Tips on finding movers on TGP?
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I’m aware of using WIDE, NARO, WHOT, BHOT, and zoom to search for targets, and looking for dust trails, but when hunting armour with Mavericks, are there any other secrets for locating moving targets?
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Radar and SPI?
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I’m aware of using WIDE, NARO, WHOT, BHOT, and zoom to search for targets, and looking for dust trails, but when hunting armour with Mavericks, are there any other secrets for locating moving targets?
+1 Ice. FCR, GMT if they’re moving, Snow plow, and hunt. Finding vehicles visually when you don’t already have clues or cues can be a real problem, that’s not how I proceed to find them either. I used to be very frustrated about proceeding to efficient searches, maybe focusing on visual and TGP too much as well.
EDIT: that, and markpoint when you spot them.
Everything you need to know and links in my Youtube channel, "About" section.
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Personnaly I prefer good SA with knowing the area. For example when I play the FAC(A) role, I use a lot the PPTs function as label to mark some bridges. From that bridges, I follow the highways with the TGP to check if any group of vehicules follow it. With a good preparation, you know that you can focus on less than 3 roads for a specific group.
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Will markpoint be useful if the target is moving? I know the markpoint will at least give you a steerpoint (bookmark) that’s near the moving column, but you’ll still need to slave the Mav seeker head, right?
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Will markpoint be useful if the target is moving? I know the markpoint will at least give you a steerpoint (bookmark) that’s near the moving column, but you’ll still need to slave the Mav seeker head, right?
Certainly. It’s just a way to recover your area of interest quickly if you need to engage an AA threat for instance.
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Preplanning TGT steerpoints is also a good way to find your targets easily but in order to do that they must be visible on the map before you commit… In case the targets are moving, you only have their last known location so it’s also worth checking the direction in which they are moving by looking at their heading through recon… Of course it’s not a guarantee since they may change direction at any time… I personally use the same method as LorikEolmin, FCR in GMT mode with snowplow if needed & slew the FCR onto the white dots, perhaps EXP view (though definitely not necessary) & identify with the TGP, verifying that your target is in fact what you’re looking for…
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@LorikEolmin:Certainly. It’s just a way to recover your area of interest quickly if you need to engage an AA threat for instance.
Or simply note the bullseye info :mrgreen:
Ow yeah & make sure the TGP is slaved to the FCR, which it normally should…
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So I’ll give you what we do; I’m not sure how much it applies to BMS…
You will sometimes get passed coords of where the JTAC wants your pod looking to get you in the general vicinity. If you see vehicles you want to look at and don’t have coords, then take a HMCS or OFLY mark. Then slew your pod in WFOV and take a point track on the mover. I assume there are many more vehicles real world so it makes it a little easier. Additionally, I would guess just looking outside is not an option in BMS.
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then take a HMCS or OFLY mark.
The A-G capabilities of the HMCS are completely non-existent in BMS for now. Have those HMCS functionalities been available since HMCS introduction with the M3 tape or did they come later?
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The A-G capabilities of the HMCS are completely non-existent in BMS for now. Have those HMCS functionalities been available since HMCS introduction with the M3 tape or did they come later?
Right, I was about to ask if I had missed it from the beginning, yes it would be a good help, certainly. And indeed, looking outside isn’t the easiest way to spot and keep track of vehicles, from my own experience. HCMS marking would greatly help with air defense and any surface firing vehicle for instance, you usually see them more easily…
No, it’s not like turning around AT-AT legs yet
Everything you need to know and links in my Youtube channel, "About" section.
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Also, if there are SBAD vehicles, HTS may help to discover movers, but sometimes they activate FCRs only when you overfly them.
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Personnaly I prefer good SA with knowing the area. For example when I play the FAC(A) role, I use a lot the PPTs function as label to mark some bridges. From that bridges, I follow the highways with the TGP to check if any group of vehicules follow it. With a good preparation, you know that you can focus on less than 3 roads for a specific group.
Nice man, appreciate that, we are just now to a point where we are beginning to train these skills at my wing.
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Perhaps it was beginners luck, but with the FCR I made a contact SPI, switched to the TGP, visually identified dust clouds, and took out a ZIL and a T-62.
I don’t know whether it’s designed behaviour, but when I selected Snowplow I couldn’t make the FCR/TGP MFD SOI.
Ah.
At this point, there is no SOI, and the cursors cannot be slewed. The cursors can be slewed to a target or aim point with the CURSOR/ENABLE switch after you ground stabilize them by using TMS forward.
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Yes, it’s more beginners’ “mistake” concerning having to TMS-up first, and no beginners luck concerning your spotting method, I think you will reproduce it at will.
Perhaps it was beginners luck, but with the FCR I made a contact SPI, switched to the TGP, visually identified dust clouds, and took out a ZIL and a T-62.
I don’t know whether it’s designed behaviour, but when I selected Snowplow I couldn’t make the FCR/TGP MFD SOI.
Ah.
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As always, the manual has the answers:
Scenario 2 – Moving Targets, Multiple Passes
In this example, our target is a column of T-62 tanks that are rapidly moving south and we need to stop them. Our loadout is 4 GBU-12 which we will be dropping in singles. We’ve positioned our TGT STP 5 around in the vicinity of where we expect the column to be when we arrive on target but we’ve kept in the back of our mind that they may not be there.After safely airborne and en route to the target, we begin the administrative tasks of checking our systems out in AG mm. Again we call up the TGP base page and select A-G mode of operation. This time, we’ve planned to initially use STP/TGT submode in the GMT mode. Thirty to 25 miles out we begin looking for movers at our STPT 5—nothing so far. Ten miles from the STPT we pick up some movers 5 miles to the north of our STPT. Since there are no friendlies around for miles, we know this is our target. They appear to be heading toward our STPT. We switch into SP (Snowplow) mode in GMT. This mode is better suited for looking for our targets not at our steer point. With the SOI on the GM scope, we TMS forward to enable us to slew the radar cursors around. We slew over to the movers and lock one up. Next we DMS down to switch the SOI to the TGP. Next, command TMS forward to stabilize the TGP and enable slewing. We use the pinky switch to change the field of view (FOV) to EXP so we can get a good visual. At last we see some tanks moving. We slew over to one of them, cease slewing, and then TMS forward and command POINT track. We begin a shallow dive and release. We manually lase the mover with our trigger to ensure the bomb will hit.
More than ever I can understand how useful a HOTAS is in situations such as these.
The hardest part is probably the second and third passes. I suppose the trick is to be aware of proper approach direction and coming around to attack from that same direction.
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Not necessarily… Once you’ve found your target & supposing you were in snowplow mode, you would press TMS up & at that point the radar cursor should stick to the selected position… Your targets won’t be moving too far away from that position although it might be interesting to mark the position in case your accidently move the cursor off target… Also mind that the targets may stop moving which will make them disappear from your FCR as long as you’re in GMT mode, so when that happens you need to change back to GM mode… Another thing you could do is, once you found your contact, maintain visual on it through the TGP so you don’t lose them… As for the approach direction, it all depends on what munitions you are using… LGBs should make much of a difference where you approach from as long as you’ve got enough altitude though when you’re rolling in with clusters in CCIP for example, it might be easier to approach parallel to the target’s moving direction…
& yeah, HOTAS rocks in these situations :mrgreen:
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IMO snowplow is almost superfluous in 4.33. the SPI system is the bee’s knees, man.
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I’m trying to understand the benefit of using Snowplow over GMT.
We switch into SP (Snowplow) mode in GMT. This mode is better suited for looking for our targets not at our steer point.
I’m not clear on that. The FCR in GMT is looking directly ahead of the aircraft, or at the SPI, not pointed at the steerpoint?
I can understand the advantage of using SP and TMS Up to point the TGP at a specific point, without setting SPI. Aside from that I’m not sure what makes it so useful.
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I’m trying to understand the benefit of using Snowplow over GMT.
I’m not clear on that. The FCR in GMT is looking directly ahead of the aircraft, or at the SPI, not pointed at the steerpoint?
I can understand the advantage of using SP and TMS Up to point the TGP at a specific point, without setting SPI. Aside from that I’m not sure what makes it so useful.
When you change steerpoint, your radar automatically targets your new steerpoint, which can be quite a nuisance when you don’t want to hunt there. SP allows you to redirect your interest elsewhere. Same if the point you’re targeting at the moment doesn’t interest you anymore and you want to go elsewhere; you don’t have to slew your radar cursor all the way in.
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I suppose it makes sense if SPI defaults to the active steerpoint, as it is with the A-10.
I’m clearly more familiar with A-A, rather than A-G, FCR.
