Mission file download: HERE!

As you can see - we are moving up in the ranks of aircraft. We started our journey at "The Range" in the snappy little T-6 Texan II, graduated to the shooting stuff in the AT-6B, then sped things up slightly in the T-45 Goshawk. From there we hopped in the TA-4J Skyhawk for a couple missions and now we are graduating to a recently retired front line attack aircraft: the Harrier GR7.

The Harrier GR7 for SF2 is available HERE!. Many kind thanks to bobrock and Dave for making it available. In the time since it was (re)released for SF2 there have been some patches to the series that require some fixes. Visit THIS THREAD to grab a couple of files to fix her up (well worth the couple of minutes of work). Thanks to Crusader & PureBlue for their help getting me squared away.

For today's training mission we'll be flying a fairly straightforward mission profile to strike a target located near Rayak, Syria. Though this is advertised as a training mission, the threats will actually be very real - no more dummy targets. We will take off from our LHA amphibious assault ship and fly east until turning north to head up a valley toward our target area.



The town of Rayak is located just north of the airfield - our target is the Communications Center located in the center of the town. Care must be taken to positively identify the target and for sure we should avoid the mosque located just a few hundred meters southeast of the Comm Center. The Comm Center is the primary target and it must be destroyed to accomplish the mission.





The secondary target is one I picked arbitrarily, but wanted something challenging and requiring precision. So for the sake of this training mission, let's assume there is something Very Bad™ located in the center hardened bunker on the northwest corner of the airfield apron. Our goal is to destroy that bunker - and only that bunker.



Our tools of the trade this afternoon will be a pair of Paveway IV laser-guided bombs (500 lb.), a pair of Mk-82 Snakeye retarded bombs, and two of the big firecrackers: the 2000 lb. Mk-84s. Rounding out our loadout will be a pair of AIM-9Ms and the required TIALD 400 targeting pod for the laser-guided bombs. Note that I've reduced the fuel load to 75% because 100% makes it VERY difficult to get airborne from the LHA deck.



Here we are spotted on the LHA deck. A few notes about the LHA - it is a fantastic add-on originally created by Kesselbrut and updated and fixed up for SF2 by JSF_Aggie. He was kind enough to tackle a little request I had - that being to allow the user to manually fly off the LHA as opposed to being hooked up to a faux catapult. After some work and experimentation, JSF_Aggie came up with a solution which works perfectly.

Link to LHA

Fix for realistic takeoffs...



Since our Harrier is carrying an enormous load of fuel and weapons, it will never get airborne using a vertical takeoff. Unfortunately we don't have ski-lift equipped carriers (is it even possible?) but JSF_Aggie's suggested technique works great: rotate the nozzles to 0 degrees and apply full power (I like to keep mine at 90 degrees, add full power, then rotate them forward). Just prior to reaching the end of the deck, rotate the nozzles to somewhere between 45 and 60 degrees to give you a slight bit of upward thrust (which really only reduces your sinking initially) and gingerly raise the nose. If you haul back on the stick, you WILL crash. It is a delicate maneuver and adds a great challenge to the mission. It is also worth noting that you need to start your takeoff roll fairly expeditiously lest your wingman try to takeoff through you.









Don't be surprised if you sink toward the sea a bit after crossing the bow. You can make the takeoff easier by lightening your fuel load or payload. Immediately after takeoff raise the landing gear to reduce drag. As you ease the nose up to 7 or 8 degrees you should be accelerating slightly as the forward component of the thrust starts pushing you ahead fast enough for your wings to start carrying some of the lift. Once speed reaches around 200 knots you can retract the flaps and start easing the nozzles toward 0°.



Once you have nozzles 0° you will quickly gain speed and will likely need to throttle back a bit even with the heavy load. I suspect the SF2 flight model uses extra thrust to provide for the VTOL engine modeling but it might be a bit excessive in cruise.



Meanwhile our wingman joins up on our wing. He is sporting some Hellfire missiles, some Mk-84s, and some Sidewinder missiles.



The ocean surface is beautiful in the late afternoon light...



Getting ready to cross the coast I give my wingman the "High Cover" command and he zooms to take position about 5,000' above me.





The moving map in the MFD is a nice feature - I don't think it is scalable though (lite sims have their limitations)...



We hit our waypoint that starts our run down the valley.



We finally get our first taste of flak in the form of Bofors 40mm canons that send shells bursting all around me. My wingman is safely above the flak as planned.







I select my Paveway IV bomb and the TIALD display comes up in the left MFD. Pressing "E" locks automatically on the primary target. Again - a nice feature for us time challenged simmers that we don't have to learn to slew, zoom, and lock. Admittedly, it would be nice to have the option, but it is what it is. The symbols on the MFD are just for looks and only the picture updates, not the data.



Heavier flak greets us as we close in on the airfield.



As we approach the town a pair of MiG-23s takes off!



I bump down slightly to get below the cloud layer and the target comes into view on the IR image. There doesn't appear (or I didn't find) an indication on the IR display of when I was actually in bomb range. From 8,000' I found out that 5.5 miles was too far to release and 3.0 was just about right. Some experimentation would be necessary to determine the proper altitude/airspeed/range release parameters for varying uh..variables.



The MiG-23s do not carry missiles and are not a threat, so we press on with the bomb run and will deal with them later.



At about 2.5 miles I hit the pickle button twice and both LGBs come off the racks and start arcing toward the Comm building.





I scan around and padlock one of the MiGs as I make the break turn toward the east. Flying any further to the north would put us in range of an SA-17 that is awaiting any aircraft that fly too far.



The LGB tracks in for a direct hit. I'm not sure that you have to worry about maintaining any kind of line-of-sight with the targeting POD - I'm not sure SF2 is that advanced or not.



My wingman lurks overhead. It is amusing to watch the flak puff up around me down below while he flies above. He has already called out the bandits, so he is aware of them.



I padlock one, switch to my Sidewinder and get a solid tone. My first missile sails wide but prompts the MiG to drop his fuel tank. My second missile tracks in for a kill.











I'm out of missiles and the GR7 has no functioning gun so I order my wingman to engage the remaining MiG.



His reaction is prompt and he quickly launches a pair of Sidewinders at his target.





The second missile is redundant as his first hits its mark.



With the MiGs dispatched I turn back to the north and prepare to hit our secondary target. The broken cloud deck forces me to stay relatively low (below 10,000') and I pick a poor angle to attack the target. Since the goal is to only hit the middle bunker I should have lined up perpendicular to the axis of the bunkers, but the exploding flak and occasional burst of ZSU AAA fire is distracting and I hurry my setup.





Pulling up closer to the target I climb slightly, roll inverted and tilt my head up to look for the target through the top of the canopy before pulling down onto it and rolling upright. Things are happening much to quickly though and my maneuver is sloppy.





I stupidly hit the pickle button even though I know the sight picture is all jacked up.





The bomb impacts exactly where the CCIP piper was (northwest of the target) and I'm lucky that I don't take out the other bunker. The explosion of the 2000 lb. bombs is tremendous!





Some 23mm fire arcs up behind me as the fixed ZSU sites open up as I pull off the target.







When the fire, smoke, and dust finally settle I can see my bomb drop was off and the bunker is intact.



I fly out to the east a bit to reset for a new attack. Steering is a bit difficult with the asymmetric load of 2000 lbs. with the remaining bomb sitting out there.





Coming back down the pipe on a shallow angle I wait for the CCIP piper to come up onto the bunker.



The piper comes up fast and my timing is somewhat poor again but I think I have a pretty good shot at it this time. Pickle!



I hold my breath and wait to see what happened as the fire and smoke billow once again.



Damn! I just missed off the western edge of the bunker! In retrospect, I should have used the Mk-84s on the Comm building and the precision guided munitions on the bunker - although I don't think I would have been able to designate the bunker since there is no way to slave the EO sensor (I don't think).



I pull off the target and contemplate my options. My wingman has already jettisoned his weapons when he went after the MiG and all I have left is some Mk-82 Snakeyes that wouldn't be useful against a bunker.



Resigned to my failure, I decide to head back to the carrier and order my wingman to join up as we head south out of the valley.



My wingman (for some reason reports as #4) states he is BINGO fuel and I take a glance at my fuel gauge.



As we head for the coast a ZSU-23-4 vehicle gets my attention, but I choose discretion over valor this time and don't have a go at him.





Over the water I release my two Snakeyes to kill some fish since I don't want their weight upon landing.



Soon enough we spot the LHA steaming toward the southeast.



I start my approach several miles out and start slowing down in anticipation of transitioning to vertical flight. The procedure is very delicate and requires patience and attention. If you get in a hurry things can unravel VERY fast and there is no room for recovery.



With the gear and flaps down I continue slowing as I progressively move the nozzles close to 90 degrees. Unfortunately I'm high and fast and have to be a bit aggressive in getting slowed down.







I realize a little too late that I'm fast and in an attempt to slow more rapidly I select 120 degrees of thrust but the configuration is all wrong and suddenly I'm feeling the burble and onset of a stall. As the nose falls off to the left I jab some right rudder but it is too late as my balancing act falls apart and I roll over and plunge into the sea. I'm embarrassed to report I crashed and killed myself!



Stay tuned past the debrief for a remedial trip around the pattern!

The mission is a success - but the disappointing results on the secondary target and the piss poor landing approach make the whole mission a real downer. It just goes to show that the mission is never over until the chains are tied to the aircraft and you are safely in the ready room.



Interestingly, the stats show that my Mk-84 hits were actually scored as hits although the bunker wasn't destroyed.





In an attempt to right my wrong and at least show it is possible with care and attention, I hop back in another jet and take a spin around the pattern.

I shot a video (watch in HD) of a successful pattern:



I set my fuel to 25% to more closely replicate the landing conditions, and immediately jettison my stores on the downwind leg.





Flaps to approach and gear coming down. I make sure to turn a bit of a longer final and keep my speed at around 150 knots on the base to final leg.





I concentrate on flying the flight path marker (FPM) near the ship and manage my rate of descent with power while I pitch slightly to bleed speed and get to a slower airspeed for the transition to vertical flight.



A slight forward vector might be helpful - maybe 89 to 87 degrees of nozzle setting to help you maintain some overtake (keeping in mind the carrier might be making 20 to 30 knots). Once you are established in slow flight (less than 50 knots) you have to be very light on the controls and fly the aircraft with slight pitch and roll commands much like a helicopter. Power adjustments are nearly continuous as you seek a stabilized descent or level altitude with the flight path marker. Approaching the ship from the side or corner is a good idea since it increases your visibility and gives you a better feel for the relative motion. TrackIR is invaluable here.



Fuel consumption in the hover is enormous - and I believe there is a limitation based on water injection capacity although I don't know if it is modeled in the SF2 GR7.



Slide over the deck and line up on the yellow line. The final descent and landing should be rather firm and abrupt and once you touch the deck immediately close your throttle and set your brakes.





I was also interested in the fuel consumption numbers so I did a little testing. At the end of the mission you should be very aware of how much fuel you have left because setting up for the approach and landing can take some time (and thus - fuel). At high power settings in the hover 80% + the fuel burn rate is enormous, averaging around 220 lbs. per minute. If you are really heavy and need near 100% power you can expect 420 lbs. per minute! The FUEL LOW lights illuminate at 650 lbs. which means at typical hover power settings you will be out of fuel in 3 minutes. When the engine quits, you will drop like a lead lined brick.


After a long and tiring mission it can be difficult to maintain your awareness and precision in the last minutes of the flight, but that is exactly when you most need to be paying attention. Flying the Harrier is extremely challenging but very rewarding when you do get her set down on the deck.

Looking forward to where we go next!

BeachAV8R

Cool.
Some nice angles in the pix!

A neat mission, but IMO VTOL ops are where the rough cut edges of the SF2 engine start to show. I always feel rushed off the deck, due to the aforementioned issue with your wingman trying to launch through you (a jarring effect, and a harsh reminder your doing something this software wasn't intended to do)

. Landing is also a pain, as the VTOL model is VERY finicky. The aircraft is far too willing to enter a pancake spin, and once your there you might as well punch out, the planes lost no matter how much altitude you have.


Make no mistake, I love SF2, but I personally think VTOL is a weak spot in the engine.

I'm attempting to re-create BeachAV8R's Training Missions, starting w/ Training Mission 1, but I've run into a problem w/ Training Mission 9. How do I get carrier ops to work w/ Strike Fighters 2: Israel? When I start any mission between Training Mission 9 > Training Mission 12 the mission loads w/ an empty sky.

You can designate any target/object (even friendly) by targeting it visually by pressing * sign on the numpad. The EO sensor should slave to it (not 100% sure it will work).

But how do you, er, aim the visual targeting thingy?

@Lion - Just look at the desired target and press numpad* it will lock the object nearest to the centre of the view. If it looks the wrong one move the view a little (default by mouse, Track IR whatever you use to look around) or manouvre the entire jet and press it again.