If you’re using VR or head tracking, rockets are pretty simple and fairly accurate up close (you shouldn’t be that close unless it’s unarmed). If you’re shooting without George having a target designated, look at the target and put your crosshair on it. Keep looking at it, and steer to put the I-Beam on your crosshair. If it’s solid and overlaying your cross hair, fire away. Bear in mind the pylons don’t move instantly so try to keep your pitch consistent while firing.
If you are shooting co-op (ie you and George both WAS rockets), put your crosshair over George’s. Steer the I-beam onto the crosses, and fire.
Advanced rocket tip: If you are shooting co-op, George is generating the range for the pylons to adjust to. Simply get the I-beam centered or have it steady on your velocity vector, if solid, fire away.
General Apache’ing:
Pretty much all red armor of any kind has ATGM’s that WILL shoot you down if you get too close. Tank main guns are also lethal. If you hear laser warning, that’s an MBT, GTFO. AFV’s and light tanks are probably deadlier than dedicated light AAA, stay away or your will die. Do NOT try and kill AFV’s and light tanks with the chaingun, unless you absolutely have to. You are way more likely to get shot down then get a kill.
In general stay at least 5km beyond your threats. Moving laterally to the threats at a hard 90 crossing works reasonably well, but it’s not 100% shoot down proof. Anything bigger than a .50 call can shoot you down.
SAM’s of all types and sizes are lethal.
Target priority for self preservation is SAMS, AAA, BMPs, MBT’s, other AFV’s, technicals, whatever else is left.
Hovering and popping off hellfires from a distance is workable if you have cover, or no SAM or AAA threats.
Radar hellfires are your best weapon. George takes longer to fire them than laser HF, but you don’t have to stay on the target. If it’s really nasty, figure out where/when you can pop out of cover for about 10 seconds to find, select, designate, and launch a radar HF. If It’s really really nasty, poke the dome over the cover, and then start firing them off yourself. The FCR will prioritize air defense targets, so it SHOULD clear out the threats some what. The FCR c-scope is a great way to figure out where to expect targets when you break cover, or to see what areas you’ve probably already killed the targets in.
Pay attention to your range to the waypoint, George gets some wonky ranges sometimes and will gladly launch all your missiles if set to weapons free even though your 10 NM away.
Letting George go ape with weapons free is fun, but it’s usually better to individually pick and shoot priority targets. Once all the big threats are down, then you can let him do his thing.
I prefer to run in and shoot at max range with hellfires, then break and reset around the 5 km mark. That keeps me out of range of everything but SAM’s and heavier AAA. Staying moving helps with the latter, and keeps me from getting blind side by threats I missed and passed by.
Take around 70% fuel most of the time. It helps with having some power margin and is usually plenty of gas. If you’re covering more than about 40 nm to the fight, 100% will let you get there, be in a protracted fight, and make it home. Figure about 90 mins on a full tank, maybe an hour or so on 70% fuel. No need for a Robbie tank usually, but you’re also very very very rarely going to fire more than 300 rounds of 30mm.
Rockets aren’t much use in Foothold, and HE rockets do more damage to everything than HEAT rockets. So, if you’re gonna bring rockets pack the M229 17lber’s.
The Apache isn’t a race horse, 120 knots is damn near full out. Approach is usually around 80-100 knots, and fighting can be 60 and below depending on the terrain.
It’s certified to something like 120 degrees of roll, don’t be afraid to yank and bank if needed. I don’t think I’ve managed to break it yet.
