Gunnery range - initial impressions
So firstly I have to say, this is a really interesting exercise. My ‘data’ so far is far from conclusive and definitely more anecdotal than hard fact - so take it with a grain of salt…but the process is fun.
Here’s the pattern I’ve been flying. The attack turn and run starts at 10,300 ft MSL / 5,000 ft AGL at circa 200kts and around 10-15 degrees nose down attitude.
The first difference when diving in is the visibility out of the cockpit. The C-101 has a less cluttered cockpit, however the wide dashboard doesn’t allow the pilot to peek down and ahead as much: in the L-39 you can tilt your head to the side and see down and ahead past the HUD assembly:
That’s what it feels like, anyway - it seems easier in the L-39 to offset from the target just by a bit, keep the target on sight and remain in level flight.
Once you’re accelerating down the slope and trying to do gunnery ‘by the numbers’ (i.e. fire at a decided altitude / attitude rather than at point blank range), the layout of the C-101 cockpit is more use friendly. You can look through the HUD and keep an eye on the altitude, the artificial horizon and the airspeed quite easily - a lot more so than in the L-39, where the digital altimeter scale is smaller and lower down in the cockpit:
When it comes to weapons effectiveness, there’s definitely a difference too. The rate of fire does make a difference, in both good and bad. I had instances with the DEFA where a short 0.5 second burst with a few direct hits wasn’t enough to take out an M113, whereas the GS-23L seems to send enough lead downrange that if your aim is true, a very short press of the trigger is enough to take APC’s out reliably. The DEFA potentially feels more accurate at distance at the 10-15 degrees diving angle - but I need to test more to be sure.
The more modern C-101 HUD has a nice digital depression status display (which matters little) - the smaller pipper is arguably better than the L-39’s.
The L-39 HUD assembly is obviously bulky but ultimately there’s little functionality difference.
The C-101 has a noticable nose-down moment from the recoil. The L-39 shakes a bit but the nose remains put.
It sort of feels like this: with the DEFA you can do multiple relatively accurate passes from potentially a bit further away (as I said, unsure at this point) but you may need to come back to finish the job, whereas the GS definitely delivers in one go if you dare get close enough. In saying that, the GS really only gives you a couple of passes, as the rounds run out a lot quicker.
Up close, the GS is a deadly weapon.
Neither gun let’s you ‘snipe’ from altitude / distance like the A-10’s monster gun does, of course - you either try your luck from a distance and may achieve nothing but you’re more likely to survive…or you wait until throwing distance and risk your hide but will likely get results. No free lunches.