Where to go after training / campaign help and tactics

I have played with the hog on and off for awhile now. I have done all of the training missions and read large chunks of the manual. I can start up, taxi take off, navigate, engage targets with all the weapon types, land, and generally fly the thing without any problems. What I need help with is where to go now that I have the basics down.

I tried to jump into the campaign, but the first mission was a wall of RWR threats and radio chatter that I didn't know how to deal with. Should I wait for the other air elements to take out the sam threats? How will I know if/when they did that? Should I go in low? Should I go in high? Should I wait for specific radio calls before pursuing my target? Do I need to talk to JTAC? Why does my loadout contain mk82air when the target zone is crawling with AAA and SAM? It does not seem like I could use them even if I wanted to. Tons of questions like that. The tutorials prepared me for none of it.

The manual and tutorials taught me how to fly the plane but not how employ it tactically. I have no idea how to approach the situations in the campaign or missions 1. successfully or 2. realistically. Can anybody suggest resources to help me learn what to do in the campaign/missions since I already mostly know how to do things.

For the campaign, all you need to do for a successful mission (on your part) is engage the units at the target waypoint. Change your loadout in the Mission Planner before you click Fly.

I have played with the hog on and off for awhile now. I have done all of the training missions and read large chunks of the manual. I can start up, taxi take off, navigate, engage targets with all the weapon types, land, and generally fly the thing without any problems. What I need help with is where to go now that I have the basics down.

Time to break into multi player then my friend.

I have played with the hog on and off for awhile now. I have done all of the training missions and read large chunks of the manual. I can start up, taxi take off, navigate, engage targets with all the weapon types, land, and generally fly the thing without any problems. What I need help with is where to go now that I have the basics down.

 

I tried to jump into the campaign, but the first mission was a wall of RWR threats and radio chatter that I didn't know how to deal with. Should I wait for the other air elements to take out the sam threats? How will I know if/when they did that? Should I go in low? Should I go in high? Should I wait for specific radio calls before pursuing my target? Do I need to talk to JTAC? Why does my loadout contain mk82air when the target zone is crawling with AAA and SAM? It does not seem like I could use them even if I wanted to. Tons of questions like that. The tutorials prepared me for none of it.

 

The manual and tutorials taught me how to fly the plane but not how employ it tactically. I have no idea how to approach the situations in the campaign or missions 1. successfully or 2. realistically. Can anybody suggest resources to help me learn what to do in the campaign/missions since I already mostly know how to do things.

I am in exactly the same boat. Most of the times I am either flying around trying to figure out what I am supposed to do, or I get shot down because I. get frustrates and say F*ck it and go in hoping evasive maneuvering and CM's will get me through. In the campaigns I can follow the waypoints but normally I just get shot down doing that, and have no idea what I was supposed to be doing.

Read the briefing, they generally give you all the info you need. As well, as I said above, use your other air assets. The SEAD and CAP for sure.

I generally understand what my objectives are, just not what to do to complete them. For example the first campaign mission tasked me with destroying 4 artillery pieces -- sounds easy enough but the targets were surrounded by TONS of SAM and AAA (more than I could possibly kill). Following the mission waypoints got me shot down. Any approach got me nailed with a missile before I could get into maverick range of the artillery.

What is the right way to approach a situation like that? Should I climb up high to avoid the anti air? The fact that the default loadout contains mk82air suggests that the mission expects me to stay low but I have no clue how I could possibly use those with all the anti air in the area. Are there any resources about how to use your other air assets effectively? I could try over and over until something works but what I want to know is the "right" (or realistic) way to do it.

I am in exactly the same boat. Most of the times I am either flying around trying to figure out what I am supposed to do, or I get shot down because I. get frustrates and say F*ck it and go in hoping evasive maneuvering and CM's will get me through. In the campaigns I can follow the waypoints but normally I just get shot down doing that, and have no idea what I was supposed to be doing.

Exactly how I feel. I am just not sure what is the "right solution" (or realistic) to these missions. I could try again and again and possibly complete them but I would have no clue if the way I did it was in any way correct/realistic.

For the A-10 campaigns you do have other air assets, I always use the CAP and SEAD flights for sure. You can change your load out with the mission planner, but general you are tasked with something like killing a bridge or some armour, your load out should be specific to that task. Let SEAD deal with the AAA and/or SAM sites.

 

You can use JTAC, and I enjoy it more using them, be generally the WPs are set to the target, so you should be ok a lot of the time in not using it.

 

If you are still learning, just concentrate on the assigned tasks, so maybe that means one mission all you do is kill a bridge and RTB, sure its not exciting or glorious, but you complete your mission and dont tear up your aircraft :)

For the campaign, all you need to do for a successful mission (on your part) is engage the units at the target waypoint. Change your loadout in the Mission Planner before you click Fly.

About changing loadouts -- is it generally necessary for most missions? Do they not include sane default loadouts? I might be able to win (in the campaign mission to destroy the artillery) by loading up with tons of mavs to kill all the air defenses but that does not sound to me like something you would see in a real life mission. I am just lost about how to realistically approach these scenarios instead of just trying anything to win.

What is the right way to approach a situation like that? Should I climb up high to avoid the anti air? The fact that the default loadout contains mk82air suggests that the mission expects me to stay low but I have no clue how I could possibly use those with all the anti air in the area. Are there any resources about how to use your other air assets effectively? I could try over and over until something works but what I want to know is the "right" (or realistic) way to do it.

The realistic way to do it is to reduce all threats to you by using the correct weapons and approach to target to begin with - ie. to avoid or evade threats, so you don't have to deal with them at all. Let the SEAD assets deal with any HI/MERAD and high performance SHORADs (SA-15, SA-8), fly above 13000' to avoid MANPADs and IR SHORADs.

If you need to intrude into SHORAD territory, just stay as far away from them as you can. Ideally, far enough that if they launch, you can turn right around and out-run the missile ... without diving (else they push you right into the MANPADS, which is the point).

Exactly how I feel. I am just not sure what is the "right solution" (or realistic) to these missions. I could try again and again and possibly complete them but I would have no clue if the way I did it was in any way correct/realistic.

About changing loadouts -- is it generally necessary for most missions? Do they not include sane default loadouts? I might be able to win (in the campaign mission to destroy the artillery) by loading up with tons of mavs to kill all the air defenses but that does not sound to me like something you would see in a real life mission. I am just lost about how to realistically approach these scenarios instead of just trying anything to win.

Loved a10s over Kosovo for what I learned about the real operations and weapons employment. Highly recommend and great advice.

fignuts, Maulkin; there be three of us in this boat! :D

I have found some of the single missions to be a nice step up from the tutorials. Some are difficult and I need to re-think how to approach those, but some are more straightforward and can be accomplished after a couple of attempts.

Having a quick look at the mission files, the ones I seem to recall are relatively easy are 'Hideout', 'Sunset Sierra' and 'Smerch Hunt'.

Hideout has you attacking a base in the mountains, but here you do have to call in a SEAD flight once you read an orbiting point near the IP (nice, clear briefing on this one).

Sunset Sierra has you attacking some artillery which is guarded by SAMs and other AAA, but some SEAD flights should take out most of the SAMs before you get there. You might find yourself getting locked up in the 30 seconds before weapon release but generally I didn't get fired upon. If I did I had time to turn away or evade.

Smerch Hunt is a bit more open and unstructured. You have to contact JTAC and get co-ordinates to search for some individual (and widely spaced out) threats. The threat level is quite low on this provided you stay up high.

Like yourselves, I do struggle with knowing how to approach a mission when the briefing is not too specific or the flight plan does not include steerpoints at an appropriate elevation. One mission, 'CSAR' I think, has you flying down a valley to defend a downed pilot. I went in low and fast like Luke Skywalker attacking the Death Star. It didn't go down so well, lots of AAA! Perhaps a stand-off approach would have been better but I was just following the waypoints... since learned that's not usually the best idea! :huh:

Hope that helps a bit, but I am in the same boat so apologies if not!!!

So I have been just sort of going for it on the campaign missions and am learning a few things. I have sort of developed a "procedure" to appoarch a mission.

1. Read the briefing to figure out the objective (ex: kill the group of BMPs at waypoint tgt)
   
2. Select a loadout that I think I might need. Default loadout does not appear to be tailored to the missions ex: it gives mk82air and cbu87 when my job is to kill 5 BMPs covered by SAM and AAA that would destroy me if I got low enough to use them
   
3. Start mission
   
4. Turn on all aircraft systems (maverick EO align, TGP, laser, master arm, countermeasures, etc) and configure weapons in DSMS if necessary. I do all this on the runway before takeoff.
   
5. Take off and climb to ~12,000ft
   
6. Call in any assisting flights from the F10 radio menu
   
7. Search for and engage targets using the TGP from high altitude
   
8. Complete objective, run out of munitions, get shot down by a SAM, or fail to find my targets
   
9. Fly home and land
   

Does this sound like a sane approach similar to what other people generally do in a mission?

I'd fly higher.

You've hit upon one of the major shortfalls of DCS A-10C, which is that actual operational guidance is fairly limited in the documentation provided. Luckily there are some great resources around here, though. One that I can think of immediately is this thread where WildBillKelsoe offers up a PDF about planning for the Georgian Hammer campaign missions.

Then there's also "Finding and Dealing with Anti-Air".

If you're interested in more realistic delivery methods, the "476th Battle Book" and "Looking for dumb bomb guides" threads are invaluable.

Really great resources! Exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for! Thank you very much.