Never entered elevations in the hog.
Yea, I read up on that too. Run in and cycle waypoints (without designating) and you’ll see the time to release change even though you are aren’t changing target. So currently it calculates based on current selected waypoint elevation, not target elevation.
Hopefully that will be fixed soon.
Terrain databases are not accurate enough for precision weapons employment they generally do not have the resolution required. accurate height above target is one of the key things on completing the bombing triangle and it being off by 100 feet is more than enough for a miss. Remember an INS or even a EGI/GPS system still has some uncertainty in aircraft position and elevation that adds in with whatever errors are caused by the database.
You “can” get the elevation and the jet will happily use it just by looking at the line of site of the sensor and where it intersects the terrain database. But if you expect that to actually hit your target, you will be sorely disappointed the majority of the time. Relative or absolute height above target is absolutely required.
Relative is provided by a ranging source (laser, a/g radar) and absolute is provided in the real world by the equivalent of going to the f10 map and figuring out what the actual elevation is then plugging it into your system.
Any unguided system relying on the jet for delivery will require a relative designation to be the most accurate. Anything that relies on gps/ins can use either a relative or an absolute designation. Lgbs usually are going to fall close enough to see the laser which then takes over as their “absolute” guidance
Unfortunately in the hornet right now the tgp is magical and doesnt really do anything when you fire the laser in regards to ranging and your designation. It is always “perfect” even without the laser. In the real world (and you can see this in the kamovs shkval) if you were to look at the coordinates or target range before you fire the laser, and then after, you would see a jump as it corrects its ins assumption to what it actually is. You can easily see this in the kamov by flying around with the shkval and slewing it around, look at the abris for the location it “thinks” you are pointed at, then fire the laser, the range in the shkval will update, the indicator on the abris will snap to the correct position, and you are now good to go.
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As it was the hornet was dropping the LGB’s so wide off the mark they missed the laser basket entirely. The bombing solution need not be centimetre perfect for LGB’s but when the thing thinks it’s at 5000 feet when it is at 50, the bomb never sees the spot to home in on, right?
Shouldn’t the radar be used to complete the bombing triangle? How does the hog do this? The frogfoot has a ranging laser but the hog doesn’t, right?
Awesome to read about real world considerations @klarsnow and @Hangar200 
thanks!
The release points I got would put weapons release when passing over the target - so no chance of catching the laser.
Imagine needing a radar and a TGP for accurate bombing solutions.
ARBS masterrace
posted by AV-8B NA gang
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I’ll see your harrier and raise you a stuka 
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Imagine needing to dive to hit the target.
made by IL-2 gang
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It’s a radar or a tgp, you can always do it with manual mil bombing as well, but that requires you to know the targets altitude before hand. The radar altimeter can also be used, but is only accurate if the terrain you are flying over at release is the same elevation as the target.
The ARBS is another method. Honestly look up when the a-10 got ccip, before then as far as I’m aware it was all mil bombing.
All of this doesn’t mean you can’t hit things it’s just increasing the probability that there are errors which will result in a miss. And Emphasizes flying a perfect pass, vs just put the thing on the thing and pickle, that you can do with CCIP
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IIRC isn’t there a setting for the terrain elevation somewhere (I know there was something for the cannon). I’m guessing the radar altimeter is used, and if it’s above that range, it’s probably based on having the correct barometric pressure altitude setting to get 0 AGL = 0 AGL (or close enough). The flight computer provides aircraft speed and ground track, the altimeter provides height AGL, and the designated point give the final point to the bombing triangle. You just have to make sure the altimeter is giving you an accurate height above the target point.
In DCS or real world?
In DCS the mission planning system is OK but it is not a targeting system. So one must alter a waypoint to make it a DMPI (dedicated mean point of impact).
In the real world, as @klarsnow indicated, the standard terrain navigation databases are not accurate enough. The USN uses a system called a Precision Targeting Workstation (PTW) to do precision targeting. It gets its very accurate elevation data by other means and uses stereoscopic images to produce a 3D portrayal of a target in order to get the exact elevation, i.e. the exact height of the building, bridge, etc.
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But do you need to bomb so precise when using laser guided munitions? Isn’t that a case of ‘hit the basket and the GiB will make the magic happen’?
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Yes. Exactly that with LGBs…although the jet also needs to be flying within certain parameter of pitch and roll. The PTW is for GPS guided munitions.
I think the issue in DCS is that you are dropping in CCRP with waypoint is used as the aimpoint. But, the altitude of the waypoint/aimpoint is the altitude of the jet, not the target. So the jet’s computer tries to calculate a release point to hit a target that is several thousand feet in the air…essentially when the jet crosses directly over the target’s Lat/Long. So it goes way long.
In the real world, you are using different systems to plot aimpoints (DMPIs) and waypoints. So not an issue.
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The answer real world with lgbs is yes, you do need precise coordinates and elevation, at least in the last twenty years. If you have the wrong elevation it can make the bomb go long/short by 1000’s of feet very easily, depending on the angle of impact, and if it does not guide to the laser spot, well if the aircrew didn’t bother to put in correct coordinates, that collateral damage is their fault.
There’s also the energy on the bomb factor, if it has to correct for half a mile of travel, that will bleed its energy, which can reduce its penetration capability, or if it’s tracking a mover, cause it to fall short endgame.
Real world there are thousands of pages written on the employment and how to get the “best” results out of what are in flight sims very simple weapons like lgbs.
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Tres cool, thanks guys
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Maybe not the most appropriate place for this question but how does one fire the laser in the F-18? I know to arm with the laser switch on the right console. After that I am lost (and so are my LMAVs). The RTFM so far says nothing about the TGP.
Nevermind! “TRIG” LSK on the TGP display.
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I am enjoying my F-18 deep dive of late. But I have a ridiculously silly question about the AGM-154. It is listed as a missile. And the name suggests missile. But when I watch it do it’s magic in F6 view, there is nothing missile-y about it. No nozzle. No exhaust. Just some physics-defying free glide behavior. Maybe a WIP. Such a joy to use in TOO mode however it gets to target.
Same reason the Walleye got an AGM designation, I figure. From what I can find regarding the JSOW in particular, it was originally supposed to be powered.
Wikipedia lists a JSOW-ER with a Turbojet engine as in the works.
The Walleye is also a glide-bomb, so I gather anything with “flight” is termed a missile. While the Paveway and JDAM can also in essence “fly” - they weren’t intended to be used that way, so perhaps the intended use also plays into it.