Dynamic Campaign "Tanker" Waypoint?
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I’m playing the Balkans campaign and some of the missions require air to air refueling. Whats the point of the “Tanker” waypoint? At 1st I thought it allowed you to place the position of the tanker and set it’s altitude and loiter time for long distance missions (since the “Tanker” waypoint from my experience isn’t offered unless i’m flying a long way).
So in order to have a tanker when i need it do i seriously need to take control of a entire Tanker squadron? In the Dynamic Campaign for some reason by default they have the tanker and tanker waypoint literally right next to my airfield (in fact it’s alittle BEHIND my airfield from the enemy AO). Serves no purpose for me at all…have no idea if even AI aircraft can make use of it.
I can’t find any documentation on this anywhere
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Hey dadunn1700, If you want to add a tanker, I would first set up the mission (all changes to STP), decide where you want to RZ with Tanker and NOTE THAT POINT. It should be a straight leg where you will start the AR. Now I Save the mission and name it something similar to the one you want to fly. It will be saved to the TE missions folder. Call up the mission in TE and click edit button. Select the Tanker base then add a package or flight. You will get the same box as add a flight. Select Kc, KC 135 walk down the list (making changes as needed) to last item, select Takeoff in last box. It will create a mission near the base you selected. The tankers fly from anchor PT to anchor point so you will see two triangles some where in the charted steerpoints. Move the lowest number steerpoint (first triangle point) to the NOTED RZ point in your fighter flight plan and the second (triangle point where you want to end AAR). Save the mission with the same name again. You can refine the AAR points by selecting the menu left hand side select ATO. Open that and then select (at bottom all packages) It will list all flights available. select the tanker flight right click, select JOIN and the flight will allow you to move steerpoints and run the clock (upper right corner to adjust T/O time. You can adjust all steerpoint to suit mission. Now run the clock and see when your tanker reaches the AR, idea timing the fighter should arrive one minute after the tanker arrives at RZ point. If not select Steerpoint 1 on flight plan for tanker (easiest to select STP 2 and back up to STP 1) adjust T/O time of tanker to meet requirement. Adjust the orbit time to cover the mission or have a second tanker meet flight on the way back following the same procedures for RZ and mission development SAVE IT and your done. If you use WDP you will need the package No# to load it.
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The tanker point is just placed where a tanker will be. Moving it doesn’t move the tanker. It’ll just be wrong.
If you want a tanker fragged in a specific spot you have to do it yourself. Most of the time the tanker isn’t useful. If for some reason your mission needs one you can either go back and fill where it is and accept that it’s the wrong way. 100nm the wrong way really isn’t that big of a deal fuel-wise. If it’s critical that the tanker be forward that usually means making a one-pass or very short duration patrol with plenty of support and the whole mission is timed like a Swiss watch.
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More like 250+ miles. The tanker by default is literally the same distance as home plate from the TA. I’m basically flying from nearly the far eastern side of the Belkan map to the absolute edge of the western side to do a AI Strike DEEP in enemy territory. Long long long flight. No way to make it back to homeplate or the alternate base.
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I’m playing the dynamic campaign so the missions are created for me already. Not sure why I would need to create and save a individual mission(s) in the TE editor in order to change something in the dynamic campaign?
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If the tanker is unhelpful to you, don’t use it. Equal distance isn’t necessarily equal energy though. Twenty-four thousand feet is worth quite a few miles range. For most sorties AAR is not needed or wanted. In fact turning off “set by HQ” to the tanker squadron is probably the best idea. Super custom missions require a lot of effort by the user. A real campaign without any AI management help would probably keep 10-20 people busy full time. This is the difficulty of the BMS user to balance workload with best mission planning.
TEs and campaign are separate. Pretend he said campaign instead of TE.
F-16 has very long range with good fuel management practices. I think I can fly from Japan to China and back in Korea with only internal fuel but very little combat ability (maybe 2 JDAM and wing tanks are disposed).
A very fully and colorful mission can be made using AAR for human and AI both if the work is put in.