Air-Ship Naval Environment Improvements

[MBot]

With the playable Viggen, the naval environment in DCS has grown a lot more important. And with some of the aircraft in development it will continue to do so. Here are some suggestions for better interaction between aircraft and ships, e.g. aircraft trying to kill ships and ships trying to kill aircraft. Let's try to keep this topic limited to things that improve the naval environment as seen from the cockpit, so no drivable ships, ASW etc.

 

 

-The range of air search radars on most ships in DCS is way too small. For example, the Grisha and Krivak have a range of only 30 km, the Kuznetsov just has 25 km. It seems ships have been given search radars with a range of 1.5-2 times the range of their SAM system. Even small corvettes like the Grisha should have air search radars with ranges in excess of 150 km.

 

-Ships should be given the ability to receive the EWR task in the mission editor (but not have it by default), so that they may act as GCI for both player and AI aircraft if the mission designer wishes to do so.

 

-The minimum engagement altitude of all ships SAMs should be reviewed. In DCS it is possible to entirely avoid the S-300 SAM system of the Moskva cruiser by staying below 30 meters above sea level. The Osa SAM can also be avoided by flying at 10m. Since these SAM systems are designed to intercept sea skimming missiles, they should have no problems to intercept sea skimming aircraft. This is possibly related to naval SAMs being direct copies of their land based versions in DCS. The naval SAMs should be implemented as unique variants with their own respective stats.

 

-Ships should employ chaff and defensive jammers to defeat incoming anti-ship missiles. Command Modern Air/Naval Operations does a real nice job at this. Missile seekers, defensive jammers and CM are all assigned technology levels, then the game rolls a dice with respective modifiers whether a missile was decoyed. It is an easy system, but serves to reasonably model an aspect of tremendous importance in naval warfare.

 

-Sensors, radiation management and ESM are some of the fundamentals of modern naval warfare. While this is probably out of scope for DCS and requires dedicated wargames such as Command Modern Air/Naval Operations, there is one feature from CMANO that would translate well to DCS. An EMCON state that is assignable to ships. Under EMCOM ships would cease all radar emissions while keeping their weapon systems active. If their radar warning equipment picks up the signals of an anti-ship missile, or if the ships spot one visually, they automatically turn on all radars to engage the threat. Once all detected threats are destroyed, the ships return to EMCON state. This makes ships harder to find and classify with ESM/RWR gear, while they retain the ability to defend themselves.

 

-Ships should be able to temporary turn in order to bring aircraft and missiles in the arc of fire of their air defense weapons. So a Grisha V that is approached from the rear would turn 30° degrees in order to unmask its forward SAM launcher. Once the treat is gone, it resumes its original course.

 

-Ships should engage air targets with their dual purpose naval guns.

 

-The Tarantul III /Molniya is missing its quadrupel Strela-2M/SA-N-5 SAM launcher.

[SilverSho0t]

+1 We need improvements in naval combat, we have already ajs 37 but F/A-18 come... it's why it need improvements.

 

I hope a day, we will have a module to control ships.

[Fri13]

+1 We need improvements in naval combat, we have already ajs 37 but F/A-18 come... it's why it need improvements.

 

I hope a day, we will have a module to control ships.

 

Combined Arms is it.... Just needs refining for command interface

[The Black Swan]

I totally agree, very nice list.

 

Hopefully we will get improvements like this once the hornet and new carrier arrive

[Silver_Dragon]

+1 X 1000

 

My Old request...... That need a big improvement or 3rd parties start to build naval modules with proper systems (CA / FC-3 style, very dificult see a "hardcore" module)

[Winston 60]

Some good things in your list there. Naval engagements and graphics quality are primitive in DCS now. May I add that all ships should create a stern wake too instead of just a bow wake.

 

Currently though, it's nice to see a Grisha shoot down Harpoon missiles with it's gatling guns.

 

Ships do turn now, but not to bring their guns to bear. They turn to evade attack and how much they turn and evade depends on their set skill level.

Edited February 23, 2017 by Winston 60

[WRAITH]

With the playable Viggen, the naval environment in DCS has grown a lot more important. And with some of the aircraft in development it will continue to do so. Here are some suggestions for better interaction between aircraft and ships, e.g. aircraft trying to kill ships and ships trying to kill aircraft. Let's try to keep this topic limited to things that improve the naval environment as seen from the cockpit, so no drivable ships, ASW etc.

 

 

-The range of air search radars on most ships in DCS is way too small. For example, the Grisha and Krivak have a range of only 30 km, the Kuznetsov just has 25 km. It seems ships have been given search radars with a range of 1.5-2 times the range of their SAM system. Even small corvettes like the Grisha should have air search radars with ranges in excess of 150 km.

 

-Ships should be given the ability to receive the EWR task in the mission editor (but not have it by default), so that they may act as GCI for both player and AI aircraft if the mission designer wishes to do so.

 

-The minimum engagement altitude of all ships SAMs should be reviewed. In DCS it is possible to entirely avoid the S-300 SAM system of the Moskva cruiser by staying below 30 meters above sea level. The Osa SAM can also be avoided by flying at 10m. Since these SAM systems are designed to intercept sea skimming missiles, they should have no problems to intercept sea skimming aircraft. This is possibly related to naval SAMs being direct copies of their land based versions in DCS. The naval SAMs should be implemented as unique variants with their own respective stats.

 

-Ships should employ chaff and defensive jammers to defeat incoming anti-ship missiles. Command Modern Air/Naval Operations does a real nice job at this. Missile seekers, defensive jammers and CM are all assigned technology levels, then the game rolls a dice with respective modifiers whether a missile was decoyed. It is an easy system, but serves to reasonably model an aspect of tremendous importance in naval warfare.

 

-Sensors, radiation management and ESM are some of the fundamentals of modern naval warfare. While this is probably out of scope for DCS and requires dedicated wargames such as Command Modern Air/Naval Operations, there is one feature from CMANO that would translate well to DCS. An EMCON state that is assignable to ships. Under EMCOM ships would cease all radar emissions while keeping their weapon systems active. If their radar warning equipment picks up the signals of an anti-ship missile, or if the ships spot one visually, they automatically turn on all radars to engage the threat. Once all detected threats are destroyed, the ships return to EMCON state. This makes ships harder to find and classify with ESM/RWR gear, while they retain the ability to defend themselves.

 

-Ships should be able to temporary turn in order to bring aircraft and missiles in the arc of fire of their air defense weapons. So a Grisha V that is approached from the rear would turn 30° degrees in order to unmask its forward SAM launcher. Once the treat is gone, it resumes its original course.

 

-Ships should engage air targets with their dual purpose naval guns.

 

-The Tarantul III /Molniya is missing its quadrupel Strela-2M/SA-N-5 SAM launcher.

 

 

+1 Yeah development is all about DCS COMBINED ARMS being AIR-LAND- "SEA"?!?!?!

 

As Silver-Dragon reply post it is mentioned here............ https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=116893

 

But defo need a CVN Nimtz class 75/78 etc carrier "BIG BOAT" with all functionality elevators etc

 

Then get the ship and strike group to interact with mission as a command center of ops

 

Well maybe one day when all is good under the heavens and THE MERGE is done.

 

Would be good to have something strategic and tactical in network linked ops and more of a strategic sim game in realistic battle.

 

Especially for the up and coming DCS F-18C...........we dream till then I guess. So +1 for these wishes.

Edited May 9, 2017 by WRAITH