AI flights mid-air refueling
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Flights with AIs only do refuel in mid-air. I know because I’ve seen them do it sometimes in the default KTO campaign.
Now I’m trying to make an AI flight refuel in a TE to observe them.
I’m placing an AI DCA flight down low, and extending their patrol time to one hour, so they have time to burn off their fuel before their patrol time is over. I plot a route down low and fast, so they burn fuel faster. I create their package with a tanker already on patrol, and a refueling waypoint does show up. But instead of going for the tanker, they just head back to base.
I’ve tried placing their patrol area closer to the tanker than their base, but results were the same.
Am I using the wrong type of mission, or only a certain type of AI aircraft can refuel mid-air? (I’ve been using F-4Es)
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Good Day, Hyesudo. I believe AI will only refuel if they are part of your package and you AAR. I don’t think they do it on their own.
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Flights with AIs only do refuel in mid-air. I know because I’ve seen them do it sometimes in the default KTO campaign.
Video please!!
C9
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Good Day, Hyesudo. I believe AI will only refuel if they are part of your package and you AAR. I don’t think they do it on their own.
I regularly run into other packages refueling.
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@Cloud:
Video please!!
C9
I wish I could, but right now it’s totally unpredictable. The few times I’ve seen it happen was because I was going to refuel myself and found the tanker was serving someone else.
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Mini bump.
So, anyone has any idea of what causes the AI to refuel instead of return to base straight away? Maybe only for specific types of missions? Maybe only for certain aircraft? -
You can set their steerpoint to refuel and as long as they’re near the tanker (and the tanker is on station) they will join the queue and hookup.
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You can set their steerpoint to refuel and as long as they’re near the tanker (and the tanker is on station) they will join the queue and hookup.
The flight creator automatically adds a refuel steerpoint at the end of the routes, but maybe the AI ignores it because it’s at the end? I will try moving it closer to the tanker’s first anchor point…
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The flight creator automatically adds a refuel steerpoint at the end of the routes, but maybe the AI ignores it because it’s at the end? I will try moving it closer to the tanker’s first anchor point…
Must be some logic that I wasn’t aware of. Anyways, just click on any spare NAV steerpoint (or create a new one by moving the solid square between two existing ones) and set the task to refuel. You have to choose the tanker from a drop down, I haven’t been in the sim for far too long.
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Mini bump.
So, anyone has any idea of what causes the AI to refuel instead of return to base straight away? Maybe only for specific types of missions? Maybe only for certain aircraft?ho yeah i have a pretty good idea.
Most obvious case is when there is a refueling point inserted at the flight creation : the AI will then refuel at that waypoint
After that it’s all about fuel management and dynamic bingo.
The fuel to come back on home airbase is constantly monitored, based on average consumption defined in DB
when this fuel to come back home is < 1000 lbs (for a F16 but it’s scaled ofr other AC based on average consumption) Then :
- if a tanker is in AIR AND the tanker is < 80 NM AND the remaining fuel when reaching the tanker is 1.5f * 1000Lbs, then the AI decides to AAR.
- if not, the AI is RTB
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Time to do some tests!
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@Mav This is the test it uses regardless if you insert a refuel point in the middle of the flight plan? I always assumed the auto-generated stpt was just a reference for the AI. Good to know.
EDIT: Does it look for ANY tanker <80NM or the assigned tanker?
yes regardless if there is a refuel point of course and any tanker, it takes the closest
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be careful
If the flight is leaded by a HUMAN leader, the wingmen will not apply this and will remain with their leader as long as the leader did not instruct them RTB
Leader will receive the call “bingo” though and will decide to free their Wingmen or not
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Success!
I created an AI two-ship F-16 BARCAP. The flight planner automatically put a refueling steerpoint between the home field and the alternate. I moved the refueling steerpoint closer to the tanker’s first anchor point. Beyond that, I changed the flight plan to a one hour patrol at 12000 feet and loaded some draggy stores.
2 called bingo first, and went straight for the tanker. 1 followed soon after.I will keep testing with other types of mission and aircraft.
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Resounding success
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Success!
I created an AI two-ship F-16 BARCAP. The flight planner automatically put a refueling steerpoint between the home field and the alternate. I moved the refueling steerpoint closer to the tanker’s first anchor point. Beyond that, I changed the flight plan to a one hour patrol at 12000 feet and loaded some draggy stores.
2 called bingo first, and went straight for the tanker. 1 followed soon after.I will keep testing with other types of mission and aircraft.
silly question, but
why loosing your time to test ? -
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silly question, but
why loosing your time to test ?I have to test. All the time. Or I get this… this itch, y’know?