DCS: F/A-18C Hornet | AA Radar Use

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  • čas přidán 16. 07. 2021
  • Perhaps one of the most complex and confusing aspects of operating the Hornet is correct use of the air-to-air radar. The APG-73 is a mechanically scanned, pulse Doppler radar that is not a magic sensor that detects anything in front of it. Rather, there are several factors that determine what it can detect.
    In this video, I’ll go over many of these factors, and in the end, I hope you’ll better understand how to best to use the radar and understand its limitations.
    Many of these same principles will also apply to the F-16 radar.
    RANGE
    It probably goes without saying, but the range setting simply sets the scale of the radar format, it does not affect the actual range at which the radar can detect a contact. If you wish to display a target at 40 nm for instance, you will need to have the scale of the radar set to at least 40 nm.
    AZIMUTH
    Because the radar searches in front of your aircraft in a cone pattern, with you at the pointy end, contacts left or right of the cone will not be detected. To detect such contacts, you can either increase the azimuth setting of the radar, and thereby increasing your scan volume, or slewing the radar azimuth to the selected location of the contact.
    If you increase the azimuth though, recognize that contact updates will be slower. Combined with a low target aging setting, the contact will disappear.
    BAR
    The bar setting controls the total vertical scan volume of the radar, and this can be 1, 2, 4 and 6 bars in a repeating raster scan. A 1 bar setting provides the fastest contact updates, but the smallest vertical scan volume, whereas a 6 bar setting results in the lowest contact updates but the largest vertical scan volume. Just like the azimuth setting, a large volume can result a dropped contacts when combined with a low target aging selection.
    TARGET AGING
    If a contact is not detected in the set target ageing time, it will be removed from the radar format. So, if you searching a large volume based on azimuth and bar, contacts can easily disappear from the display because they have aged out.
    You may find that 16 or 32 works best for you when searching a large volume.
    ELEVATON
    Just as with the azimuth setting, the contact will also have to be vertically within the acquisition cone volume of the radar. If a contact is above or below the cone, it would not be detected. To solve this, you can either increase the bar setting to increase vertical scan area or tilt the radar up or down with the elevation control.
    PRF
    The radar can operate in three pulse repetition frequency, or PRF, modes.
    In High mode, the radar is putting out the most energy and is best at detecting closing, high aspect contacts at long range. However, High is greatly limited at detecting low closure contacts that are flying away or perpendicular to you.
    Medium mode has less detection range against high closure contacts flying toward you, compared to the High, but it is superior at detecting contacts at low closure rates with lower aspect.
    Interleaved alternates High and Medium PRF in each bar of the raster scan and is thus a compromise between the two.
    Given this, optimal detection range is based on expected contact aspect / closure rate and then matching that with the best PRF. So, for a likely contact flying at you, select High, for a contact beaming you are away, select Medium, and if you have no idea, go for Interleaved.
    NOTCHING
    When a contact is below you and flying near-perpendicular to your flight path, there is no Doppler shift difference between the contact and the ground, and the contact can be lost. This is termed the look down Doppler notch.
    For optimal detection range and maintaining a track, a look up scenario is your best bet. However, this needs to be balanced with the advantages that a medium to high altitude missile shot affords.
    RADAR CROSS SECTION
    The Radar Cross Section, or RCS, is the radar return value of the aircraft. These can vary based on shaping, materials, intake shape, and more. For aircraft with no RCS-specific reductions, it often comes down to the general size of the aircraft.
    Given this, in general, large aircraft like bombers, tankers, and AWACS, will have a much larger RCS value than a small fighter like an F-16 or MiG-29.
    The higher the RCS value of the contact, the further out you’ll be able to detect it.
    Datalink
    To make things a bit more complicated, let’s also throw datalink into the mix.
    When in Latent Track While Scan or Track While Scan modes, the position of friendly, unknown, and hostile contact symbols can also appear on your radar format.
    An AWACS datalink contact is indicated as a small diamond that you cannot not lock on to because your radar does not see it.
  • Hry

Komentáře • 254

  • @MattWagner
    @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +75

    A little update on this video: 1- We are looking into adding the ability to set an MSI-only track as an L&S or DT2 later. This video is about how the radar currently operates. 2- This week we added a range modifier based on look-down angle. - Wags

    • @9GLoco
      @9GLoco Před 3 lety +1

      Will you do one of these for the Viper now that the CNTL page has been added to the FCR?

    • @dcskater602
      @dcskater602 Před 2 lety +1

      Hey Matt, curious if you had any recommendations for target lockup on the f/a18 at 35ish miles and beyond. Been flying the f16 and the 18 and I feel like detection and time to lock is much much longer on the f/a 18. Grim Reapers just made a video showing a pretty dramatic difference between range to detect for both aircrafts radars as well, with the 16 far outperforming the 18. Any thoughts on this? This seems to be my experience, although purely subjective. Have even tried narrower scans

    • @sschreck
      @sschreck Před rokem

      Can F 18 do offbore HMD shots with AIM120 & AIM9X like the F16? The F 18 does not have a dogfight switch correct?

  • @104th_beef7
    @104th_beef7 Před 3 lety +151

    "So long and thanks for all the fish" is what the dolphins said before Earth was destroyed. Clearly this is a reference to a new DCS module, the Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin

    • @Devil-mn3dc
      @Devil-mn3dc Před 3 lety +6

      I would literally solicit myself if this was the case. I grew up around them in Texas. Dad test flew all 96 of the first one the Coast Guard got and also unveiled the "Panther" back when that was a beast. Love the Dolphin!

    • @Zilch79
      @Zilch79 Před 3 lety +10

      DCS: Vogon Construction Fleet. They're going to build a bypass through the Caucasus.

  • @a753951852
    @a753951852 Před 3 lety +177

    It's so endearing to see Matt hold our hands and show us the radar (presumably for the newbies)..
    As an older dcs user, I am almost touched..

  • @MiG-17
    @MiG-17 Před 2 lety +45

    Timeline
    0:00 Introduction
    0:57 Range Setting
    1:34 Azimuth Setting
    2:41 Bar Setting
    3:46 Age Setting
    5:02 Elevation Setting
    6:03 PRF setting
    7:51 Look Down Doppler Notch
    9:00 RCS
    10:37 Datalink
    12:20 Final Notes

  • @romainlerallut1409
    @romainlerallut1409 Před 3 lety +28

    Is it just me or is anyone else fascinated by the landing gear work during take-off ? Impressive modeling !

  • @JohnGaltAustria
    @JohnGaltAustria Před 3 lety +14

    Boy, learning Jane's F/A-18 back in the day would have been way simpler if I had one of your tutorials back then.

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +8

      I wish we had CZcams back then.

  • @jellypowder3325
    @jellypowder3325 Před 3 lety +17

    As a casual player I love these practical demonstrations, still nothing beats the in-game tutorials.

  • @groundpounder0541
    @groundpounder0541 Před 3 lety +53

    Wags you bloody hero. This is the video I was about to search for and you put it right on my doorstep.

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +26

      You are very welcome.

    • @lucasreis6251
      @lucasreis6251 Před 3 lety +2

      @@MattWagner heeey Matt, what button do you press for slewing the radar azimuth scan zone?

    • @SsgtHolland
      @SsgtHolland Před 3 lety +2

      @@lucasreis6251 Press TDC down where you want to search.

  • @Hraptor
    @Hraptor Před 3 lety +8

    When Matt makes a video, 1 Million new pilots join and 1 Million veterans enjoy

  • @poggersfish.5021
    @poggersfish.5021 Před 3 lety +28

    nice hitchikers guide to the galaxy reference

  • @EricJaakkola
    @EricJaakkola Před 3 lety +56

    The problem is when other planes do have magic radar

    • @asciiCAT
      @asciiCAT Před 2 lety +27

      Ai can lock stationary planes through hardened bunkers

    • @liammackenzie9283
      @liammackenzie9283 Před 2 lety +9

    • @trooper9739
      @trooper9739 Před 2 lety +4

      looking at you, viper.

    • @jonnyj.
      @jonnyj. Před 2 lety +1

      Immediately thinking about the viper. That fucking thing can outrange the hornet by almost 2x and even the tomcat and f15...

  • @ericandi
    @ericandi Před 2 lety +9

    I’ve been trying to learn the F/A-18C in DCS. I’ve probably spent at least 60 hours so far, watching CZcams videos from this CZcams channel and many others, as well as reading through the DCS manual for the F/A-18C and reading lots of forums. I’m a private pilot and I thought that fact would make DCS easy for me, but boy was I wrong. Being a private pilot prepared me for flying a study level military aircraft in DCS about the same that taking a driver’s ed course in high school would prepare me to drive a Formula One race car. After dozens of hours invested in learning the F/A-18C, I honestly feel like I am less than 1% of the way to being fully proficient in all of the F/A-18C systems and controls.
    I really felt like I was making some decent progress. That was until last night, when I dug into the 712 page F/A-18C Chuck’s Guide for the first time. I downloaded the Chuck’s Guide a few weeks ago, but until last night, I had only been using the official DCS F/A-18C manual, plus CZcams videos and forums. Last night I dug into the Chuck’s Guide to try to get more proficient with the A/A radar system. I’ve been trying to learn one F/A-18C system at a time, but I got really overwhelmed last night when I decided to quickly scroll through all 700+ pages of the Chuck’s Guide, just to get a feel for what else I need to learn to become fully proficient with the F/A-18C. I feel like it’s going to take me a month just to learn everything there is to know about the A/A radar system.
    Anyone who thinks that DCS is just a military flying game and not an full fledged, study-level flight simulation, just needs to take a few minutes to scroll thru one of the 700+ page Chuck’s Guides. When I was training for my private pilot license, I flew about 10 hours in an FAA-approved flight simulator. Granted, I was only flying a Cessna 172, but it terms of the accuracy of the flight model, the simulation of weather and aerodynamic effects, and the overall level of immersion, the FAA-approved flight simulator can’t hold a candle to DCS.

    • @Carwash301
      @Carwash301 Před 2 lety +1

      Same situation here. Flying a Cessna has little to nothing to do with flying an F18.

    • @kevykevTPA
      @kevykevTPA Před 2 lety +2

      You have to keep in mind, to go from a real life civilian with zero aviation experience to a full-fledged Hornet driver takes 3 years of full-time training, education, simulation, and real world flying. You spend 13-weeks in basic flight school at NAS Pensacola flying a T-6 (after a 6-week aviation indoctrination training where you don't even look at an airplane), and then, if you score high enough to qualify, it's off to Hornet school which lasts over 2 years.
      Us DCS Hornet drivers, flying the most difficult, highest fidelity simulation of the aircraft available on the planet (except perhaps actual US military simulators) are trying to land on carriers, thinking we understand the systems, and we're out there flying "real life" missions is less time than the initial indoctrination classes take.
      In other words, it's a very steep learning curve that, even for the real-life professionals, takes YEARS to master, not weeks or even months.
      Of course, dying in DCS has no actual downside, and you don't have to be the best of the best in flight school to even be eligible for Hornet school, just have an extra $79 you're willing to part with. Half of that if you can catch it on sale.
      Another thing to consider is that, in the "real world", generally speaking, pilots fly ONE kind of airplane. They're not in a Hornet to Tuesday, a Tomcat on Thursday, and a Viper over the weekend. That's one reason I only HAVE the Hornet, though I might pick up the F-16 next time it goes on sale. And, if and when they come out with an F-35, I'll grab that the second it becomes available, but I haven't even seen an internet rumor that it's even being considered, much less worked on. Could be that too much about it is still highly classified.
      At any rate, there are my 6AM ramblings on learning to be a DCS Hornet driver.

    • @PappyGunn
      @PappyGunn Před 2 lety +1

      I've got a private pilot's licence too. I was in the RCAF for 30 years. Worked on the F-18 for about 10 years. Got the maintenance course, studied and did the AOI exam. I've had the DCS F-18 since it came out. Yeah, I'm still learning too. The thing isn't made to fly, it's made to fight. The info overload is a thing. You need to learn muscle memory to speed up some functions and always think ahead of the jet. There is no sightseeing in this thing and if you find yourself looking around, there's something important you're not doing. Just a note to let you know you're not alone trying to tame the beast.

  • @fear2218
    @fear2218 Před 3 lety +10

    As a virtual pilot who has always focused on A2G in flight simulators - this was very helpful for improving my radar knowledge. Thank you Wags

  • @lordfarquaadgaming9316
    @lordfarquaadgaming9316 Před 3 lety +16

    matt has such a soothing voice

    • @Towy2012
      @Towy2012 Před 2 lety +1

      unfortunately hard to understand for a german native speaker ;-)

  • @acesidewinder
    @acesidewinder Před 3 lety +16

    Appreciate the video Matt. Learned a couple new concepts. Very informative.

  • @Devil-mn3dc
    @Devil-mn3dc Před 3 lety +13

    I was waiting for it at the end, hoping a group of Apaches would do a low pass by the Hornet after Wags touched down

  • @therealsilens
    @therealsilens Před 3 lety +5

    Wow, great stuff for the Hornet! These training videos are really important. Also, loved the landing - talk about smooth!

    • @radsy5821
      @radsy5821 Před 2 lety

      the flare triggered me a bit though ngl

  • @drsal
    @drsal Před 2 lety

    Excellent video Wags. This has nicely consolidated all of the developments made to the raider. Thanks for posting this.

  • @StandingCow2
    @StandingCow2 Před 3 lety +3

    Thanks Wags, good info for vets and new folks coming to DCS.

  • @Wikkus
    @Wikkus Před 3 lety +3

    Every day a school day! Thought I knew all of that, but I still learned a couple of useful titbits, thanks Matt!

  • @nathangehman7018
    @nathangehman7018 Před 2 lety +2

    This was immensely helpful. I was unaware of how the datalink info meshed with the radar, and was getting very frustrated at not being able to lock up the target. Now I know that my own radar was just not picking it up. I still am not familiar with lots of the symbology of how the datalink meshes with the radar, and lots of the symbology of the radar in general. But I feel like this is a massive step forward.

  • @MrLightning1776
    @MrLightning1776 Před 3 lety +6

    I've been flying the F-18 for over two years now and its insane how many of these little tricks I didn't know. Fuck.

  • @Mako-sz4qr
    @Mako-sz4qr Před 3 lety

    Congrats 👍🏻 this is the best tutorial I have ever seen regarding DCS. Well done and thanks.

  • @TheAntorian
    @TheAntorian Před 3 lety

    This was a great video. I especially liked the examples you used for radar cross section to illustrate detection ranges.

  • @carniv0rous
    @carniv0rous Před 3 lety

    This has been a long time coming...thanks!

  • @peenice
    @peenice Před 3 lety +1

    "So long and thanks for all the fish!" Legendry quote. Lovely succinct video, to explain the basics of radar.

  • @ceasaraepoling5910
    @ceasaraepoling5910 Před 3 lety +3

    Beautiful landing at the end brother.

  • @richjones859
    @richjones859 Před 2 lety

    Matt great video, especially coming off an 6 month summer break from dcs. Best regards to team, 2.7 is a whole new and amazing experience. Those clouds in VR!

  • @aybaws
    @aybaws Před 3 lety +2

    Just bought the hornet and as a newbie, this is a godsend. Thanks!

  • @kevykevTPA
    @kevykevTPA Před 2 lety +2

    Wags, I love your videos, but I do have a request. When you talk about things like adjusting the elevation on the radar (or anything, really, that was just one thing that jumped out at me), could you try to explain the "how" of it, too? What controls are you using, what buttons are you pushing if applicable, that sort of thing. It took me a month to figure out that what I thought was a useless dial on the left side of my X56 throttle could be mapped to actually adjust the elevation of the radar, and that's just one example.
    Not a complaint, like I said, I love your stuff and watch it a LOT, but it's an "it would be nice if..." thing.

  • @lambdabot6454
    @lambdabot6454 Před 3 lety +7

    Thank you for your time you put into this video - these are all very important concepts to operate Hornet radar properly. I probably already asked before but I'd be very grateful if at some point you also describe Hornet radar RAID modes changed recently: SCAN RAID, 1LOOK RAID, STT RAID (aka SAM) in your future videos.

  • @supertopsecret5485
    @supertopsecret5485 Před 3 lety +10

    Ohhh this is much appreciated, thanks Wags!!!!

  • @luggilu7864
    @luggilu7864 Před rokem

    i could listen to this mans voice all day

  • @phoenixsui
    @phoenixsui Před 3 lety +4

    Havent watched yet but a very needed video thanks. I was lost since a update few month back :)

  • @mattwagnerismylordandsavio5169

    I Already know these things.. Yet I watched it till the end! Hornet's Radar might not be magic but your voice is.

  • @brettreynolds6960
    @brettreynolds6960 Před 3 lety +1

    Bless you Mr Wagner. I bet even your patience is wearing a little thin with the forum comments about the radar, and this video shows your tremendous teaching qualities :-) Thank you for all of your videos and indeed - the fish are the least we could give you! So long for now :-)

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +3

      Thank you for the kind words. I fully understand how difficult and frustrating it can be to learn a system when you don't have a complete picture.

  • @radsy5821
    @radsy5821 Před 2 lety

    Been flying the bug a lot but still got something out of this, thanks Wags

  • @nickgrey4136
    @nickgrey4136 Před 3 lety +9

    Fabulous stuff. Clear and concise. Many thanks Matt. Kind regards Nick

    • @staubsauger2305
      @staubsauger2305 Před 3 lety +1

      Thank you Nick - haven't your team and product come a very long way. It's incremental engineering enhancements that have progressed to the point of high art. DCS is beautiful !

    • @nickgrey4136
      @nickgrey4136 Před 3 lety +3

      @@staubsauger2305 Dear Dir, thank you for your warm words. We still have a long way to go. But with your support and the passion of our community we will get there. Our mission is simple, excellence with humility. It’s a long slow road but one worth travelling. Thank you again. Kind regards Nick

    • @haackhaack4217
      @haackhaack4217 Před 3 lety +1

      Keep up the good work sir! Oh and hey… a high fidelity F-15C would be a dream (like your Corsair…) :)

    • @nickgrey4136
      @nickgrey4136 Před 3 lety +1

      @@theeltea Dear Sir, I will do my best. Kind regards Nick

  • @aarnoman1088
    @aarnoman1088 Před 3 lety +3

    The water effects towards the end (13:32) look really good and much improved. Hope to see them in an update soon!

    • @SsgtHolland
      @SsgtHolland Před 3 lety +1

      Already here, mate.

    • @MilitaryNick13
      @MilitaryNick13 Před 3 lety

      ​@@SsgtHollandThe water reflection one can see in this vid isn't in the game currently. The difference is night and day for me. Possibly a new water shader. Coming later - at least that's what Wags said, can't wait

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +5

      Us to! There are few issues we are sorting out for the new later like ship wakes.

  • @RAF33Strike
    @RAF33Strike Před 3 lety

    Hello Wags. Great stuff! Looking forward to the planned open beta update next week 😉

  • @matts2758
    @matts2758 Před 3 lety +1

    Hi Matt - really appreciate you taking the time to explain this. Just a small note - it would be awesome if you said what buttons and controls you were pressing as you skip through some of this stuff quite quickly which makes it hard to know what steps you're following.

  • @Jozzie79
    @Jozzie79 Před 3 lety

    Thank you Wags, really clear and sooo helpful.

  • @wiwa23
    @wiwa23 Před 3 lety +2

    To me that takeoff at around 00:20 just shows the complexity and details of the awesome and excellent aerodynamic simulator DCS really is.

  • @YlmazDALKIRANscallion
    @YlmazDALKIRANscallion Před 2 lety

    This community has great instructors.

  • @Sirrah81
    @Sirrah81 Před 3 lety

    Very handy refreshment video Wags thanks 👍
    Maybe something similar can be done at some point for the AG radar

  • @ohiodabbio917
    @ohiodabbio917 Před 2 lety

    thanks for providing the rod and the reel

  • @arguy3297
    @arguy3297 Před 3 lety

    Feel like I finally understand the data link target information and how to discern the difference between the two.

  • @pyroscot
    @pyroscot Před 3 lety +2

    Very interesting many thanks Wags really helpful

  • @Helixophilia
    @Helixophilia Před 3 lety +2

    nice landing mate

  • @ja1cspikes
    @ja1cspikes Před 3 lety

    Nice landing dude!

  • @Dcs-Brasil
    @Dcs-Brasil Před 3 lety

    perfect explanation!

  • @lordlobs
    @lordlobs Před 3 lety +2

    17:10 lol :D
    Great tutorial, Wags! Take care!

  • @Taliyon
    @Taliyon Před 2 lety

    A basic, and brilliant video. I love that you took time to cover this. It's good for the community.

  • @olivier3816
    @olivier3816 Před 3 lety

    Thanks Wags for this video!! Very useful for me. And a lot of incoming upgrades too, water rendering is far better than what we have curently, and... What can we can we hear there... Better cockpit sounds and touchdown??

  • @kasmiller9289
    @kasmiller9289 Před 3 lety +2

    The FPS over Guam looks amazing

  • @wrmay80
    @wrmay80 Před 3 lety +7

    I think a big issue is the hornet radar is preforming realistically while the other radars are over preforming. Some dramatically.

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +9

      In general, yes. The F-16C and F-15C particularly require adjustment.

    • @Balthazar030
      @Balthazar030 Před 3 lety +2

      And this is the reason more and more people they turn to F16 together with the thrust. With F18 i feel quite underpowered. Maybe this is close to reality but comparing with F16 right now it is day and night.

    • @qiyuxuan9437
      @qiyuxuan9437 Před 3 lety +1

      @@Balthazar030 F15C is even more broken, but it dosent have datalink and lower detect range. As long as you dont mess up the elevation, you will never drop any lock lol😂

  • @MrWillathon
    @MrWillathon Před 3 lety +1

    I can't tell you how much I needed to hear the RCS point. Makes so much more sense now

  • @markfowler9692
    @markfowler9692 Před 3 lety +5

    Haha, Hitchickers Guide ! Awesome M8... Just be careful of the Mice..

  • @ignacehelsen7609
    @ignacehelsen7609 Před 3 lety +1

    Nice outro!

  • @frankster1969
    @frankster1969 Před 3 lety +1

    Rampagers baby... love it :-)

  • @cristiangonzalez761
    @cristiangonzalez761 Před 3 lety +1

    The RCS its new?? Can you tell us, this affect the 120 guidance capabilities?? Should start to set RCS on the weapons settings??
    Other question, are you guys will implement FCLP in the future?? Pleaseee jeje regards! And thanks for this large and incredible job.

  • @franciscoborges9591
    @franciscoborges9591 Před 3 lety

    Great video❤... is the sea looking better..looks better to me🤔...well not sure🤗...love ED

  • @LittleRedMini
    @LittleRedMini Před 3 lety

    appreciate it Wags thanks a lot

  • @grzmz
    @grzmz Před 3 lety +1

    Great video indeed, thank you! But I've got some issues of which I'm not sure if they are caused by me or some code malfunction. In TWS mode sometimes the radar elevation seems to go completly haywire by itself (e.g. looking as far down as possible without me noticing and wondering why I don't get any tracks and also in TWS while in manual the radar isn't following to the gimbal limit while I'm cranking and diving so I'm losing lock or if I switch to auto/bias it seems to set the radar elevation to default so I'm also losing lock because of the vertical angle. Is this a) user to stupid / working as intended or b) actually a bugish behavior? Because I never had any of these problems in the F-16 TWS mode while maneuvering. Edit: radar elevation cant be manipulated in TWS auto mode.

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +3

      This is not something we can reproduce. Please feel to provide a track to our forum and we'll take a look at where you may be going wrong, or if these is a genuine issue.

    • @grzmz
      @grzmz Před 3 lety

      @@MattWagner Ok, thank you. Will try to figure that out.

  • @JaZoN_XD
    @JaZoN_XD Před 3 lety +2

    Thanks wags!
    On a sidenote, had amraam mid course update issue been fixed yet? It has been a very long time since i did A2A because of the bug.

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +3

      High on the to-do list, the engineer is currently on an even higher priority.

    • @JaZoN_XD
      @JaZoN_XD Před 3 lety

      @@MattWagner Thank you for the update, looking forward to this even higher priority update as well.

  • @cramthelan
    @cramthelan Před 3 lety

    Outstanding

  • @qiyuxuan9437
    @qiyuxuan9437 Před 3 lety +6

    That age setting could be why my radar keep dropping tws locks. Im curious about what is the default age setting on F16? Since in my experience F16 tws lock is much more reliable. Also, on F15, due to its a low fidelity moudule, does the age setting not simulated at all? Because I never had any lock drop on F15, and it just work like magic😂.

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +9

      The F-15C radar is at a much lower fidelity level.

  • @Tailspin07
    @Tailspin07 Před 3 lety

    Thanks for the video, definitely cleared some things up. However, I still have issues with locks being dropped almost immediately. What can cause a hit, positive lock, then the plane disappears? Is this caused by the enemy plane jamming me? I am struggling to BVR with enemy planes and always end up having to take the gloves off and get in a scrap with heat seakers, which means I get shot down a lot

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +1

      Impossible to know without seeing a track file. Please use our forum here: forums.eagle.ru/forum/130-dcs-fa-18c-hornet/

  • @mirandaab972
    @mirandaab972 Před 3 lety +3

    Thanks for the daily engineering class. Im taking mechanical engineering but I hope I get to work with radars

  • @fastfiddler1625
    @fastfiddler1625 Před 3 lety

    It's like he saw me flying around the northern AA range in Hoggit Training Server today. I had an easy time in the Tomcat, but in the Hornet, I was flying in circles just painting nothing.

  • @bronco1738
    @bronco1738 Před 3 lety

    Dear Matt,. Would it be possible to have this video with Captions “available” please. Much appreciate.

  • @pixy67_
    @pixy67_ Před 3 lety +4

    I use 140 azimuth, 8 bar scan...it covers the most so its clearly the best way...

    • @Andrea-uc7wg
      @Andrea-uc7wg Před 3 lety +3

      Gives you the slowest refresh rate so that’s the massive drawback

    • @02DCS
      @02DCS Před 3 lety +1

      @@Andrea-uc7wg No you don't get it. Think about the big area it covers.

    • @cristiangonzalez761
      @cristiangonzalez761 Před 3 lety +1

      8 bars? Thas its new for me.

    • @02DCS
      @02DCS Před 3 lety +3

      @@cristiangonzalez761 you have to remove the metal nose cover of the radar. It's in ground grew menu

  • @andrewhardie8138
    @andrewhardie8138 Před 2 lety

    What button are you pressing to center the scan or move it around?

  • @CB-ii2uy
    @CB-ii2uy Před 3 lety

    Cheers Wags

  • @xenimaging
    @xenimaging Před 3 lety

    Wags this is great! Any chance you can do an updated F16 TPOD video for us dummies? There's been so many changes that I know a lot of use struggle with it. Especially TOO scenarios away from waypoints.

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +1

      Yes, probably. I first want to see a few items sorted and the new FLIR system in place.

    • @Kathlanus
      @Kathlanus Před 3 lety

      @@MattWagner Does this mean the new FLIR system is not too far away *getting double helix from crossing fingers*

  • @Wawar9
    @Wawar9 Před 3 lety +6

    Hey Matt ! Thanks for the video. Good stuff, very qualitative as usual.
    What about the MSI integration? It's one of the key feature of the FA18C.
    Back in the days, It was the first aircraft, or one of the first to have data fusion. I would be surprised to see the plane come out of early access without such an essential function which almost defines it.

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +1

      Please see the portion on datalink. There is certainly MSI integration.

    • @Wawar9
      @Wawar9 Před 3 lety +9

      ​@@MattWagner I think we should define what's really "MSI".
      Please check the doc A1-F18AC-742-100 for evidence.
      In short, the radar can be commanded to "look" for an MSI trackfile, based on existing track data. In that way, you should be able to designate an MSI track as L&S from the ATTK RADAR or SA format. It also differentiates between raw radar hits and MSI tracks, when it comes to acquisition. It states that: The radar system, forward looking infrared (FLIR) system, data link, high-speed antiradiation (HARM) missile are used to provide sensor inputs to MSI.
      Already reported on the forum months ago and explained with evidences : forums.eagle.ru/topic/269790-msi-info-designation-on-rdr-attk-page-coming/page/2/
      Since you are talking about radar now, I thought it would be interesting to ask about MSI integration also.
      Thanks.

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +6

      @Wawar9 We are well aware, thanks, and have much better information. Although there is MSI work to do with AZ/EL, the radar format for MSI is correct based on available, credible data. Cue already works as seen in the video, but creating an L&S based on a donor only track is far from certain.
      Further: I'm not saying that we will not implement this one aspect of MSI, we just need more research and be 100% sure before we task time and money toward it.

  • @0waffel0
    @0waffel0 Před 2 lety +1

    I've watched this video numerous times but I'm still at a total loss. one time I pick up stuff on my radar and the next time I can fly right past them and never have them show up on the radar.

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 2 lety

      Please use our forum here with a track and we can better help you understand where you are going wrong. forum.dcs.world/forum/130-dcs-fa-18c-hornet/

  • @qfan8852
    @qfan8852 Před 2 lety

    What's that big "+" that shows up sometimes on radar screen? The one that sometimes tracks a radar contact and sometimes just magically floats somewhere, and sometimes jumps between multiple contacts making a mess on the radar screen. What is it? Is it useful at all? Can I turn it off somewhere?

  • @phoenixsui
    @phoenixsui Před 2 lety

    @Matt Wagner If i have a Mig-29 coming at me at 30k feet and i am at the same hight. Or i follow a enemy Tu-22 with 0,5-5nm distance also lvl. I keep losing him, even if he is already so close, what causes that? I am really lost. My yellow bracket is set on his hight so he is in the scan angles of my radar but my radar only shows him for short times. I usually scan 1-4 bars if i know where he is. I mostly fly with the autostart settings of my radar. And only adjust the yellow bracket. What would be the number one thing i have to adjust better to keep him locked?
    Also why does it seem the Migs can always fire from double as far as i can with the amraam? I have to do something really wrong. I learned in this video about the dopplereffect i didnt know of but thats not it since i fly level. Also i learned i can move my scann angle to the left and right, i only knew i could adjust up and down before. I know the symbology of the radar and have watched other guides. But i just cant seem to do it anymore since a update few month back that made it way harder.

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 2 lety +1

      Please post a track file to our forum and a kind soul will help figure out where you are going wrong. forums.eagle.ru/forum/130-dcs-fa-18c-hornet/

  • @vidar7106
    @vidar7106 Před 3 lety +1

    The only issue I'm having is I don't know how to change the direction of the scan. My scan stays dead center on the display. What function is that? Also, designating an aircraft with IFF doesn't seem to be working for me via the Sensor Select Depress function. Is there another step?

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +2

      TWS --> select MAN --> Slew TDC to scan azimuth --> TDC depress

  • @DAZnBLAST
    @DAZnBLAST Před 2 lety

    Do 'all' the modern aircraft the F18 come up against in DCS have to worry about the same complex settings, ie a non magic sensor!? Same as missiles, do ED and partners work from a realistic baseline?

  • @ianthewhite7035
    @ianthewhite7035 Před 2 lety

    man i really wish you would show what keys or buttons you are pressing to really help me learn what to press how to slew the target. i just bought this f 18 and your tutorial is awesome but have no idea how to implicate all the things you are saying if i dont know where to look for key binds

  • @jrb_uy
    @jrb_uy Před 3 lety +8

    It would be a great learning tool to be able to display the radar emitter cone as I remember it is shown in some development Mirage 2000 videos.

    • @jacksonspencer2707
      @jacksonspencer2707 Před 3 lety +1

      You can kinda get close with the AZ/EL page

    • @haackhaack4217
      @haackhaack4217 Před 3 lety

      Did the Hornet have a cone - Mirage supports two different scopes as part of its systems

    • @19Koty96
      @19Koty96 Před 3 lety +1

      @@haackhaack4217 Not that, that is B vs PPI scope
      Talk here is about a visual reference "in the 3D".

  • @dyoox01
    @dyoox01 Před 3 lety

    Thank you for this. For some reason I just can't seem to get A2A contacts with the f-18.

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +1

      I hope this video will help you.

  • @-hrp-trigger8418
    @-hrp-trigger8418 Před 3 lety +2

    So does that mean that in the future updates the F/A-18 radar will lose its magic ability to track enemy air to air missiles such as the r27 or the aim-120?

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +6

      Yes

    • @Impact117
      @Impact117 Před 3 lety +1

      ​@@MattWagner Why is something like that added for a month, then removed in the next update ? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
      Also: When will the weapon loadout affect RCS ?

    • @Harker_N
      @Harker_N Před 3 lety +2

      @@MattWagner good to hear, because it's not really a thing. You *might* see a missile once in a while, but it's rare.

    • @-hrp-trigger8418
      @-hrp-trigger8418 Před 3 lety +2

      @@MattWagner Thank you very much Wags! Love you !

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +7

      @@Impact117 Just an unintended consequence of dialing in the radar performance for the Hornet. Not planned.

  • @haackhaack4217
    @haackhaack4217 Před 3 lety +2

    One major part of understanding the radar is the manual vs auto of TWS, what the difference is and why it would drop locked bandits. Also another important topic is around switching from ACM and back and saving settings.

  • @aidanq4280
    @aidanq4280 Před 2 lety

    2:16 what key bind allowes you to move the cursor?

  • @makefigo
    @makefigo Před 2 lety

    Guys can anyone explain to me which are the key binds to slew the radar azimuth? I can’t seem to find them anywhere in the controls section :(

  • @mattringen5334
    @mattringen5334 Před 2 lety

    Curious, has anyone else noticed a reduction in overall radar detection range capability and ability to maintain lock since the major updates? I feel like we were able to detect far beyond 40 miles in prior versions. These principles that Wags describes were always in effect, but the ranging was superior before. I wonder if it was a correction for realism or to satisfy the powers above.

    • @mattringen5334
      @mattringen5334 Před 2 lety

      We'd be able to detect and create a plan for AIM-120 salvos before. Now, many times the bandits are INSIDE the launch window at first detection. Anyone else?

  • @Funk_Reactions
    @Funk_Reactions Před 2 lety

    VFA-83 Rampagers.. our sister squadron of VFA-131 Wildcats.

  • @wraith444
    @wraith444 Před 3 lety

    What happens to the PRF when you go into single target track?

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +2

      If memory serves, it auto-selects the PRF based on target range and aspect. Not 100% sure...

  • @starfleetau
    @starfleetau Před 3 lety +1

    The downside to this is while the Hornets radar is working 100% correctly there are some glaring examples now of other jets who's radars seem to not be, the vipers is still WIP, but the FC3 aircraft and the JF17 all seem to be really great examples of radars that need to be 'tweaked'. The Viper I get will get it's passes with time and benefits from the work on the Hornet, but the JF17 for example can see things out to ranges that don't make sense given it's radar should be based on all avalible information no better then a hornet's and actually has a slightly smaller radome.. and the FC3 Aircraft all seem to be 'magic' almost.

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +3

      We will work with our 3rd parties to address such issues for a more unified radar performance landscape.

    • @Impact117
      @Impact117 Před 3 lety +2

      @@MattWagner 10/10, thats urgently needed.

    • @starfleetau
      @starfleetau Před 2 lety

      @@MattWagner hopefully sooner then later as right now there is a massive impalance happening on MP servers etc where the Viper and JF for example sit at 32,000 ft piffing MRM's off at targets coming in low often locking up at ranges the hornet etc can't even see targets at now.
      It's a little 'unfair' to have one radar behaving properly and no others, as it impacts the entire game.

  • @user-ts9eq6ny6l
    @user-ts9eq6ny6l Před 3 lety

    I wonder what, in the AGM-154A the bombs are still PTAB 2-5, or will someone learn and do it properly with the BLU-91?

  • @t.branson9150
    @t.branson9150 Před 3 lety +5

    Can you tame the AI use of the radar then? I mainly do the 4YA multi-player server because it's a good mix of casual/serious, but the AI always seem to lock me up from very far away with it never dropping, and I can't see them at all, or I will and then something happens with the awacs/dl and everything drops from my SA and AA radar while I'm still getting locked up and fired at.

  • @earthexplorer579
    @earthexplorer579 Před 3 lety

    how come your radar elevation dont move automatically, mine just moves every time & unable to make locks and i think its a bug

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +1

      Post a track to our forum and we can determine your error or misunderstanding. It sounds like you having an elevation binding error on your control set up.

  • @hossi2582
    @hossi2582 Před 3 lety

    ty

  • @RedBravo65
    @RedBravo65 Před 3 lety +2

    Well done Mr Wagner. Much needed. Bravo.

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety +5

      You are very welcome; we notice a lot of misunderstanding and confusion out there about AA radar use.

  • @ZIP18PL
    @ZIP18PL Před 3 lety

    Nice water. Do I see cloud shadows on the surface?

  • @kirrasdad
    @kirrasdad Před 3 lety

    Wags what is your rig specs these days? You used to post them..

    • @MattWagner
      @MattWagner  Před 3 lety

      Please see the About section of my channel.

  • @sunshinestaterailfan5960

    How do I move the yellow thingy on the radar and what is the key bind?

    • @fishbed_
      @fishbed_ Před rokem

      That's the TDC slew, check axies