yes HTS mode works, you have to double click sensor select down (press). Interestingly, even in HTS mode, you can not zoom in and out without using the push buttons on the MFD. You can change near/far field of view, but unless i missed something, you cant zoom in and out, which is a pain.
Tested the 65Gs in the weapons practice mission, they work fine for me. Armed, selected the missile, set fuze, waited, after a few minutes missiles spun up and I could uncage them.
Is the warmup time somewhere indicated on a ddi page?
Yes it is, but Iâm not sure it works. Lower left corner of the DDI with mav selected and armed it should say SBY3 and the 3 should count down the minutes to RDY.
Was playing around and thought Iâd add that on the stores page it only says STBY with no counter. Just goes from STBY to RDY.
I wish Razbam would activate the stopwatch on the left window sill.
The only downside so far for me is that I like to murder multiple defenseless fuel trucks in one pass, and the G is easier to ripple - the E has to wait for the missile to hit I guess?
Well, think about it. Itâs following a laser. If the laser moves, the missile moves. So, the only safe process is to wait for the missile to hit the target before moving the laser, right?
In theory if the targets are close together you could fire a second missile some time after launching the first (but before impact), then after the first hits shift the laser and the 2nd missile will shift targets as well. This relies on good timing and close grouping of the targets, though, so Iâm sure is rarely done.
Thatâs the strategy used with SAL HELLFIREs, but itâs a bit easier to do when you have a CPG focused exclusively on pointing the laser versus flying and pointing the laser at the same time. So youâd have to time your missile launches to give yourself enough time to shift from one target to the next.
I could see ripple firing them if you have ground lasing or buddy lasing. Itâd be a fun thing to practice with a squadmate.
Here are the INS alignment procedures available for the AV-8B NA. As stated in the title, this is a draft document and some steps can be modified/deleted.
AV-8B N/A INS Alignment Procedures:
- There are four alignment modes:
a. SEA
b. GND
c. IFA (GPS)
d. GYRO - There are three alignment sub-modes:
a. Stored Heading: Available for GND
b. Manual SEA align: Available for SEA
c. GPS airborne align: Available for IFA - The main alignment sequence is the same for all modes & sub-modes:
a. Cage (3 seconds): INS is aligned with aircraft fuselage.
b. Warm-Up (time depends on ambient temperature): Gyros and accelerometers are heated to its operational temperature (175ÂșF) at a rate of 2.5ÂșF per second.
c. Spin (13 seconds): Gyros are spun up to 22,500 rpm.
d. Level (9 seconds): INS platform is leveled with respect of local vertical.
e. Wide Angle Gyrocompass (time depends on alignment mode/sub-mode): INS determines True North.
f. Small Angle Alignment (time unknown): INS eliminate platform biases for maximum precision.
Total alignment time can be between 4 to12 minutes long.
How to do an INS alignment (all modes):
- Make sure that the INS mode selector knob is in the OFF position.
- Select EHSD on the MPCD (Left or Right).
- Select DATA on the MPCD
- Select AC on the MPCD.
a. Aircraft present position will be shown.
b. UFC/ODU will enter into Aircraft Position mode.
c. ODU options are:
i. Option 1: POS (Lat/Lon position coordinates).
ii. Option 2: MVAR (Local magnetic variation).
iii. Option 3: WIND (Wind Direction and speed).
iv. Option 4: BLANK
v. Option 5: BLANK - Enter AC present position (lat/lon).
- Enter local magnetic variation (MVAR) if the value shown is 0
- Place the INS mode selector knob in the selected alignment mode: SEA, GND, IFA or GYRO. The alignment process will start immediately IF THE REQUIRED INFORMATION IS PRESENT.
- When alignment is finished, place the INS mode selector knob either in NAV or IFA (for GPS coupled navigation).
SEA Alignment:
SEA alignment can only be performed aboard a carrier.
SINS
The main SEA alignment mode is the Ship Inertial Navigation System (SINS) mode. In this mode, the aircraft connects to the shipâs INS and use it to achieve INS precision.
SINS and IFA are the only modes in which aircraft present position is not required to be entered by the pilot.
The aircraft connects itself to the shipâs INS via deck cable or by using either COM1 or COM2 radios. The ODU displays the following:
a. Option 1: DECK. A semicolon is shown if the deck cable is connected to the aircraft and it is being used for data transfer.
b. Option 2: COM1: A semicolon is show if the COM1 radio is used for data transfer. Selecting COM1 will display the SINS radio frequency in the UFC for confirmation or editing.
c. Option 3: COM2: A semicolon is show if the COM2 radio is used for data transfer. Selecting COM2 will display the SINS radio frequency in the UFC for confirmation or editing. This is the default selection when the deck cable is not connected.
d. Option 4: SEA: Unknown functionality.
MANUAL SEA ALIGNMENT
MANUAL SEA alignment is a sub-mode of the SEA alignment and used when SINS is not available. MANUAL and SINS are mutually exclusive. Selecting MANUAL will deselect and disable SINS. To return to SINS, the INS mode selector knob must be changed to another mode and then back to SEA.
In MANUAL SEA alignment the following data is required:
- Aircraft present position.
- Shipâs heading and speed.
- Aircraftâs TRUE heading.
- Local magnetic variation if it does not exist in the system.
To select MANUAL:
- Click on the MAN option pushbutton in the EHSD page.
- MAN option will be boxed
- SINS option will be unboxed and removed from the screen.
- The UFC/ODU will be placed in MANUAL SEA mode for data entry.
- Input the required data so the process can start.
GND Alignment
GND (Ground) alignment is performed with the aircraft on land. If the parking brake is released, the alignment process enter into hold mode. If the aircraft moves too far from its present position the INS caution light will turn on indicating an invalid INS present position and entire process must be restarted.
STORED HEADING ALIGNMENT
The Stored Head alignmentâs purpose is to reduce total align time by bypassing the Wide Angle Grycompass step.
This procedure can be performed when:
- The aircraft is parked and parking brake is set.
- A complete INS ground alignment has been previously performed.
- The aircraft has not moved since the alignment.
- NAV has not been selected in the INS mode selector knob.
Stored Heading alignment availability is indicated by the presence of the SHDG pushbutton on the upper left corner of the ground align display.
To select Stored Heading alignment, click on the SHDG pushbutton.
The SHDG pushbutton will be removed when the alignment process enters into Wide Angle Gyrocompass, at which point the stored heading will be deleted from the system.
In-Flight-Alignment (IFA)
IFA uses the GPS to continuously update the INS.
If IFA is selected without an aligned INS, the GPS data will be used to align the INS. This is the only mode that allows INS alignment while the aircraft is moving. Aircraft present position is not required to be entered by the pilot since it is provided by the GPS.
The alignment process will enter in hold mode when:
- Aircraft roll exceeds 30 degrees, or
- Aircraft pitch is greater than 15 or less than -5 degrees.
If the aircraft is moving, INS alignment can take as much as 10 minutes.
The INS will automatically enter into coupled navigation mode as soon as the IFA alignment process ends.
When the INS is in IFA mode, INS position update is not required.
GYRO Alignment.
This mode provides a quick 33 seconds alignment process. If used aboard a ship it can take 45 seconds.
Present position data is not available in GYRO.
GYRO mode is the least accurate navigation mode and full inertial navigation mode cannot be achieved in flight after using GYRO, even if the INS mode selector is changed to NAV. To obtain full inertial navigation an IFA alignment must be performed (10 minutes process).
GYRO mode is susceptible to precession errors and large errors (greater than 5 degrees) in both heading and attitude are possible.
ATTENTION
The alignment process will not start if the required information is not present:
- Valid aircraft Present Position (Not required for SEA SINS and IFA).
- Local magnetic variation (Not required for SEA SINS and IFA).
- CVâs heading and speed (SEA Manual mode only).
- Aircraft True Heading (SEA Manual model only).
Taking off with the INS in the OFF position can result in unit damage due to acceleration forces.
âProgramming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.â
âThe three most dangerous things in the world are a programmer with a soldering iron, a hardware type with a program patch and a user with an idea.â
This is from RAZBAM on DCS forums. Looks like INS will be getting updated soon tm. Maybe JDAM will follow even more sooner tm.
Maybe theyâll fix the LAU68 while theyâre at it; looks funky, sitting inside the pylon nâ all. My rockets are held in place by the force right now!
Going to reproduce those procedures and see if formatting helps make it clearer
ED Forum link: here
AV-8B N/A INS Alignment Procedures:
- There are four alignment modes:
a. SEA
b. GND
c. IFA (GPS)
e. GYRO - There are three alignment sub-modes:
a. Stored Heading: Available for GND
b. Manual SEA align: Available for SEA
c. GPS airborne align: Available for IFA - The main alignment sequence is the same for all modes & sub-modes:
a. Cage (3 seconds): INS is aligned with aircraft fuselage.
b. Warm-Up (time depends on ambient temperature): Gyros and accelerometers are heated to its operational temperature (175ÂșF) at a rate of 2.5ÂșF per second.
c. Spin (13 seconds): Gyros are spun up to 22,500 rpm.
d. Level (9 seconds): INS platform is leveled with respect of local vertical.
e. Wide Angle Gyrocompass (time depends on alignment mode/sub-mode): INS determines True North.
f. Small Angle Alignment (time unknown): INS eliminate platform biases for maximum precision.
Total alignment time can be between 4 to 12 minutes long.
How to do an INS alignment (all modes):
- Make sure that the INS mode selector knob is in the OFF position.
- Select EHSD on the MPCD (Left or Right).
- Select DATA on the MPCD
- Select AC on the MPCD.
a. Aircraft present position will be shown.
b. UFC/ODU will enter into Aircraft Position mode.
c. ODU options are:- Option 1: POS (Lat/Lon position coordinates).
- Option 2: MVAR (Local magnetic variation).
- Option 3: WIND (Wind Direction and speed).
- Option 4: BLANK
- Option 5: BLANK
- Enter AC present position (lat/lon).
- Enter local magnetic variation (MVAR) if the value shown is 0
- Place the INS mode selector knob in the selected alignment mode: SEA, GND, IFA or GYRO. The alignment process will start immediately IF THE REQUIRED INFORMATION IS PRESENT.
- When alignment is finished, place the INS mode selector knob either in NAV or IFA (for GPS coupled navigation).
SEA Alignment:
SEA alignment can only be performed aboard a carrier.
SINS
The main SEA alignment mode is the Ship Inertial Navigation System (SINS) mode. In this mode, the aircraft connects to the shipâs INS and use it to achieve INS precision.
SINS and IFA are the only modes in which aircraft present position is not required to be entered by the pilot.
The aircraft connects itself to the shipâs INS via deck cable or by using either COM1 or COM2 radios. The ODU displays the following:
- Option 1: DECK. A semicolon is shown if the deck cable is connected to the aircraft and it is being used for data transfer.
- Option 2: COM1: A semicolon is show if the COM1 radio is used for data transfer. Selecting COM1 will display the SINS radio frequency in the UFC for confirmation or editing.
- Option 3: COM2: A semicolon is show if the COM2 radio is used for data transfer. Selecting COM2 will display the SINS radio frequency in the UFC for confirmation or editing. This is the default selection when the deck cable is not connected.
- Option 4: SEA: Unknown functionality.
MANUAL SEA ALIGNMENT
MANUAL SEA alignment is a sub-mode of the SEA alignment and used when SINS is not available. MANUAL and SINS are mutually exclusive. Selecting MANUAL will deselect and disable SINS. To return to SINS, the INS mode selector knob must be changed to another mode and then back to SEA.
In MANUAL SEA alignment the following data is required:
- Aircraft present position.
- Shipâs heading and speed.
- Aircraftâs TRUE heading.
- Local magnetic variation if it does not exist in the system.
To select MANUAL:
- Click on the MAN option pushbutton in the EHSD page.
- MAN option will be boxed
- SINS option will be unboxed and removed from the screen.
- The UFC/ODU will be placed in MANUAL SEA mode for data entry.
- Input the required data so the process can start.
GND Alignment
GND (Ground) alignment is performed with the aircraft on land. If the parking brake is released, the alignment process enter into hold mode. If the aircraft moves too far from its present position the INS caution light will turn on indicating an invalid INS present position and entire process must be restarted.
STORED HEADING ALIGNMENT
The Stored Head alignmentâs purpose is to reduce total align time by bypassing the Wide Angle Grycompass step.
This procedure can be performed when:
- The aircraft is parked and parking brake is set.
- A complete INS ground alignment has been previously performed.
- The aircraft has not moved since the alignment.
- NAV has not been selected in the INS mode selector knob.
Stored Heading alignment availability is indicated by the presence of the SHDG pushbutton on the upper left corner of the ground align display.
To select Stored Heading alignment, click on the SHDG pushbutton.
The SHDG pushbutton will be removed when the alignment process enters into Wide Angle Gyrocompass, at which point the stored heading will be deleted from the system.
In-Flight-Alignment (IFA)
IFA uses the GPS to continuously update the INS.
If IFA is selected without an aligned INS, the GPS data will be used to align the INS. This is the only mode that allows INS alignment while the aircraft is moving. Aircraft present position is not required to be entered by the pilot since it is provided by the GPS.
The alignment process will enter in hold mode when:
- Aircraft roll exceeds 30 degrees, or
- Aircraft pitch is greater than 15 or less than -5 degrees.
If the aircraft is moving, INS alignment can take as much as 10 minutes.
The INS will automatically enter into coupled navigation mode as soon as the IFA alignment process ends.
When the INS is in IFA mode, INS position update is not required.
GYRO Alignment.
This mode provides a quick 33 seconds alignment process. If used aboard a ship it can take 45 seconds.
Present position data is not available in GYRO.
GYRO mode is the least accurate navigation mode and full inertial navigation mode cannot be achieved in flight after using GYRO, even if the INS mode selector is changed to NAV. To obtain full inertial navigation an IFA alignment must be performed (10 minutes process).
GYRO mode is susceptible to precession errors and large errors (greater than 5 degrees) in both heading and attitude are possible.
ATTENTION
The alignment process will not start if the required information is not present:
- Valid aircraft Present Position (Not required for SEA SINS and IFA).
- Local magnetic variation (Not required for SEA SINS and IFA).
- CVâs heading and speed (SEA Manual mode only).
- Aircraft True Heading (SEA Manual model only).
Taking off with the INS in the OFF position can result in unit damage due to acceleration forces.
And whatâs wrong with using the Force??!
'cause using the force to hold the rockets in distracts me from making that one in a million shot!
Seems like the Harrier currently has a lot of glitches when it comes to weapons put directly on the pylons. Mk83s are forward and half sunk into the pylon, while 7 shot pods are the same, with rockets floating in the air.
Somewhat related: it seems the USMC is going to be hanging onto the Harrier for a few more years than anticipated. Turns out that the legacy bug fleet is in worse shape than originally thought and the plan has now changed to replacing bug squadrons with F-35, then Harriers later.
Would the bug replacements be charlies?
No, the Marines ainât gonna have none oâ that CATOBAR â â â â â VTOL all the way!
Current plans are the USAF is getting only Aâs, the USMC is getting only Bâs, and the USN is getting only Câs.
Likewise no other nations are getting more than a single model.
There are a few nations signed up for one model that have mulled the idea of getting one of the others, such as the UK, but AFAIK none of those plans have gone anywhere yet.
Of course, that could still happen later.
Few questions, if anyone has any answers:
-
The RAZBAM skin template is incomplete, containing only 3 textures when 6 are required. Theyâre also missing things like markings, etc. Is there a source for a more complete template, to include the pylons, gunpod, fuel tanks, and nozzles? Currently have to try to wrestle with existing textures for those, which naturally is a PITA.
-
The Harrier can be overloaded with four aux tanks and 100% internal fuel. Is this accurate or not? I canât find any references to it in NATOPS beyond a 32,000lb max gross weight.
-
SUU-25 broken? Using it on a MER results in something that apparently isnât implemented yet, but on single pylons they appear but canât be used.