DCS F/A-18C

Just tried it and pushing the switch to Bypass still works for me.

1 Like

Same here.

1 Like

25 posts were split to a new topic: Countermeasures and DCS

A little Hornet update:

https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=3772764&postcount=116

Much of what follows should be old news to earlier relayed plans to include:

1- TOO and PB HARM modes are in work. Once he finishes those up, he’ll start work on moving the Litening II TGP to the Hornet. However, this is not a simple copy and paste, this is still a significant amount of work, but it will allow us to bring a Hornet TGP into the game faster than the ATFLIR.

2- Huge amount of work on the data link (D/L). This is probably the most complex system for the Hornet given the network sharing and new APIs that need to be created. We are making good progress and it will be a “game changer”. This will also address a new system of IFF.

3- In addition to cleaning up the DUD and fuze logic for HD bombs, progress has been quite rapid on JDAM and JSOW. Like D/L, this is also a rather complex task that will take time.

4- Work is ongoing on the LTWS/TWS A/A radar modes. This will in turn tie into the MIDS D/L.

Thanks,

Wags

6 Likes

For those that don’t have a massive knowledge of military data links like me, I asked on the Facebook post about SPI share (sensor point of interest aka “target” for any non-Hog pilots) and text messaging.

Matt replied back that those are part of the SADL link system. SADL is not in the Hornet (as far as I can find). The only other aircraft I found listed with SADL was the F-16, if anyone knows more - add to the list!

Hornet will use PPLI , or Precise Participant Location and Identification part of the Link-16 network. Doesn’t sound too fancy either.

Keep a pen and paper handy for the JTAC 9-lines!

Only a few I think ANG Block 30 F-16s specifically had SADL - that and IDM were supposed to be placeholders originally until L16 came in as I understand.

Not exactly. I’m not super smart on SADL but my understanding is that’s just the box and interface for how the jet talks to the L16 network. Hornets don’t use SADL, they use the MIDS box. Different name, same concept.

PPLI is associated with an individual member in the net, IE you’ll see your wingman’s PPLI symbol moving on your SA page.

The image ED showed with the SA page up on the MPCD had the text TXDSG which, assuming it’s not a placeholder, implies you will see your wingman’s ground designations.

6 Likes

Good to learn more! Thanks!

Matt didn’t mention that in his reply, so hopefully they are implementing that.

Pack it up guys!

Who ever buys those from the Navy, Canada will be ready to buy them from them in 20 years :smiley:

8 Likes

5 Likes

This is very accurate :slight_smile:

Certainly, much work to still do, but the data link, SA page is coming along well with F/F data integration. Next will be E-2/E-3 SURV data and then network correlation.

  • Wags

8 Likes

That’s beautiful…

It’s like a hyperpowered RWR page. It looks like a combo of RWR/HSI, and looks amazingly useful.

I have a question on the RWR: I understand that the Display. button is intended to declutter the display by just showing the most important contacts. But, how does it decide, and how can I change it’s mind. Hawk radars might be friendly over Georgia, but they sure aren’t over Hormuz. Likewise, I’m not sure I to be warned about every friendly frigate that has it’s radar on. Is there a Lua file I’ve missed to change the order of priority,

1 Like

I believe the way it’s supposed to work is the little knob below the BIT button will set which threats to prioritize. I don’t think it’s fully implemented yet.

1 Like

Generally in priority or declutter modes on RWR’s it will only display the closest/highest priority threat. This will be based on relative signal strength and mode of the threat radar.

For example if you are being tracked by a far away SAM and a fighter at the same time, it will probably display whichever is closer to being able to shoot. As soon as one of them switches into a launch mode of some sort, that will immediately become the priority threat displayed.

If multiple threats are launching then it should go with whichever is the closest (highest relative signal strength for that threat)

This is based on observed behavior and how it should work, I do not know if this stuff is documented anywhere in detail for DCS.

As to your comment about which threats, (hawks are friendly so I don’t want them displayed vs hawks are bad so I do want them displayed) welcome to the simple world of EW in DCS!

If it emits it shows up, and there’s nothing you can do about that other than the priority or declutter modes.

Real world RWR’s are not going to show you every emitter that ever turns on due to signal strength, and the fact that most fighter pilots don’t care about the vast majority of radars in a tactical sense. All they care about are the ones that are targeting and threatening them RIGHT NOW. There are also the physical and system limitations of the RWR, IE how quickly it can scan and even what frequency bands it can/can’t scan that can have drastic limitations on how your RWR performs.

6 Likes

Certain C3I assets possess the capability to communicate both on L-16 and SADL. Hypothetically, these could act as a bridge between the two data-links, allowing jets like the F/A-18 and F-16 to communicate with other assets such as A-10’s and JTACs. One such C3I asset is the E-3 sentry, atleast a certain number of them that have been upgraded beyond standard block 30/35 capability. It’ll probably be a lot of work to integrate into DCS, but I think it would be fun for (cooperative) multiplayer and on-call-CAS.

I have always dealt with the “other end” of this process, SUPPPLOT feeding contact data into GCCS-M which then goes out on the Links (f the @#$% OS’s down in CDC don’t delete them).
I will admit that I was more concerned about that my stuff was showing up in TFCC and the CDC’s in the CSG than what got through to the FA-18s…if any of it. So I have no idea what shows and doesn’t on the FA18 SA display.

So how much of the overall “picture” ends up on the Bug’s (the sim, not the real thing) SA? For instance, if the virtual virtual carrier-pushed a Krivak FF contact, would it show up in SA?