There is some ability of triggers to control some of this.
One could set the Stinger group to ROE Weapons Hold unless an enemy aircraft is inside a specific zone, then switches to ROE Weapons Free. If it is only BK-90s in the zone, it doesn’t shoot.
I’ve taken to constructing all my SAM / AAA sites with ROE=Weapons Free; ROE=Weapons Hold; Alert=Green; Alert = Red. I start all at the status I want to start the mission - usually RED/HOLD. Then I use triggers to achieve the behavior I want when and where I want it.
This is actually similar to how we set “Weapons Status” aboard Navy combatants. It is a useful way to think about things–to have the sim “think” about things. i.e. on any given day / time, a SA-6 isn’t necessarily going to be up and running, all set to fire for hours at a time ;- those ZU-23 guys are not going to just staring at the sky.
So you work in an EW site that has to detect the enemy first, then set various SAM radars in the area to go active but still in ROE Weapons Hold. The enemy gets closer - give some of the air defense sites Weapons Free (in our minds eye we see the little ZU-23 guys dropping their sandwiches and running to their guns).
Sounds easy but can be difficult - takes some trial and error working with the size and placements of the zones. I try to tweak it so enemy SAMs have a first opportunity to fire at about 75%-80% max range.
I am happy that you are taking things like that in consideration Hanger! Unfortunately I am attempting to take down some nasty FARP’s in operation Blueflag and well… That just doesn’t work too well.
Aww man, Viggen month is almost over & I just got here…
I’ve been flying it again this month as it happens, prompted by a multiplayer maritime strike mission that failed horribly because the Harpoon just… isn’t.
My online buds just don’t have the right mindset/attention span to get good results with the Viggen though.
This is me RTB after a successful RB15 launch that put 2 enemy ships out-of-action.
I recently discovered the joys of the TID functions and have been developing missions where hitting a specific TOT is the key to success.
The way the Mission Editor works, it doesn’t really account for start up and taxi - you can tinker with legs, speeds but it can be irksome - so I have been getting it about right and then, if I need to I make up the time in the air.
As we are all aware, the AB has three stages, creatively named 1, 2 and 3. From flying other jets in DCS and my experience from VF-32 days, one doesn’t tend to stay in AB for very long. For example, an F-14A would supposed run out of fuel if it stayed zone 5 for longer the about 10 minutes.
In the Viggen, it often seems like I have t stay in AB 1 for quite a while if I want to stay at M0.9 (low altitude). AB 2 will get me above M1.0 and keep me there but I’ll drop back M0.9-land if I drop to AB 1.
I usually only use AB 3 if I need speed right away - dodging a SAM and whatnot.
My Question oh venerable Viggen Guru: Is that about correct? If you want to fly high subsonic do you need to keep at least AB 1 engaged? Or at least keep in the highest MIL power setting and bump it into AB 1 every now and then?
(If I’ve done my time zone calculations correctly, it is 0354 in Norway right now…so I’m not expecting an immediate answer
We will get a more qualified answer from @troll but from memory there’s something in the manual about maintaining about M0.5 through the B-waypoints and bumping it up to >M0.8 for the M-waypoints…might have been to do with the way the remaining mission fuel needle is calculated. Depending on load out, I seem to be in the M0.8 range at full MIL and require burners for higher speeds.
Mach 0.55 is economic cruise at sea level. So i stay around that en route, then bump it up to Mach .9 for ingress and weapon delivery depending on type. AB3 is for the turn and run phase for me.
I have another question regarding loadouts with Rb-05 and Rb-75. Would these usually have been loaded in pairs, with the intention of having a spare weapon that would be carried home again (since you can only reasonably employ a single missile per attack)? Or would they have been loaded in singles only?
Hm. Interesting question!
The Viggen wasn’t a CAS loiterer…
In. Strike. Out.
The 75 could be carried assymetrically, so in a wartime scenario it would make sense to load just one per aircraft.
Speaking of asymmetrical loads…I have been “exploring” anti-ship strikes against ships with newer SAMs - for now concentrating on the the PRC Type 54A Frigate.
Scenario: 3 ship convoy: Type 54A, Dry Cargo ship, Molniya. The cargo ship is banging a replacement SAM for Abu Musa. The Type 54A will provide air defense until the new SAM is deployed. Objective: Kill the Type 54A and cargo ship.
With the Rb 04 you must launch well within the SAM’s MEZ with predictable results. The Rb 15 can be launched well out of range and has been able to consistently achieve kills, but for the scenario’s sake, we want to conserve them. So I’m going wit a 2-plane flight. Lead has 2 x Rb 15s and its primary target is the Type 54A. Wing man will be carrying an Rb 04 and…???
On the other wing, do I go with the jammer or the chaff pod? I’m thinking jammer. Jamming should allow you to ingress fairly directly, get the radar lock on the cargo ship and launch before, where as chaff is best utilized while jinking; in conjunction with zero-doppler moves, none of which is conducive with an Rb 04 launch profile.
Been doing some experimenting, and lofting the BK-90 over a large ridge(release near top) even at off angles is rather succesful. Though the altitude at which the bomblets will be released is quite a bit higher, the BK-90 doesn’t have much yaw or pitch force so any attitude you give it at launch will determine a lot of it’s flight path. It’s more of a gentle skedaddle in a general direction that is the target as much as a pinpoint.
Fun to use though. Going to try some other tactics at blueflag. Looks like the IR SAM system launch at them at full force with minimal results! Helps deplete ammo too of the SAM systems
EDIT: Did some sorties at BF plinking at farps with the Mojnir. Well, turns out it’s the AAA that do all the work and quite efficiently take down the BK-90. Swarming didn’t work, the only efficient approach has been sneaking up on the FARP as close as possible and release the BK-90 as close as possible with minimal exposure to enemy air defences. Though this does put the viggen in a nasty situation. Then again you gotta live a little!
Having a bit of hard luck with developing a playable mission. Simple DEAD (Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses) - fly over the PersianGulf and hit a SAM site on what of the islands.
My predicament? Wing space on the Viggen. If I use 1-2 pylons to bring along some ECM (Jammer and/or chaff) I loose two pylons that could be used for Rockets or Bombs. If I don’t bring along the ECM, this happens.
Yes to some extend. Par example your wingmen won’t aerial refuel their jets unless that was scheduled to happen on that leg of the journey in the mission editor. If you want them to jam for you, you might be able to simply call them on the radio and ask to turn on the music.
Again, to some extend. ECM is especially potent in DCS for breaking TWS locks (back when I flew the F-15C a lot atleast). Against surface-to-air, I only noticed a reduction in tracking range and firing range against the airframe using ECM. It doesn’t seem “package protection” style jamming really works in DCS, atleast when I last tried making missions like that years ago.
Either one flight with Bk90 to saturate/distract air defenses, or to wild weasel, or a bunch of cruise missiles overhead to soak up missiles. Alternatively, have a window of “jamming activity” to set their ROE to green, during which the player has an opportunity to attack.
Here is something else you can do.
The clones can be air starts at the beginning of the mission, and go into an orbit. They stay in the orbit until you either,
Reach a waypoint which releases them from the orbit
Or, you press a Radio Menu option that releases them
…
