MAV STEP function
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hi guys. i was wondering today if you can uncage more than 2 mavs at a time. i’m an expert with mavericks but i’ve always only shot 2 per pass (uncage, MSL STEP, uncage, PT TRACK, MSL STEP, PT TRACK, pickle pickle)
BMS -34 says that OSB 18 STEP should switch between mavericks on the same pylon (IE, station 3 # 2) however it seems that ingame STEP just steps pylons (like NWS MSL STEP hotas command)
am i doing it wrong? is it a bug?
thx.
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@Cik:
hi guys. i was wondering today if you can uncage more than 2 mavs at a time. i’m an expert with mavericks but i’ve always only shot 2 per pass (uncage, MSL STEP, uncage, PT TRACK, MSL STEP, PT TRACK, pickle pickle)
BMS -34 says that OSB 18 STEP should switch between mavericks on the same pylon (IE, station 3 # 2) however it seems that ingame STEP just steps pylons (like NWS MSL STEP hotas command)
am i doing it wrong? is it a bug?
thx.
Can’t uncage more than one Mav per station.
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OSB 18 STEP
If the missile is loaded on the LAU-88/A or -88A/A the STEP mnemonic is also displayed. Depressing the STEP OSB rejects the selected missile and steps to the next missile on the selected station.am i reading this wrong? is it incorrect? it’s on page 150 of -34 BMS.
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@Cik:
hi guys. i was wondering today if you can uncage more than 2 mavs at a time. i’m an expert with mavericks but i’ve always only shot 2 per pass (uncage, MSL STEP, uncage, PT TRACK, MSL STEP, PT TRACK, pickle pickle)
BMS -34 says that OSB 18 STEP should switch between mavericks on the same pylon (IE, station 3 # 2) however it seems that ingame STEP just steps pylons (like NWS MSL STEP hotas command)
am i doing it wrong? is it a bug?
thx.
No - that is not a bug…and if you could do that before, then this is a fix. You can never have more than one MAV under pickle, and when you STEP to the next one it should have to wake up and time in - in RL you should only be thinking about shooting one MAV per pass because of this.
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Depressing the STEP OSB rejects the selected missile and steps to the next missile on the selected station.
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Known bug.
OSB 17 STEP on the AGM-65 SMS page (LAU-88A/A only) should not step between stations. As pointed out in the original post station selection can be accomplished by the MSL STEP button or the OSB adjacent to the station number.
STEP should allow you to sequence through all missiles loaded on the selected station, in case that the primary missile is hung.
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…I should think it would step to the next missile in the firing sequence - and not the next missile on the same rack? That would/should make it switch racks.
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OSB 19 allows you to sequence through all missiles loaded on the selected station when the missiles are loaded on the LAU-88A/A. STEP is not displayed if LAU-117s are loaded. Darkman is spot on
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…interesting. So, if you’re mounted on a single rail(s) and a station fails, how do you get to the next one? HOTAS only?
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…but he just said that STEP is not displayed if you are single rail mounted. I can see simply selecting the other station, though. Still seems goofy to me that STEP does not simply step you through each missile in firing sequence order…oh well.
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The way I envision the situation is that the jet interfaces with the launcher and the launcher interfaces with the missile. So to the F-16 the LAU-88A is a Maverick logically. The LAU-88 “virtual Maverick” then selectively connects the real missile to the jet. If you’ve ever worked with a KVM-switch (keyboard, video, mouse) to selectively adapt one control set to several computers: that kind of idea. The “switch” in the rack itself hasn’t been equally capable of its history with the 88 not being able to support slaved seeker steering while the 88A is.
It may be STEP is a command sent to a specific 88 “I don’t like this missile, show me another one” so it can only show what it has access to, not missiles from the other side of the airplane. I do wonder how it works after it gets to the end: loop back to the first, declare it has no more, smartly suggest the other side of the airplane, etc. How permanent is this rejection: EO power cycle, master mode cycle? Is there any indication of stepping “3A 3B 3C”?
BRU-57 + LAU-117s would make an excellent BMS configuration option! Slant-two loading on TERs or 88s is so draggy and unfortunate. Good luck programming dissimilar weapons on a BRU-57.
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My point is that the rack isn’t smart, but the jet is and commands the launcher as to which missile to use…so I could expect the jet to simply STEP through all of the stations of the selected weapon type - any weapon type - in firing sequence order. And that that order would be in such a sequence to maintain lateral balance - i.e.; if you fire two, you fire one from the left and one from the right in sequence. That would/should also make STEP change sides/launchers if you STEP through the sequence.
However it work is how it works…but if it differs from this it’s goofy…to me…
May the bridges I burn light the way
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but the jet is …
Not as smart as we’d like though - there are times it can be as dumb as dumb can be. Shoot an AMRAAM in AA mode, then shoot a second in either MRM or DGFT mode, and you’ll end up with no missiles on your left and two on your right wing. End result is a jet that requires constant trimming as speeds change. If the jet was really smart, it would select next missile depending on current loadout.
I know we can step manually before firing, but in the heat of battle, do you really want to be making sure a release is going to leave you with a balanced jet beforehand? I’ve got enough to think about in these situations already…
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Well this sucks…
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Well that is a bug then.
The MMC “remembers” the last weapon type that was selected in DGFT/AAM/ MSL OVRD. It Also remembers the last selected air to air station.
For example
If you are in AAM mode and select an AIM9 on station 7, switching to DGFT or MSL OVRD will select the AIM 9 on station 7.
While on MSL OVRD you change the station from 7 to 6, switching to AAM or DGFT will select the AIM 9 on station 6, or
While on MSL OVRD you select the AIM120 on station 9, switching to AAM or DGFT will select the AIM120 on station 9
During the MMC power up or recycle the AA modes default to
DGFT SRM
AAM SRM
MASL OVRD MRM. -
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you can uncage four at a time, step through them lock them up, and then fire them all off in a sequence.
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…that sounds SERIOUSLY wrong.
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LAU-88A Rapid Fire Capability. At uncage, the priority missile and the next missile in the selection sequence, called the nonpriority missile, are activated. If both missiles are AGM-65D IR Mavericks, the nonpriority missiles can be slaved to the priority missile. After launch, the nonpriority missile dome cover is jettisoned and the next missile in sequence becomes the nonpriority missile. The AGM-65B had a similar feature called Quick Draw although I don’t know if would work across LAU-88 or LAU-88A.
4-station Mavericks I don’t know but more than one missile may be providing video simultaneously (the selected being displayed). In the case of 6 Mavericks on LAU-88A all 6 are powered at once and 2 may be tracking simultaneously and fired with a single WR press.
Dome cover removal, video, uncage is automatic. The pilot press is only to achieve these actions prior to the 3-minute timeout (>90% gyro RPM required). This can be useful for temporary power-offs in which the gyro does not need the full time to achieve operating RPM since it is still spinning somewhat from previous operation.
