AV8B N/A Tips and tricks

9 posts were split to a new topic: DCS AV8B Question on the working of the DMT/ARBS

A post was merged into an existing topic: DCS AV8B Question on the working of the DMT/ARBS

Sorry if this has been mentioned before but I have saved LOTS of gas by flying with flaps OFF (resulting in 0 instead of 5). I also treat anything above 90% as afterburner. This mindset has given me much more exposure to enemy fire over target. Not so good for me perhaps but great for the environment (ignoring for a moment all of the carbon released when I blow up).

6 Likes

Some good tips here. That Pegasus engine is a thirsty beast indeed - I fly mostly at around 70% thrust. Also tried diving with flaps disabled (giving them 0° setting), went supersonic and broke the airframe :wink:

For years now I have used the NSW on the Warthog as Lft Ctrl. On the Throttle the big Red button is Lft Shift. It allows me to make more modified controls. Its become intuitive by now. I use the brake/paddle as my NSW.
I am flying the UH-1 easy ground attack as a trainer for the Harrier. Here is what I found so far.
The convoy is good for early training. Once I got confident to get them Mavericks off the rail, I replaced the front and rear BMPs on the convoy with real AAA trucks. After a small learning curve, I replaced them with a ZSU-23-4 and a Tangusta. This led to some lively missions. The Tangusta is NO JOKE. After a couple of days of brain adjustment I am now flying with “standoff” on my mind.
This also made me start using my countermeasures. You cant survive without them.
I think the Sidearms are really weak. They were spoofed by the tanks half the time. The Maveriks on the other hand are almost fool proof.
Its nice when you kill the two tanks and then the rest of the convoy becomes meat on the table. Perhaps I will put in some manpads next… just to keep it interesting. Oh and a wingman who will hopefully take one for the team.

You are correct, last I read is that they aren’t done yet and currently miss too much.

Then its all for the better, I need more Maverick practice.

Yes AFAIK top thrust on the Harrier is only for takeoff and landing, it’s a waste of fuel to 100% it during cruise. I suppose in combat it could be helpful to break missile lock or tighten that turn, though.

This little plane was so fun until I had to refuel. I took me about an hour of refuel practice last night. I watched a couple of videos and learned a bit.
Here is what I learned.

  1. Trim before you get to the tanker.
  2. I had to use the throttle A LOT. Even after I hooked up I had to use small thrusts to stay with the tanker. Learn to use SMALL thrusts.
  3. Practice a lot. Stop and take breaks. Get back to it and learn it. In the end it is very satisfying
  4. Try using a small curve. This was what did it for me in the end.
    Ok, good luck.
2 Likes

I really must be doing something wrong. I watched one YouTube video, and then plugged in on my first attempt. This was with VR of course. I seriously doubt I could manage it in 2D.

2 Likes

Question:

For Maverick and A/JTAC lase designating I acquire the spot with LST, it forms the diagonal cross in my HUD. Am I then meant to put it back to DTV mode and then TDC action a spot point before uncaging a Maverick?

When I GBU with the LST it seems to work fine without any TDC action push, as in I get an AUTO steer cue just fine, and can drop away. For the Maverick’s I think I am missing a step, as I acquire the LST spot, but if I uncage the Mavericks and then put straight to IRMV mode to steer it does not seem to be over the target being lased.

I’ll try again in single player to see what it does. It might just have been a MP desync thing or something.

You dont have to go into DTV mode. Once you have locked the laser, uncage mav, sensor select forward to select mav (it will be boxed on the hud), then TDC action to make the mav lock. You shouldnt have to slew it all. The mav will be aligned on the laser spot, but it wont automatically lock. You have to press TDC action, unlike the AUTO mode for bombs which requires no further input other than finding the laser.

1 Like

Yep - thanks, I tried in single player on that 107th training mission. It worked exactly like you said and how I was expecting it.

I think maybe a multiplayer glitch or bug sometimes, as we were AFAC’ing (quack!) with the A10 being flown by a person rather than AI. Sometimes I would acquire the spot, but it was not over the target, and the DTV would be showing the area but then the Maverick had nothing nearby to get near to. I thought perhaps I had misremembered it from when I was doing it in single player, but it looks just like it’s different as a bug or environment thing.

I bet the player controlled laser may not have been on the dead on lock position like the AI laser would be. I also noticed that when playing tonight.

1 Like

Nice Field Carrier landing practice script and scenery.

Mission and downloads in the video link.

6 Likes

im always impressed with the custom scripting/voice stuff. Pretty creative stuff!

Cool video describing how to land on the carrier properly:

2 Likes

I have been messing about with the MK20 rockeye CBU and the effectiveness seems to be quite low for an anti armor weapon. I tried dropping two on various targets with the following results

6 transport trucks … all hit all destroyed
6 brdm1 … all hit 0 damaged ( from health bars in F10)
6 russian armored artillery… all hit 0 damaged
6 t55 … 0 damaged

has anyone else had any luck with the mk20

No, its poo

You’re doing better than I am! I was playing on Blue Flag a couple of days ago and I couldn’t get them to detonate against some soft targets, regardless of the fuse setting and delivery altitude.

Given the impending arrival of the F/A-18 and the USN’s love of the MK20, I’d expect this will get a refresh soon.

1 Like