OCA STRIKE: PLANNING TARGETS
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Hi everyone,
I’m making my first campaign, and it’s the first OCA Strike-type mission I’m about to doWe are a flight of 4, in a package with two flights, one of ours and the other of escort.
We aim to hit an airfield, and the main objectives are two:
- runaway long section
- runaway section x2
I selected the objectives from recon, and assigned them to the 99 98 97 steerpoints
Since there are 4 of us, and each of us with 2 gbu-24, they would advance bombs for other goals.In the area of the airfield there are also other secondary objectives of less importance, I would like to make sure that I and my wingman of the principal ones, and the 3 and 4, of the secondary ones
Should this plan be made BEFORE leaving? and how?
Or directly in flight from Datalink? and precisely how?Thank you all
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AI or human? With humans it would be best to have each assign their flight plan waypoint at target to their specific DMPI. With AI that’s not possible.
Assign the mission target to the highest priority recon runway unit. This allows AI to understand what is desired to hit and should smartly sort that target and farther down the list when given free choice. Not sure if it matters but also want to have each airplane’s laser code saved to a different number so all can lase at the same time. Targets on steers 97-99 is fine but be aware that DTC will not input elevation and DTOS for you so you have to do that manually on ramp after load. Lastly consider taking GBU-31v3 (penetrator) instead of GBU-24 as AI won’t drop more than one LGB per pass.
During approach you have a few options. One is to wait until flight calls hounddog meaning they want to pursue either AG or AA target. Ask them to DL AG target over radio. If you get valid DL points in response then that’s where they think to bomb. If unable that’s an AA hounddog. A simple weapons free gives them permission to engage what they’re thinking of. Otherwise you can give attack-my-target or better attack-my-targets commands to your wingman and element when your steerpoint for specific targets is selected (ensure CZ so radar cursors are on steer without deltas). The different between AMT and AMT is plurality, AMT is only that target while AMTS is that target and the rest of that target’s group. Be aware any AMT is also a weapons free so if you want a single pass weapons hold after the first.
My personal preference would be to take GBU-31 and give AI free reign to select targets with a simple WF when they ask. I’d follow slightly behind enough that I can pick the target(s) they didn’t get by observing all impacts and still having time to get weapons off. Setting say 8 (or more) possible targets and quickly jumping through them with TGP slaved I would drop on any the AI didn’t hit. Theoretically they could put their 6 bombs on 6 targets leaving me 2.
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+1 substantially… AI permitting
@fiffinolmo: just for curiosity sake, why have you choosed # 99, 98 and 97 as your custom steerpoints?
I realize that they are more confortable to select, but also this way it seems a little too much unusual.Anyway, do as you are more confident to, of course.
With best regards.
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AI or human? With humans it would be best to have each assign their flight plan waypoint at target to their specific DMPI. With AI that’s not possible.
Assign the mission target to the highest priority recon runway unit. This allows AI to understand what is desired to hit and should smartly sort that target and farther down the list when given free choice. Not sure if it matters but also want to have each airplane’s laser code saved to a different number so all can lase at the same time. Targets on steers 97-99 is fine but be aware that DTC will not input elevation and DTOS for you so you have to do that manually on ramp after load. Lastly consider taking GBU-31v3 (penetrator) instead of GBU-24 as AI won’t drop more than one LGB per pass.
During approach you have a few options. One is to wait until flight calls hounddog meaning they want to pursue either AG or AA target. Ask them to DL AG target over radio. If you get valid DL points in response then that’s where they think to bomb. If unable that’s an AA hounddog. A simple weapons free gives them permission to engage what they’re thinking of. Otherwise you can give attack-my-target or better attack-my-targets commands to your wingman and element when your steerpoint for specific targets is selected (ensure CZ so radar cursors are on steer without deltas). The different between AMT and AMT is plurality, AMT is only that target while AMTS is that target and the rest of that target’s group. Be aware any AMT is also a weapons free so if you want a single pass weapons hold after the first.
My personal preference would be to take GBU-31 and give AI free reign to select targets with a simple WF when they ask. I’d follow slightly behind enough that I can pick the target(s) they didn’t get by observing all impacts and still having time to get weapons off. Setting say 8 (or more) possible targets and quickly jumping through them with TGP slaved I would drop on any the AI didn’t hit. Theoretically they could put their 6 bombs on 6 targets leaving me 2.
For the moment i play only in SP mode
I will follow your advice, so you wait their pass and then try to hit the other “free” elements, on the contrary, if I go first and hit the main objectives, then is AI able to hit the other goals?I did not understand the problem regarding the DTOS and the elevation of the target.
Is it because I select as a steerpoint 99? or something else that I didn’t understand?+1 substantially… AI permitting
@fiffinolmo: just for curiosity sake, why have you choosed # 99, 98 and 97 as your custom steerpoints?
I realize that they are more confortable to select, but also this way it seems a little too much unusual.Anyway, do as you are more confident to, of course.
With best regards.
i put on 99 etc, it is easy to select
how do you usually do it? how do you plan your missions? is there a video I can see? -
For the moment i play only in SP mode
I will follow your advice, so you wait their pass and then try to hit the other “free” elements, on the contrary, if I go first and hit the main objectives, then is AI able to hit the other goals?You can but it takes time. When you let AI loose toward mission target they can hit and will ignore you staying back. On the other hand if you attack first they will be in formation with you so to do their attack they will have to fly away and return to do their attack. The danger is if you attack “X” and give them free weapons at the same time then there is a good chance that AI will try to destroy what you attacked. Either their bombs are mid-flight when you destroy their target or they suddenly have to change target meaning they go around or just rejoin with weapons remaining.
I did not understand the problem regarding the DTOS and the elevation of the target. Is it because I select as a steerpoint 99? or something else that I didn’t understand?
It is a limitation of BMS 4.34. In reality DTC holds elevation value and when loaded is applied to waypoint. For BMS waypoint heights are saved in DTC as flight plan altitude which is not elevation. To “fix” this BMS 4.34 will magically use real elevation despite not having elevation saved in DTC but only for fight plan. The result is that BMS user has no ability to set elevation with DTC. For your case it should be OK because FCR should discover ground surface when placed at saved lat/long of target point using that instead of elevation of that point.
i put on 99 etc, it is easy to select
how do you usually do it? how do you plan your missions? is there a video I can see?Normally I set flight plan target point to priority target. You can set out-of-plan points like 99 this is fine and many people do it. Most times I just let AI hit what they want without worrying about specifying multiple explicit targets.
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i put on 99 etc, it is easy to select
So, I guessed it right.
how do you usually do it? how do you plan your missions? is there a video I can see?
How many questions to answer at the same time. And for free, worse! :lol:
- It’s substantially a matter of personal habits, you know. Agree with Frederf, do as you like. To me, I’m used to assign those starting from the #15 and always no more than three in total, just to avoid any kind of conflict and confusion in my mind as first.
- Well… let’s see in order, telling the main ones only: keeping the strategic purposes well in mind; after this, conceiving a tactically according action and a series of targets useful for the development of strategic intervention; and thus, in sequence, conceiving the use of flight packages, considering that I will have to foresee a limited use of resources, certainly not being able to immobilize all the force in a certain area, leaving the other sides uncovered to enemy attacks that could be launched at the same time … do you agree on this? That might require some work on paper and pencil sometimes.
- Making a video on this topic? I have no skills about, sorry. But even there could be some on the Tube, I guess…
With best regards.