Thirsty Wingmen
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Now that i understood how to manage AI … i usually have less than 1000 lbs difference at landing with AI … it is really about how you manage your flight … climb settings … rejoins … cruise altitudes … etc etc … in MP it helps me keep fuel consumption differences nelow 500 lbs. But some missions do not allow for good fuel management
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What spooky says is true enough. There is no “one thing” you can do here. You’re just going to have to spend time with them, and learn how to keep them in line. There’s a reason people call them script monkeys. They only do what they’re told, and your vocabulary is pretty limited in what you can actually tell them to do.
AI wingys need constant attention once you enter the battlefield. Weapons Free may work fine in some instances, but it is always better to tell him to attack a specific target so that he stays in the area and doesn’t go wandering around looking for targets 20 miles past your target waypoint.
Keep an eye on him with the data link and if he strays, tell him to rejoin.
Listen for his Bingo call. Send him home at this point.
Like spooky says above, no zoom climbs and stay out of burner on your way out. This is the only time you can really manage your fuel consumption. I usually come out of burner after take-off around 380 - 400 kts and pull the FPM up to 7° and do a slow climb in mil power (if I have enough room on the way out). If I get slow, I will level out and gain speed rather than use the burner.
It’s just a bunch of little things put together in a big basket. If it’s too much to handle and your still learning the jet, then send the wingman home on take-off. No shame in that, and I have done so on several occasions myself when I didn’t feel like babysitting the AI.
Your in charge M8!
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It does but you’ll almost never see an F-16 without wing tanks in a combat sortie today (unless special circumstances).
Of this I am aware. Should a newer document become available which says that loadouts sans wing tanks are not kosher, then perhaps I shall revise my personal standards to be more in line with the documentation.
For now Im happy enough to match the loadout to the required task. 600 miles TMR? I probably want wing tanks 80 mile TMR? I probably dont
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For now Im happy enough to match the loadout to the required task. 600 miles TMR? I probably want wing tanks 80 mile TMR? I probably dont
Depends also on possiblle Air Thread I assume.
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For my personal standards? Correct sir. And the mission.
Of course the mission itself tends to also depend on the possible air threat too. If there is much in the air to deal with, I am less likely to task AG missions. Open to suggestions if you have them DeeJay I respect your opinion in this regard.
And for the record, I tend towards wing tanks for all but the shortest missions anyway, particularly so for AG loadouts.
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Something to consider for air to ground missions …… if you want your AI wingman to use minimum fuel to attack a pre-planned target … you need to give him the “attack my target command” at least 10 nm from target … else he turns around to take spacing … and it can take a while.
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Open to suggestions if you have them DeeJay I respect your opinion in this regard.
No no. Rather the same as you. If my tgt is not beyong 40 - 80Nm, if we have a full air supremacy and If a have only two bombs to deploy (or a limited number of passes) , I will not necessarily take those two WT. But this is VERY rare cases.
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and just a reminder, never use “FLEX” command. The command works well but winggies and elements eat up, i mean they DRAIN THEIR fuel when they do it. It is because they almost always use ab when they are in flex, so just a few minutes of flex would burn all the fuel in your winggie and element.
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When AA, SAM and AAA threat is low or manageable I put wing and or element in trail, maybe even kick the out a few times. I found their consumption is much less because they are not keeping a lateral station. Also if AA threat arises you have a mini grinder set up. I mostly use this tactic after wing is Dakota and I am on my bombing run, (Mavs or GBUs medium altitude)
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Hi everyone,
thank you very much for all the explanations and tipps! This weekend I flew some AG-missions (Strike and CAS). I tried to be a “good dad” and cared for my wingies, and it worked quite well!
Especially, waiting for them joining up after take off is very very important thing!Prost! :drink:
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Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, so I’ll add this tip:
If you have only one AI wingman, bias your turns to the left, or slow way down when you turn right. When you turn right the AI uses afterburner, but to the left the AI can slow down. Just changing my flying patterns a bit in this way saved my AI wingmen thousands of pounds of fuel.
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No no. Rather the same as you. If my tgt is not beyong 40 - 80Nm, if we have a full air supremacy and If a have only two bombs to deploy (or a limited number of passes) , I will not necessarily take those two WT. But this is VERY rare cases.
Wing tanks surely are good for increasing station time… CFTs and 3 external tanks combined with high altitude means a long time on station…
Which brings me back to wondering why the MTOW is set so low in BMS?
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Wing tanks surely are good for increasing station time… CFTs and 3 external tanks combined with high altitude means a long time on station…
What is this blasphemy - sounds more like an airliner
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What is this blasphemy - sounds more like an airliner
Handles like one, too… But good for staying up there