Ground Attack - ways/rules of engagement?

hi guys, i just started learning about ground attack in BS. i created a small training mission for myself with a couple of stationary tanks only to find out THEY SHOOT AT YOU!!! Geeez that was something new to me thats for sure!!! i had no idea tanks can shoot at choppers! is that really so? can u use flares as a means of defence?

anyways, actually what i want to talk about is the ways you would actually engage enemy targets?

a) do u set autohover somewhere from a far distance and then lock up target by target and take them down? if so, the only thing i find a little "iffy" about this tactic is that u would usually need to point the nose of the chopper down to align the shoot cue with the locked up target... so in effect u will be fighting the autopilot while doing this and also beginning to move forward.

b) fly at speed to the target, take a shot and vear off before u overfly it?

or is there any other options? whats the sort of "best" way of attacking targets... specifically with Vikhr?

Thanks

Your Vikhr launchers will change there Angle of Attack when you lock up a target. So there's rarely a need to fight autohover.

Tank crews are trained to range and fire on helicopters... Especially if they want to shoot a hovering chopper.

It matters on the situation for me...

If I see a group of targets at a distance and am fairly certain that I will not take AAA fire or SAM's from where I'm at then I'll engage hover and attack stationary.

If it is a lone target or if I am feeling skittish then I'll make passes.

a) Stand-off attacks with the Vikhrs are very common for Ka-50s because the pilot's workload is reduced in a hover. And like the Goose, erm... Goat, said, the Vikhr-Launchers can swivel up and down.

b) that tactic is usually employed with unguided munitions like S8, S13, UPK23, etc. because they have a shorter range than the Vikhrs, requiring the pilot to get closer to the target.

Regarding tanks shooting missiles:

Main Battle Tanks like the T72 shoot missiles that either are laser-guided or use a laser for rangefinding (not sure which) and are optically guided. That means your laser warning system will light up, but flares will be useless because the missiles are not IR (infrared = heat) guided. And watch out, they shoot with their usual cannon, too!

Flares only work on IR guided missiles like Stinger, Strela and Igla. The launching platforms for those are for eample the Avenger, Linebacker, and your worst enemy: Infantry (MANPADS).

Off course, there is also air-to-air missiles like the AIM-9, but I'm not sure you can evade them that easily.

Your best measure against missiles is situational awareness. If you know where the missile comes from, you can react much better to a missile threat. But I'm sure there are already tons of threads about missile evasion on this forum, have a look around :)

A) I will start out at say 14kl searching for targets. Save the ones that are the bigist threat. Then locate a safe zone to hover at out of reach of their weapons. Engage the most dangrous ones first. when out of vickers go in with guns.

b) hardly ever do this with vicks. I will employ this tatic with rocket attacks.

Refer to A for best tatic. Anything other than that and you are giting funky props for fancy flying. :thumbup:

Main Battle Tanks like the T72 shoot missiles that either are laser-guided or use a laser for rangefinding (not sure which) and are optically guided. That means your laser warning system will light up, but flares will be useless because the missiles are not IR (infrared = heat) guided. And watch out, they shoot with their usual cannon, too!

Actually, the laser rangefinder is what's used when firing the "usual cannon". They do not shoot any missiles laser-guided nor optically guided. (BMP's do carry ATGM launchers, though.)

I suspect you might have seen a SABOT round and assumed it was an actual missile, it's not. It's just a projectile with a DU penetrator that is of smaller diameter than the shell bore.

As for the whole "can do" thing: there's no difference shooting a hovering helicopter and a stationary vehicle 10 meters below the hovering helicopter. You aim and fire the exact same way. It's just that air targets tend to move faster and have an extra dimension of travel which can make aiming more difficult. But get within a kilometre or two of a well trained tank crew and they'll show you what 105mm smoothbore feels like. ;)

The main rules are :

1) Try to take a good time scouting the area ahead of you and the target area. Prioritize the threats.

2) Use your stand off weapons at the highest threats. Pop-up attacks (utilizing hover & hills for cover) is your best choice.

3)Once enemies that can one-shot you are taken out, you can proceed with finishing off the rest using cannon and rockets. Break before you overfly the target area.

thanks guys! much appreciated!

A) I will start out at say 14kl searching for targets. Save the ones that are the bigist threat. Then locate a safe zone to hover at out of reach of their weapons. Engage the most dangrous ones first. when out of vickers go in with guns.

 

b) hardly ever do this with vicks. I will employ this tatic with rocket attacks.

 

Refer to A for best tatic. Anything other than that and you are giting funky props for fancy flying. :thumbup:

can i ask, how do u "save" the 1s that are the biggest threat?? I am guessing u mean on the ABRIS... but i'm not sure how to save them. i'll have a look at the manual just in case. Thanks.

Top left panel, when locked select target type and click mem and it'll save it for display on your ABRIS. Check manual and tutorials for ABRIS and datalink details.

awesome thanks!

Actually, the laser rangefinder is what's used when firing the "usual cannon". They do not shoot any missiles laser-guided nor optically guided. (BMP's do carry ATGM launchers, though.)

 

I suspect you might have seen a SABOT round and assumed it was an actual missile, it's not. It's just a projectile with a DU penetrator that is of smaller diameter than the shell bore.

 

(...)

I really don't want to start a big "who knows his military best" discussion, but I'm pretty sure the T-72 can fire 125 mm guided missiles. I'm not sure whether they do in BS, though, so you might be right. Could also be that I confused them with APCs in the heat of battle :doh:

EDIT: Ok, according to wikipedia the T-80 and the T-90, which is an unpgraded version of the T-72, can fire the 9K119 REFLEKS laser guided missile. So yes, the T-72 per se can NOT fire missiles ;)

 

EDIT: Ok, according to wikipedia the T-80 and the T-90, which is an unpgraded version of the T-72, can fire the 9K119 REFLEKS laser guided missile. So yes, the T-72 per se can NOT fire missiles ;)

T-72B capable of firing the 9M119 Svir - Laser Beam-Rider, akin to Vikhr as opposed to Laser-Guided.

sorry to interrupt the whole tank battle going on here, but could you guys tell me if it's possible to lock the gun sight either for the cannon or for unguided rockets in the centre of the HUD... so basically you shoot to where you point, instead of the Shkval locking onto a certain bit of land?

with the tank battle somewhat over, the answer is yes, the "p" key does that. it switches between automatic tracking and gunsight.

sorry to interrupt the whole tank battle going on here, but could you guys tell me if it's possible to lock the gun sight either for the cannon or for unguided rockets in the centre of the HUD... so basically you shoot to where you point, instead of the Shkval locking onto a certain bit of land?

Yes, just switch it to gun sight mode. Switch next to the HMS switch, on the targeting mode panel.

thanks fellas!!!

can i ask, how do u "save" the 1s that are the biggest threat?? I am guessing u mean on the ABRIS... but i'm not sure how to save them. i'll have a look at the manual just in case. Thanks.

page 2-44/45 for basic info in data link.

Here is the short version on how to store a target to the ABRIUS.

1. make sure you do not have a Nav TGT selected on the PVI-800
   
2. locate the target you want to store
   
3. select TGT type
   
4. hit send/mem buton
   

The target is now on your ABRIUS

there is a max TGT count you can add to the ABRIUS so only slect the mose importent targets to take out. Reset your system and move up to your attack position. Now is the fun part using the data link to relocate the TGT.

1. select the TGT you want buy hiting the TGT type on the data link panel.
   
2. now hit the ingress button (middle yellow button on DLINK)
   
3. make sure you are facing the TGT genral area and hit UNCAGE SCHVAL. It shuld move to the TGT area that you saved. It wont be perfict, as you have moved your location. I a little looking near buy wind find it quick enough.
   
4. Start killing things.
   

Hope this helps. :book::book::book::book:

sorry to interrupt the whole tank battle going on here, but could you guys tell me if it's possible to lock the gun sight either for the cannon or for unguided rockets in the centre of the HUD... so basically you shoot to where you point, instead of the Shkval locking onto a certain bit of land?

If you select the cannon with out actvating the schval you will have a bore sight with out the schval on. hitting P will actavate the gun sight on the TV. rockets always have a bore sight in the hud. but locking a TGT with the schval will give you the proper range to TGT and put the piper in its proper location in the HUD.