To expand a little bit what works and what doesn’t (in DCS ofc) I will expand this a little. This is only to set up long range AMRAAM engagements in a test scenario, in a proper mission you will of course run into all kinds of situations.
I will take the Viper for this because it’s what I am familiar with. I never liked the radar workflow in the Hornet although using AWACS data link with the nose cold for AMRAAMs is quite a lot of fun I must admit
It’s been a while since I ran proper tests but the last mission I have flown before Christmas I winged it and went away with a PK of 0.75 (4 shots, 3 kills) against MiGs with R-77. The shot I missed was about half-way down between Raero and Rte and it was a close one.
The nice thing with the Viper is that managing the radar and missile employment is very straightforward. It’s all controlled via the HOTAS which in my book is a huge plus vs the Hornet. Although the Hornet has a better radar and its DLZ gives you a little more information IIRC, it has a higher workload due to the subpar HOTAS controls (that is only my opinion, I have always disliked radar management in the Hornet).
So the DLZ in the Viper has three important marks. You have Raero, Rtr and Rmin.
Raero is your missiles maximum aerodynamic range
Rtr is the turn-and-run range which means if the target turns around and runs the missile will still be able to catch it. If you want to ensure a kill you wait for Rtr if your timeline allows for it. It doesn’t guarantee a kill but the PK against AI is very good here. Going high and fast can extend this range to over 20 miles in a head-on scenario
Finally Rmin is the minimum range for the missile pretty self-explanatory.
The question when you want to shoot your first missile is obviously completely dependent on the situation but for the sake of simplicity let’s say you’re up against a MiG-29S with R-77 in a head-on high altitude scenario and you have AWACS data-link.
I don’t have a precise timeline here but a conservative MAR of 20nmi is reasonably safe and gives you a high PK.
You should be able to pick up the MiG around 35-40nm on radar and get solid TWS tracks around 30nmi.
Using Data-Link you can comfortably set up your engagement. In a simple test scenario like this, I climb to an altitude of 25’000ft-27’000ft, level off and accelerate at mil power to about M0.95 before turning hot. At about 45-50nmi I plug in the burner, accelerate past M1 and start a supersonic climb. Things will happen very fast now, ideally the engagement is over in a few minutes.
There are three good options for AMRAAM employment, STT, dual target track and TWS. TWS is pretty solid but it can be a bit trickier to use than STT or dual target track.
In the end the mode doesn’t matter that much. STT is the most reliable option but I have the feeling that the AI will always know precisely when you shoot in STT. In TWS their spidery senses are not quite as good last I checked although still way better than any human player.
Once you have a good track or lock, look at your DLZ. In a head-on, going supersonic at above 30’000ft you should see a Rtr of at least 15nmi, probably more, depending on altitudes, aspect and closure. It can be well over 20nmi in this scenario.
Treat the zone between Raero and Rte as a suggestion. I have had good results by waiting for the range to drop to the lower quarter for this zone. Unless I am forced to shoot I wait with my first missile for the range to come down to this bracket, usually between 20 and 25nmi but for testing purposes you can try all kinds of ranges within the bracket. Waiting for the lower quarter will give you a very high PK. If Rtr extends past 20nmi I usually wait for it because that’s almost a guaranteed kill vs AI.
As soon as you shoot, drop out of burner and turn hard to reduce speed until the target is at your radars azimuth limit. Turn around when the missile goes pitbull or when you hit your MAR, whatever comes first.
In the above mentioned mission I did a supersonic sprint for three of the engagements, including the miss. I was airborne for a little under 2h, refuelled a little over 3000lbs and landed with about 2200lbs in the tank.
