AI really can't do a ferry flight to a carrier?

Hi, this really drives me nuts and I don't understand it anymore.

I want to do a simple ferry flight through the Persian Gulf from a airbase to a carrier. Together with my MP 2 ship I want 4 groups controlled by AI. I placed them and use trigger to activate them at different times to get some separation between them.

At short distances there is no problem, the AI will land at the carrier, clear the deck and I can have all 8 jets parked. When I try to do the same with 400 sm distance they can't land anymore, no idea why they simply turn around and continue back to the coast. I thought the ran out of fuel.

So I tried to let them refuel but without luck, one jet will get in contact for 5 seconds and than both jets turn away from the tanker again. After that they skip there flight to the carrier and return to the homeplate. Tried different planes, alt, speed. Without the refuel task they will fly to the carrier but can't land.

I tried different distances, 2 tankers on route etc. and now I don't understand it anymore.

The jets fly with 2 AIM9x, 2AIM120C and 3 bags, ALT 18000 - 32000 ft

Any ideas or is the AI still that limited?

May be a combo of distance and the "slightly" exaggerated AI fuel burn?

Another person had an issue with an F-117 that would not complete a simple precision strike and it all boiled down to just being too far for that particular aircraft to fly.

You may have to settle for a more "reasonable" distance but perhaps someone else will come up with an alternate suggestion.

AI fuel burn may be wonky, they may be most efficient low and slow:

https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=241809

Also some potential outright bugs:

https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=242162

It is most likely fuel related. Might be best to force the AI to refuel at specific intervals on the flight just to keep them topped up. Essentially the AI have a habit of not thoroughly taking into account the time it takes to refuel each member of the flight so they cut it really close.

I tried to refuel them after 140 am but they didn’t refuel, just flew circles and returned to base. Than I tasked 2 tanker, the flight passed the 1st without refueling and continued to the 2nd without refueling, close to the carrier the flight turned back towards the coast.

The tanker is tasked correctly and on station, the AI flight has a refuel task on the STP, why are they not performing there task?

When it‘s a fuel problem why on earth isn‘t the carrier the closest landing option.

When I deactivate the tanker tasks the same happens. They flew to the carrier but will not land.

This is a nice simulation but such simple things should be much easier, the AI seems to be totally stupid to me at the moment.

Attach the mission please. Generally that'll help spot any oddities like using the wrong tanker or the task isn't quite set up correctly.

It is most likely fuel related. Might be best to force the AI to refuel at specific intervals on the flight just to keep them topped up. Essentially the AI have a habit of not thoroughly taking into account the time it takes to refuel each member of the flight so they cut it really close.

Having seen -3 and -4 punch out while -1 and -2 are on the pipe, yeah, they cut it too close.

I know Snapper hasn't replied in a while, but I was curious enough to try testing this. I don't think it's a fuel issue. Firstly the F-18 AI seems to have a more advanced fuel consumption model than some other AI and gains efficiency with increasing altitude (probably because it's flyable, I noticed similar results comparing player F-15 to AI F-15 for non combat flights in the past). Secondly in the attached mission, they can ferry for over 500 nmi easily. They reached the carrier with over 60% internal fuel.

Without a track I can't determine what is happening to Snapper's AI. It seems like it might be something similar to the Tornado bug I posted, but that seems to be Tornado exclusive according to my testing.

AI_Ferry_Test.miz