External fuel tanks
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+1 to Blu3wolf. Attrition should always be a concern, hold onto those tanks if possible, you might need them later in the campain
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Generally there are two cases where you want to jettison tanks - either a variable mission event like being intercepted has occurred, and you need to jettison the tanks for extra performance, or the mission plan calls for an extreme long range mission where the tanks must be jettisoned in order to get a long enough Total Mission Radius (TMR) to complete the mission.
Given that almost all BMS missions are under 200 miles TMR, and you only start needing those tanks jettisoned at 400 to 800 (depends on mission configuration and profile), Id say you probably want to hold onto the tanks. Unless you are jettisoning them to survive being intercepted, in which case the fuel left in the tanks is the least of your concerns. UNLESS you are jettisoning them to survive being intercepted, AND you are also four to five hundred miles from home plate - in which case, your mission was probably doomed from the planning stage onward.
All up - hold onto your tanks! Those things are expensive. There are missiles cheaper than those things.
Yea good advice- will keep them unless jumped by anything better than a Mig 21. I think against a Mig 17,19 or 21- the max G that can be pulled in cat 3 of 5.5 should be a hard enough turn to get inside those. On top of that IIRC Mig 17s and 19s dont have any missiles, or is it just the 17s? would you jettison against any interceptor no matter what generation fighter it is?
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That would really depend. There might be a very few situations where I might consider keeping the tanks and extending out of a fight after being intercepted, if I had a close escort that could tie up the intercepting fighters.
Usually though if I get intercepted Im going to save my jet and virtual skin rather than try to keep the tanks/bombs.
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CNS,
I had been curious about this, so I dove into the good 'ol Dash-1. Page 129 describes Cat 1/111 , which I figured would be the issue. AAM’s and a centerline tank can be Cat 1. Of course, that sacrifices the jammer pod( as I’m flying the Hornet, not an issue), but it does provide enough fuel for our campaigns.
So, to answer your question, I’m with Blu that you don’t have to drop tank at the first sign of trouble. -
CNS,
I had been curious about this, so I dove into the good 'ol Dash-1. Page 129 describes Cat 1/111 , which I figured would be the issue. AAM’s and a centerline tank can be Cat 1. Of course, that sacrifices the jammer pod( as I’m flying the Hornet, not an issue), but it does provide enough fuel for our campaigns.
So, to answer your question, I’m with Blu that you don’t have to drop tank at the first sign of trouble.Good point, only in my next campaign sortie the default loadout includes 2 wing tanks, and they’re required due to the target radius so would have to be cat 3. Have to say its a strange loadout though as the target is a AAA battalion and it has 2 AGM-88’s. Which are what i’d want for striking SAM’s, but for AAA i want CBU-87. Wont argue with the 2 tanks though…dont wanna risk running out of juice.
What weapons would you guys choose for striking a AAA Btn? seems to me like CBU-87 CEM would be the weapon of choice.
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Good point, only in my next campaign sortie the default loadout includes 2 wing tanks, and they’re required due to the target radius so would have to be cat 3. Have to say its a strange loadout though as the target is a AAA battalion and it has 2 AGM-88’s. Which are what i’d want for striking SAM’s, but for AAA i want CBU-87. Wont argue with the 2 tanks though…dont wanna risk running out of juice.
What weapons would you guys choose for striking a AAA Btn? seems to me like CBU-87 CEM would be the weapon of choice.
The “upper number” cbu’s are good choices, though I personally like Mavs. I have seen AAA batteries that are separated enough to make hard kills with cbu’s difficult. Of, course, if you want to “cheat”, use JSOW!
The real point is that you shouldn’t feel bound by what the UI gives you. Personally, I’m about 50:50 on changing the loadout. -
The “upper number” cbu’s are good choices, though I personally like Mavs. I have seen AAA batteries that are separated enough to make hard kills with cbu’s difficult. Of, course, if you want to “cheat”, use JSOW!
The real point is that you shouldn’t feel bound by what the UI gives you. Personally, I’m about 50:50 on changing the loadout.JSOWs are a great mini nuke if the vehicles are somewhat close together. My new favorite for dispersed ground units is the SDB.
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JSOWs are a great mini nuke if the vehicles are somewhat close together. My new favorite for dispersed ground units is the SDB.
I’ve never tried any of the JDAM’s or JSOW/JASSM’s….i havent even fired mavs yet either. So far in my campaign and what i’ve learned through training is CCIP/CCRP and DTOSS for dropping/lofting bombs and CBU’s. Dropping LGB’s and HARM’s. Looking into those other weapons it seems i dont know what i’m missing. I knew of them obviously but hadnt seen the need to use/learn them yet. That said i was going to learn to shoot mavs for my next interdiction sortie.
I see though however that JSOW’s, and i’m guessing JASSM’s and JDAM’s arent properly implemented in 4.32 in that they’re all fired same way as mavs. Well…so once i learn to shoot mavs in 4.32 then i’ve learned everything, though from what i have gathered those INS/GPS guided weapons are properly implemented in 4.33. So i shall now watch the tutorial on mavs by Krause, great tutorials he’s made.
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Speaking of dropping tanks. Is it possible to run out of them in campaign? For the past couple of campaign days I have been getting and “OUT” next to them in the load out screen (not my fault, I swear, I don’t drop them!), yet all flights seem to have them anyways and I take off with them all the time.
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Yes you can run out of external fuel tanks
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I see though however that JSOW’s, and i’m guessing JASSM’s and JDAM’s arent properly implemented in 4.32 in that they’re all fired same way as mavs. Well…so once i learn to shoot mavs in 4.32 then i’ve learned everything, though from what i have gathered those INS/GPS guided weapons are properly implemented in 4.33. So i shall now watch the tutorial on mavs by Krause, great tutorials he’s made.
JSOWs and MAVs are done differently in 4.33. You won’t have learned everything on MAVs as the limitations and method of employment are significantly different in 4.33.
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Speaking of dropping tanks. Is it possible to run out of them in campaign? For the past couple of campaign days I have been getting and “OUT” next to them in the load out screen (not my fault, I swear, I don’t drop them!), yet all flights seem to have them anyways and I take off with them all the time.
I’ve been told to never jettison tanks as they can be used again so as far as i know you can run out of them until you get a resupply. So it says out for fuel tanks in the loadout screen yet you can still load them?
EDIT: Only jettison tanks if intercepted, otherwise keep them is the advice i’ve had.
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JSOWs and MAVs are done differently in 4.33. You won’t have learned everything on MAVs as the limitations and method of employment are significantly different in 4.33.
I see sounds interesting will have more to learn then in 4.33. What about JDAMs and JASSMs? are they fired the same way as JSOWs in 4.33?
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I’ve been told to never jettison tanks as they can be used again so as far as i know you can run out of them until you get a resupply. So it says out for fuel tanks in the loadout screen yet you can still load them?
EDIT: Only jettison tanks if intercepted, otherwise keep them is the advice i’ve had.
Yep, same advice I had and I follow it. What caught my eye was that it said “OUT” yet any single flight has them.
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the tricky part about supplies being OUT is that you cant load the store - but stores part of a default loadout are often still loaded.
So even when out of wing tanks, you can still get them, so long as you dont remove them, and the loadout started with them - because if you do remove them, you wont be able to reload the store.
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I see sounds interesting will have more to learn then in 4.33. What about JDAMs and JASSMs? are they fired the same way as JSOWs in 4.33?
Never used JASSMs myself so cannot speak to those. You have it backwards. The JSOW now drops like a JDAM not the other way around. I.E. no more faked out MAV like video for the JSOW.
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Mavs are the number one example of why I like BMS. You don’t just “push a button and blow things up”. It’s rewarding to do an involved procedure and do it well. Btw, the Dash 34 pp.145-167 and the Weapons Checklist p7 cover the Mavs
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Mavs are the number one example of why I like BMS. You don’t just “push a button and blow things up”. It’s rewarding to do an involved procedure and do it well. Btw, the Dash 34 pp.145-167 and the Weapons Checklist p7 cover the Mavs
Not in the 4.32 docs, you must mean the -34 in 4.33.
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Not in the 4.32 docs, you must mean the -34 in 4.33.
Yeppers. You do want to focus on the 4.33 Docs with Mavs as quite a bit changed with them.
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Yeppers. You do want to focus on the 4.33 Docs with Mavs as quite a bit changed with them.
I’m still playing 4.32 and hoping that 4.33 will be available again soon. I know there will be things i’ll need to relearn in 4.33 like with how mavs and JSOWs are fired but thats good as the simulation is improved and more realistic which is what we all want.
Can you tell me the changes in 4.33 over 4.32? or do you have a link for this info? thanks.
I’m actually just watching some videos made by Tim Morgan on You tube and boy i like what i see. The man in the loop weapons vid where he fires a GBU-15 with a datalink pod, and oh yes…harpoons! watching this vid now