DCS: Mi-24 Hind

Flight Sims
737

Just re-ran the same training exercise…and promptly forgot to ask Petro to cage the gyro after the first launch again, hah!

It all worked as advertised, though. I jumped to the front seat, turned off the systems, flew on for 3.5 minutes, switched them back on and flew for 3.5 minutes, and we were back online…this time I remembered to cage the gyro before each break off turn.

You can tell if the gyro is tumbled when the crosshair on your pilot/commander HUD doesn’t go looking where you’ve told him (with the head tracker) to look.

3 Likes
738

It quickly becomes automatic to you to uncage. I have it set to POV hat “down”. I just flew the Ka50 for the 1st time in a year. I kept hitting that keystroke out of habit, breaking the ABRIS lock :crazy_face:

5 Likes
739

I had my first online ATGM kill today.

I had a short time window to do something, so logged to Growling Sidewinder air quake server.

I hopped in a hot start Hind, which turned out to be at a FARP with a short 10NM hop to a town with a generated A/G mission. The enemy was setting up a SAM site and the mission was to kill them before it is set up.

I took off from the FARP into the snowy valley - I was right under the main A2A contested area, so the RWR was beeping and I think someone took a missile shot at me once (RWR went solid and Petro yelled about a missile) - I was low above a field but dashed even lower, into a little gap between some trees with a stream. Never saw an explosion or the missile, so who knows. Either way I stayed below the treetops the rest of the way.

I had to land at one point to find the de-icing system, as I got a warning light…which then maybe caused a generator shut off (I assume it reduces available power) when I needed to pull more power slowing down into a hover than I expected…so I then turned the anti-ice back off.

I got into the vicinity of the enemy-held town and Petro apparently saw some targets, but I had no idea where…and then I heard an auto cannon nearby, presumably taking shots at us. Here I made the smart choice of backing right out back the way we came, along a river valley between buildings, and tried again, this time flying a little higher for better SA.

This time I spotted the clearing with the enemy vehicles as they opened up, and executed a reasonably tidy break turn, then flowed into a clover leaf that would see me approach the clearing from the direction of a road going through it, which I figured would give me the best chance of a clear ATGM shot.

It worked - Petro picked up an IFV and got a shot off at stand off range, I ordered the shutters shut and broke off with flares going, leaving a Bradley in flames.

Now, I still had more missiles, but I thought with the limited time I had, better get home safely and get a sense of satisfaction…so I high tailed it back to the FARP between trees.

50 minutes at the PC, one take off, one kill, one landing.

:grin:

11 Likes
740

The sheer pleasure of professionalism.

2 Likes
741

Good mission execution. :+1:

I can not remember how many times I have succumbed to just one more pass after a successful attack run and ended up a smoking hole in the ground.

Wheels

3 Likes
742

Ditto x 1000! I’ve know about “one pass, haul butt” since I was 10. I still sucker myself into hanging long enough to bag one more and <BAMB!>, I’m pushin’ up daisies.

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743

Ah…they haven’t even come close to hitting me yet.

Boom…

4 Likes
744

The fact I had to come and brag online about the one time I made a wise decision speaks volumes about how I usually do it :laughing:

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745

There, ftfy :wink:

3 Likes
746

Second mission in the Revanche, I had an interesting experience - due to lack of practice, no doubt. Sort of related to the above, really.

The target, enemy ground forces (a few IFVs, a Shilka, some trucks I think) were split in two, with a forward element of two BMP-2’s a km or two ahead of the main force.

I had done one successful ATGM run and was on my second attack run. Petro found the main force, and I told him to track one of the IFVs there for a shot.

As I was running in, I realised that my path was taking me close to the forward element BMPs. I had a good 15 seconds to ponder that, and how the right call would be to abort the run, turn cold before I’m in the BMP range, and fix the threat geometry to my advantage.

I thought about all those things. I recognised the flight path and the BMP’s range bubble, in time. And then my stupid lizard brain just said “maybe you’ll get the shot off”. So of course I flew into the auto cannon range. And saw the first burst.

And then I thought about what Casmo said in one of his helo videos. Speed is life. Don’t yank so much that you lose your energy, just gently adjust enough to clear the tracers, get to cover, it’ll be fine.

And that’s when I yanked too hard, trimmed in the wrong state, got into excessive pitch while turning, and hit the ground.

I think the right thoughts, I just don’t follow through! I need to listen to my brain!

6 Likes
747

Don’t forget to watch the world around you. The reason I loved this campaign so much is that the creator set up little experiences that happen within your canopy: fast movers, debris falling from the sky, stray bad vehicles. I had to replay several. By no means was it a piece of cake.

7 Likes
748

Someone might have done this already - and it is a minor help - but when I ran out of missiles today but had rockets left, I was thinking that it could be handy to have Petro spot and put his crosshairs on the target, for me to then do a rocket run by putting the thing on the thing.

It doesn’t work quite like that - once you go off MSL mode on the weapon selector, the shutters remain closed and the crosshairs become the gyro target calculator thing.

But - I was thinking, if I had the weapon selector mapped in the HOTAS, I could have Petro spot the target for me in MSL mode so I can get aligned, then switch over to gun/rockets before getting in range - the crosshairs will centre to the other mode but I already know where the target is…sort of use the AI like a visual targeting aid to “talk me” to the target without being able to talk.

6 Likes
749

Yep! That’s what I do.

2 Likes
750

This got me revisting the Hind so I set up a target range a bit west of Murmansk. Really fun terrain for runnin-and-gunnin.

For me Petro only hits 50% of his targets and the S-8 rockets really put the “area” in “area effect.”

I need to think of some scenarios I can use it in without getting shredded by the all-seeing all-knowing AI.

5 Likes
751

I was at Rotorheads server last night - and have to say, I had a really good time.

I warmed up with some CSAR in the Huey, given I had an unfortunate encounter with a BMP in the Hind when I first logged in - you only get 3 attack helicopters unless you rescue your pilot, so I wanted to go do that and save a few others too.

Once I’d done that, I dropped some troops with the Huey as well through the CTLD menu, something I haven’t done in a long time.

The best flight of the night was in the Hind, though. I went to get some anti-tank troops loaded before heading to the frontline. A few players were pushing north to gain control of a road and a village, dropping troops etc.

I took out a couple of BMPs in the village with ATGMs and landed in the village square to drop off the AT team. The AT team seemed to get LOS on a few enemy units once dropped (they appeared on the F10 map) so I got the opportunity to pepper some trucks with 30mm before sneaking back the way I came, having established a bridgehead.

I know this isn’t how the Hind was used in real life given how cramped the cabin is…but from a gameplay perspective, it’s pretty neat that you can do troop drop offs and CSAR with a stand-off attack capable helo - basically prepare your own LZ. :grin:

Now I’m thinking that I should leave the rockets home off the inner pylons and see if the server allows you to have the KORD dude in the door as well as load troops…nothing like an AI gunner to find and clear out pesky infantry.

ATGMs for tanks/IFVs, 30mm for soft targets, AI KORD door gunner for infantry, infantry team in the hold to push ground control…a pair of Hinds like that would be pretty impressive :grin:

7 Likes
752

I’ve never done “multi-role” in the Hind. Nice!

1 Like
753

I tested this a little bit, and it works!

I ran into a BDRM while on my way back from dropping some troops, so I threw the Hind to a left turn and let the KORD gunner do the talking (you can have him on either side but I figured left is better for my visibility in the turn).

It worked - the gunner managed to put enough rounds in the BDRM to set it alight and spit his troops out, and then got to work on the infantry.

I think it is harder to get him to fire, than the Huey’s minigunners - this seems about right, given the Huey has more space for the gunner to move around. The minigun is also better at mowing down infantry - the 50 cal has lower rate of fire so it’s not such a fire hose. It took down the BDRM nicely, though.

So, definitely some compromises, but all in all it is quite fun to head to the frontline to look for trouble as a little solo attack/assault combo unit.

5 Likes
754

Nice @Bearhedge! I really have to get back to DCS and try those helo servers.

755

It looks like this guy Aeria Gloria has done a lot of experimenting with the Hind, and has written a lot of it down here:

I haven’t had much of a read yet, but it looks like great stuff.

Weapons Guide

Autopilot guide

Aerodynamic section translation

4 Likes
756

I am still having a great time with the Hind.

My primary mode of engagement on Rotorheads has sort of evolved into a left-hand racetrack attack.

I look for an approach direction where ideally I have some cover to my left, to duck behind after the attack run.

Early on in the approach, I have Petrovic scan the terrain between us and the intended target, to try and catch anything hostile we might fly over.

I then browse through the targets and try to make sure that I’m picking the closest threat first, i.e. not just happily target a Strela 9km away only to find a BMP 4km closer and fly into his tracers when trying to get in range to shoot at the Strela.

Depending on the threat level, I’ll choose whether to run the flare program during the ATGM run.

As soon as the ATGM hits (or misses), I’ll order the doors closed, flick off the yaw AP, punch the flare program, enter a descending left turn, and get behind the terrain I identified before the run.

Yesterday I managed to get all 8 ATGMs off with that repeated race track against a fairly high threat enemy – multiple Strelas, Shilkas, BMPs of all 3 variants and some non-radar 23mms. The Strelas would get shots off during the break off turn but they all ate flares or the terrain.

The cherry on top was that, for the first time in ages, I left the door gunner home and took some rockets with me – and actually managed to get a kill. I was out of ATGMs and I should have gone home – but there was a KAMAZ that happened to be the closest target of the remaining enemies. I got Petrovich to keep him under the crosshairs during the approach, then selected rockets once lined up and launched the lot of them. I was outside of the targeting computer recommended range, but I didn’t want to get any closer to the Strelas and Shilkas behind the KAMAZ – and it worked! Most of the rockets hit all over the show, but some hit close enough to the truck to light it up. My first rocket kill in anger.

I returned to base with all stores except for the gun expended.

That’s definitely not how all my flights go…but it was nice!

10 Likes