HARM POS Mode timer
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The TOI and TOF indicators can be off by us much as 40 seconds for longer shots.
With the target location known,
the missile performace, the launch parameters, the winds at altitiude known
this calculation should be fairly precise.If F4 you can also see that the Timer gets updated in flight and the remaining TOF can change rapildy or smoothly but faster then it should.
This would be normal against other jets (what we see when fireing slammers) but it does not make sense against stationary targets. -
The TOI timer in 4.33 should be OK in the sense that they will show you when the missile gets to the target, and yes it can go faster/slower depends on the missile in the air, a bit unrealistic but I thought it’s better than a timer that is OFF by 30-40 seconds. Anyway for relatively close shots, the timer should be more precise so TOF/TOI should be closer.
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Any lateral turn or poor loft alignment (did the missile have to change attitude when launched) will greatly extend the TOF vs. the predicted. EOM/PB/RUK will have different TOFs due to how early they detect the threat in flight. The HARM does not like turning with any sense of urgency. It’ll shoot over the shoulder but it’ll take ages to do so.
Given the 200s TOF limit don’t shoot with less than 180s (3 min) showing in the best situation. If significant turns or area searches are expected don’t shoot with more than 120s predicted. I’ve never had a missile show up earlier.
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With the target location known,
the missile performace, the launch parameters, the winds at altitiude known
this calculation should be fairly precise.The TOF is predicted based on assumptions at “t” … once in flight, expected conditions might change a lot. (wind at high alt, trajectory condition, Delta ISA … etc …)
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I engaged a Patriot radar without any launchers
All shots made at at approximately 20500 ft MSL. All shots made at approximately mach 0.85. All shots were made with the tadpole on the Steering cue.Wind was set to 0 and confirmed by the F16 Avionics
The Shot at 50 and 30 miles where made in level flight. The shot at 10 NM was made with the FPM at the target.
ACMIs would be available on requestLaunch range launch time Actual TOI Predicted TOI Actual speed Predicted Speed 49,7 20:02:40 20:04:30 20:05:15 1626,55 1154,32 29,1 20:04:08 20:05:15 20:05:40 1563,58 1138,70 9,7 20:06:26 20:06:48 20:06:48 1587,27 1587,27
Of course I do not have any real insight how precisely this works in RL. However the observed time differences seem quite extensive. It also makes it quite difficult to do precise PET shots
@I-hawk. Updates on the TOF post launch seem very unlikely in RL. The factors that go into that calculation should not really change over time.
In game, no matter how precisely the prediction can be made it should maybe not be updatedBearing and range to steerpoint.
There also seems to me some kind of discrepancy.
The steering line is visible over the selected Steerpoint and seems to be correctThe Bearing and heading information with the FPM on the steering line is not consistent
The screenshot in the manual shows a course of 325° with the FPM on the steering line and a bearing of 304°. So about 20° difference -
Well… of course TOF shouldn’t be updated while missile is in flight, that isn’t real. But I decided that is better than the other way around (there were complains also on the other way around in the past).
Unless Falcon missile FM code will improve in the future, I don’t have much to do here.
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You have to know best if something can be done with reasonable effort. Right now it is what it is.
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I shot a couple POS (EOM) HARMs at some steerpoints. I shot one showing 3:00 PTOF and 2:00 PTOF. Threat type was set other than the threat so it would not do anything but plow into the ground at the steerpoint. HARMs were fired ~20,000 level with zero relative bearing and the FPM in the middle of the upper and lower tick marks.
Notes:
“3 minute” HARM 05:58:04 impacted 06:00:12, 1:46 TOF.
“2 minute” HARM 05:59:46 impacted 06:01:23, 1:38 TOF.Post launch countdown TUI (EOM or PB) was not a simple timer but adjusted not smoothly and not 1-second per second. TUI also reached 0:00 to coincide with actual impact.
Missiles destructed 160s (not 200s per 4.32) after launch.
To a large degree it feels like things have been scaled by the max TOF duration. The “3:20 (200s)” PTOF seems to correspond to almost exactly 2:40 (160s) actual TOF at least at max range. 160/200ths is 4/5ths or 80%. 80% of 2 minutes is 1:36. Notice the initial 2:00 test ended up 1:38 TOF. 80% 3:00 is 2:24. I ran the “3 minute” test again and got 2:11 which isn’t too far from 2:24. I recommend reducing all shown TOFs to 80% value as best guess for now.