoscere bene sia esse sia i principi che ci stanno dietro), è una goduria totale.

Ma anche da soli mi dicono i miei compari che, al netto di qualche difficoltà a far fare a Jester cose un po' più particolari, è perfettamente godibile.

Se però prediligi l'A/G straquoto chromium, meglio sicuramente il Viggen... è vero che il Tomcat negli ultimi anni di carriera è stato adattato a fare anche quello (e lo ha fatto pure bene), ma di suo è la quintessenza dell'A/A, è un aereo nato per la protezione a lungo raggio della flotta (era capace di farsi 2h di CAP a 500 nm dalla portaerei) e il suo elemento naturale è quello.

A me sinceramente la ruota di Jester che occupa la parte centrale della schermata (io gioco in VR e non ho idea di come funzioni in quel contesto) non mi pare così intuitiva ed è anche piuttosto anti-immersiva; d'altro canto immagino che il 14 giocato in due, magari proprio in VR, sia probabilmente uno dei moduli più belli di dcs, se non il più bello (ma bisogna essere in due, e forse preferire l'AA - io sono principalmente un "bombardiere").

Quoto senz' altro, la "ruota" di Jester mi restituisce esattamente le tue stesse sensazioni e per quanto mi riguarda continuo ad avere la sensazione che, senza nulla togliere al Tomcat relativamente alla qualità e quant'altro, per essere utilizzato come si conviene occorra essere in due, poi certo si può volare anche da soli ma non è certo la stessa cosa proprio per quella fastidiosa ruota che devi richiamare costantemente, al netto che personalmente nutro qualche dubbio che nella concitazione di un combattimento si abbia la necessaria lucidità e freddezza per gestire come si conviene la cosa, certo ci sarà qualche fenomeno che in stile dea calì riuscirà a pilotare, gestire il combattimento e naturalmente nello stesso tempo gestire Jester ma si sa, sono soggetti più unici che rari...

Quoto anche il discorso dell' AG, come dice giustamente anche BlueRaven il Tomcat è nato per uno scopo preciso e poi è stato adattato anche all' AG ma questo rimane appunto un' adattamento, se come me prediligi l' aria-terra è certamente più saggio rivolgere le proprie attenzioni verso altre macchine, anche il Viggen anche se personalmente lo reputo troppo "cucito" sulle esigenze svedesi piuttosto che non su quelle diciamo generali...

:thumbup:

Uso già vaicom pro e so che esiste un addon opzionale per jester, effettivamente potrei pensare di acquistarlo risolvendo il problema della ruota; tuttavia è altresì vero che il tomcat è principalmente AA e che a me, più che il pilota, è il ruolo del RIO a suscitare un certo interesse, e per quanto qualche funzionalità limitata di iceman AI esista, credo che ci vorrebbe un pilota umano per goderlo appieno. Inoltre, prediligendo l'AG, tendo a guardare con più interesse altri moduli, senza nulla togliere al Tomcat. Chissà, se il prossimo modulo di HB fosse l'Intruder, sicuramente lo guarderei con più interesse, al netto dell'eventuale presenza di un "bomber AI", al quale comunque il buon sviluppatore di vaicom pro non tarderebbe a porre rimedio...

Uso già vaicom pro e so che esiste un addon opzionale per jester, effettivamente potrei pensare di acquistarlo risolvendo il problema della ruota; tuttavia è altresì vero che il tomcat è principalmente AA e che a me, più che il pilota, è il ruolo del RIO a suscitare un certo interesse, e per quanto qualche funzionalità limitata di iceman AI esista, credo che ci vorrebbe un pilota umano per goderlo appieno. Inoltre, prediligendo l'AG, tendo a guardare con più interesse altri moduli, senza nulla togliere al Tomcat. Chissà, se il prossimo modulo di HB fosse l'Intruder, sicuramente lo guarderei con più interesse, al netto dell'eventuale presenza di un "bomber AI", al quale comunque il buon sviluppatore di vaicom pro non tarderebbe a porre rimedio...

Senza dubbio bellissimo modulo che per essere goduto appieno andrebbe giocato in multy con un pilota umano. Anch'io prediligo l'AG, al momento penso che dopo l'A-10 (CAS), è l'F-18 a essere il miglior strike con armi guidate, e in futuro quando verrà armato meglio, anche il Viper specie nel SEAD.

 

Track While Scan - Auto

 

As most know, we had a TWS-Auto implementation for the F-14 at launch, but it was quite unreliable and ended up causing more trouble than it was worth, so it was disabled. After launch of course we were kept quite busy, and it was some time before we managed to revisit and eventually rewrite the TWS-Auto system. We’re finally ready to re-release it now, and this post will summarize the functionality.

 

As you may remember, both TWS modes require the scan frame to be 2 seconds, and only support 2-bar ±40° or 4-bar ±20° scan volume modes (the radar gimbal moves at 80°/s, so you can see where the 2 second frame comes from in these two scan volume options). Very simply put, TWS-Auto attempts to keep the TWS pattern pointing where it is most useful in azimuth and elevation, while also controlling the optimum scan volume. TWS (and all the PD radar modes in F-14) uses ground stabilized (a.k.a. Earth fixed) patterns, so the azimuth and elevation angles are relative to a tangential plane on the surface of the earth at your present position, with azimuth further being relative to the F-14 longitudinal axis too (i.e. 0° is directly ahead on the imaginary plane, -20° is to the left, etc.).

 

Function of centroid

 

The azimuth and elevation angles are determined by a weighted centroid of targets in the scan volume. What this means is that some targets contribute more to the centroid than others, depending on a few factors outlined below. Essentially the position of each target is multiplied by its weight factor divided by the total weight of all targets, and these weighted positions are added together to give a centroid. Only sensor targets (i.e. own radar) are considered, not datalink targets.

 

Two separate (but somewhat related) centroids are calculated as part of the TWS-Auto update procedure: a steering centroid, and an illumination centroid. The former facilitates steering cues (on HUD, VDI, TID, DDD) to help the pilot maintain optimum target coverage, and also displays a small X on the TID indicating the steering centroid position. The illumination centroid controls the azimuth and elevation of the scan pattern center by using the angles from the aircraft to the computed illumination centroid (in TWS-Manual, these are directly controlled by the radar azimuth and elevation knobs on the RIO sensor control panel). The velocities (change in position over time) of both centroids are also calculated, used to calculate steering, and dead reckoning for a short period when all targets are lost (in an attempt to re-acquire them at their expected positions).

 

Weighting targets

 

As mentioned, a few factors influence target weighting. These differ slightly between the calculations for the steering centroid and the illumination centroid, but largely consist of the presence of a launch zone (targets marked as friendly by RIO will never get a launch zone), whether a missile is already underway to a target, and some RIO selections on targets such as DO NOT ATTK (disregards from weights completely, shows a small vertical bar over a target) and MAND ATTK (forces evaluation and raises importance, only one target may be selected for this, and mutually exclusive with DO NOT ATTK. Shows a small horizontal bar over a target).

 

 

Targets that are not displayed on the TID screen in the currently selected TID mode and range are also disregarded completely. In addition, targets which are deemed to be leaving the scannable volume are also raised in importance, if they are already deemed important by the previous criteria. For the steering centroid, the radar gimbal limits (maximum extents, basically ±65° in both azimuth and elevation) are considered, while for the illumination centroid, the current scan volume limits are considered (i.e. either 2-bar ±40° or 4-bar ±20°). This causes the illumination centroid to adjust towards important targets leaving the current pattern, and allows the steering centroid to shift towards targets that are leaving the maximum radar gimbal limits (i.e. pilot would need to steer towards that to keep them illuminated).

 

 

Engaging TWS-Auto

 

When TWS-Auto is first engaged, there is a period of 8 seconds where the manual controls for azimuth, elevation and the scan volume pattern are still in effect and can still be controlled by the RIO. After this period, the computer takes over. The scan volume pattern (2-bar vs 4-bar) is re-evaluated every 4 seconds, while the centroids are re-evaluated multiple times per second. The weights are updated at the end of each 2 second scan frame. The scan volume algorithm considers the future positions of all targets, and selects between which of the two options would give a greater total illumination weight. If they are equal, 4-bar ±20° is selected.

 

Firing an AIM-54 Phoenix while in TWS-Manual will result in automatic selection of TWS-Auto. Furthermore, when any AIM-54 missiles are deemed to still be in flight (up to 16s beyond their expected time to impact), TWS-Manual cannot be entered (the button press is ignored). Target tracks that have a missile launched at them will also behave as if Track Hold (the button to the left of the TID fishbowl) has been selected, i.e. they will continue to be extrapolated for up to 2 minutes if their radar contact is lost.

 

Symbology

 

The steering cues on HUD, VDI, TID and DDD will direct the pilot horizontally only, based on the steering centroid. By default, lead collision steering is employed. If the RIO uses the CLSN button next to the TID fishbowl, pure collision steering is instead calculated. Since both the pilot and RIO can see steering cues on their respective displays, coordination of required maneuvering is made easier. The steering cue on HUD and VDI is an upside-down T (hence called a steering tee), while on the TID and DDD the steering cue is a small square. These four displays have different steering sensitivities: TID is 40°/inch, DDD is 128.5°/inch, VDI is 25°/inch and HUD is 26.5°/inch.

 

 

In conclusion

 

TWS-Auto can be a handy tool for maintaining illumination on targets under attack, even while maneuvering about 60° away from the direct path to the targets. However, as pointed out by one of our RIO SMEs, good RIOs did not make exclusive use of TWS-Auto while hunting for new contacts, as it limits your overall situational awareness. RWS is still useful for scanning huge volumes, and TWS-M is still useful while maintaining the ability to control the scan volume angles. The Track Hold function (button to the left of the TID fishbowl) is also quite important, to maintain tracking (by extrapolation) on targets that would otherwise be lost in the PD filters.

Bye

Phant

 

Hi Everyone!

 

Primary goals for the next several major patches through early to mid summer (now through end of July~) are:

 

• F-14 interior lighting fixes & overhaul (for new lighting system)
  
• Digital engine instruments
  
• Exterior sound overhaul for F-14
  
• Exterior sound overhaul for AJS37
  
• F-14B Campaign
  
• JESTER LANTIRN (Finally!)
  
• AJS37 PBR Overhaul
  
• Initial F-14A Release (Beta, with some -B-isms remaining!)

 

Primary medium term release items (~late Summer) are the Forrestal class, full completion of the F-14A and new in-cockpit pilots. We decided to push the Forrestal class release and prioritize the F-14A, as this will allow us to correct remaining SC carrier issues, and to tweak the Forrestal to be better compatible with changing carrier code in the DCS platform. With the launch of the F-14A and Forrestal class and campaigns, we will be close to feature complete on the F-14, with the exception of the A-6. Our goal, as stated previously, is to be done and dusted by the 2y anniversary of the F-14 launch (Mar, 2021).

 

Hope that helps to shed some light on our current focus areas. You'll see the list above start to ship in the coming major patches until full completion and will be detailed in deeper updates through June and July.

 

Thanks for the support and patience - we look forward to sharing and shipping the above on the next 2.5.6 updates.

 

Sincerely,

Team HB

Bye

Phant

 

The night lighting overhaul continues with the F-14 cockpit!

 

FONTE https://www.facebook.com/heatblur/posts/1477338875787059

Bye

Phant

Le ho viste ieri dalla loro pagina facebook!

Veramente un'ottimo lavoro.

A me da un sacco fastidio il riflesso sul canopy.

Ora non so se realmente fosse cosi forte, ma spero l'abbiano ridotto un pochino!

Inviato dal mio LG-H870 utilizzando Tapatalk