Ha ha! That explains it. Two of my deaths yesterday were maneuver kills. I thought that the AO was more lethal than for a Black Hawk in Mogadishu, but that was just Spikers letting arrows loose. Good info.
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Rifle calls. Not for show.
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So this is a neat little function of the Kiowa. The ability to link up to the transmission from certain UAVs (Predators and Global Hawks I assume). I think you are only a passive receiver…I don’t think you can alter anything about the UAV (I haven’t read up in the manual though…so don’t quote me). Available only on the CP/G side of the cockpit…
The datalink allows you to see a map with the UAV overlaid and the direction and target of the UAV sensor as well as the video feed…
I think there is also an option to rebroadcast the signal - I’m not sure to who…maybe other Kiowas?
Pretty cool feature. Useful probably for grabbing target coordinates to put your own MMS on target and firing Hellfires or similar…or maybe even grabbing the laser code from the UAV and flinging a LOAL Hellfire I suppose?
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is there any way to get the coordinates from the MMS to be able to call out targets for allies… so far all i hove found is the mark point, but that just gives the present location of your helicopter
You have to manually set them unless that’s changed in the last couple updates. However, as there is no actual CCIP or similar, it doesn’t actually matter. If they ever add in the different fuze types and modes, then I we might need to worry about it. You can leave the default 10lb rocket set, and shoot APKWS rockets all flight no issue. The only thing it really affects, is if your carrying mixed pod and forget to set it to a single zone. When you get a flare instead of a 17lb’er it can get spicy.
@tempusmurphy After you lase a target you can store it as target point, then you can pull that up and read off the grid. I know there is a way to share it between KW’s electronically, but since I really only fly SP, haven’t confirmed it works in DCS. Real world, the point of all the whizbang electronics in the KW was to be able to send electronic grids and spot reports to artillery units for engagement with minimal effort.
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After a quick deep dive into the mms is seems there is a function “target location” that shows the coordinates of the target locked and lased … also there may be a way to broadcast the video using the l2mum system to other Kiowa’s but we would have to get a couple of players in to test this
From Casmo:
should start the video at the right spot, otherwise, ~9:37
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I get why the Kiowa has survivability issues that made it a shrinking asset in future battlefields. But having not bought the Kiowa and little interest in doing so, I wasn’t really following all the stuff it can do back when it was a shiny new DCS toy. I like @BeachAV8R’s write-ups so I am catching up on what to most of you is old info. My question is, does any one platform replace all of this networked warfare capability? I figure the -E model Apache’s must do so in spades. Maybe later -Ds as well. (I’m leaving the MMS out of what I consider a “capability” because I recall that it was mostly dead weight in Afghanistan and Iraq.) The US seemed happy to can it so I assume there must be something better out there.
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Lot’s of little drones off of temu.
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Hmm. Seems like the same argument could be made to ditch the Apache.
From what I recall talking with one of my former students in the Japanese defense forces, that’s precisely what Japan is doing. They already retired their OH-1 scout platform and all indications are they will eventually phase out their Apaches without a replacement due to drones.
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If the war you’re fighting needs to be fought at below treetop level to avoid MANPADS, the MMS would have been mighty handy. Chin mounted sensor pods are great when you have air superiority and the ability to stay high, not so much when you have to stay low like say in Ukraine.
If the shareholders at Lock-Martin-Doug-L3-Dyanmics are happy the US military is happy.
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I am hearing the same thing through the grapevine. Strategic and Theatre/Operational level recon and surveillance is still the realm of expensive kit with a hefty training overhead.
At the tactical level the current and future battlefield is saturated with cheap expendable drones providing 24/7 coverage that can also take out anything from a MBT (with the hatches open) to an individual soldier… I am so glad I don’t have to ‘play’ anymore!
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Drone warfare is devastatingly effective and terrifying. Ukraine has completely rearranged what we might once have dismissed as a sideshow. The attack on the Moskva, seeing cheap drones defeating and destroying S-300/400 sites, anti-drone drones… It’s going to be hard to justify $10M tanks and billion dollar ships when they are being countered by such cheap weapons systems. Imagine what kind of drone swarms China will be able to field… Wouldn’t it be nice if mankind could focus on building things instead of destroying them.
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So the Kiowa must have re-awakened some kind of affection towards DCS. The fact that I’m away from home and can’t wait to get back to continue flying it is a feeling I haven’t had in a long time.
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I think warfare will at some point need to return to its medieval form. Early human wars were largely civilian casualty events. By the 12 century, unless Mongols were involved, a reliable half or more of the deaths were soldiers (until WW2). Today the trend seems to be heading towards a high civilian/low military casualty ratio. Human “pilots” in trailers. Robots in the air and on the field of battle. I submit that wars can’t be won unless people do the fighting and, well, die. By protecting the warfighters I offer a philosophical argument that says we will be increasing the total human cost, not lowering it. Then again, it’s easy for me to muddle in philosophical corners. I am not now nor have I ever been a fighter.
Annnn-kneeee-who…
Sorry to distract from your excellent flight reports @BeachAV8R. You’ve still got it!
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Same, realized that I was flying the apache in VR with sub 30FPS, now I’ve got it up to 45/50 and a solid 65 in the mig-21. Really enjoying DCS once more!
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I was smitten by the combination of On-Line & Cooperation.
Even if the Huey is old by any standard (audio-visual are definitely below the last 5 years of module released) when bullets fly and radio calls make the heart pump adrenaline- it all goes away. Suddenly you are there and things are happening fast and hard.
I am quite looking forward some more DCS online.
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Same, lets do some twin huey ops next time! I am now off to shoot some rockets on the target range!
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