Thanks guys.

And thanks for the explanation about how the skeets work. It is exactly as how I thought it would be, though perhaps my wording was not so clear. I used the term "home in" to describe the skeet detecting and firing a projectile to a target; after all this I still do not know what proper phrase can be used to describe this. Still, this characteristic of a -97 is what I like about it compared to the "carpet bombing" tactic of the -87 and it's bomblets.

Questions for Eddie -

About TOF - Time To Fall - for GBUs?

When I am at 20,000+ feet altitude and want to drop a GBU-31, let's say, if I don't change the time to fall or other profile parameters then my release cue tells me to release pretty close to the target/SPI.

If I were to increase the TOF would that allow me to drop from much farther away? Shouldn't a GBU-31 and similar weps be able to "fly in" to the target from a few miles away, 5-6, 10 even, at the least? Am I talking the right terms?

TIA

Wrecking Crew

Looking at the TO, real world we can't adjust TOF for GBU-31 or 38s. I haven't checked in the sim. You can however adjust for GBU-10s and 12s.

Time of Fall is simply the desired time it will take the munition to fall to the target (0.00 to 99.9 seconds).

The TO defines it as:

Time of Fall/Flight Display. A continuously computed time-of-fall/flight display exists for all weapons. The display appears when there is a valid CCIP or CCRP solution, and the aircraft is within the CCIP or CCRP envelope limit. When a weapon is released, the display counts down to zero in whole seconds, flashes for five seconds, and then is removed. Up to 3 weapon releases can be tracked simultaneously. Reappearance of the display is inhibited for subsequent weapons delivery passes for at least five seconds once it is removed.

Time Of Fall/Flight (TOF) Display. A continuously computed TOF is displayed for all weapons except the gun. The display will appear when there is a valid CCIP or CCRP solution for the weapon/profile selected and the aircraft is within the CCIP or CCRP envelope limit. When a weapon is released, the display will count down to zero (in whole seconds), flash for 5 seconds, and then be removed.

Wouldn't that mean tossing it off? There was no other way to word that and although I am Mr Innuendo I really didn't mean it that time

WC, from how I understood previous discussions, changing TOF simply changes your HUD cues. Meaning if you wanted a shorter TOF, the HUD cue would direct you to a lower release altitude, higher TOF = higher release altitude. I don't think it allows you to "release from further away" from a given altitude, ie, releasing from 20,000 AGL does not mean longer TOF = the bomb can "cruise" to the target from further away or shorter TOF = the bomb "zips" to the target from closer in --- simply because the bomb will always follow a ballistic path to the target +/- whatever margin of error possible given the LGB/IAM guidance can compensate for. So unless you are changing some parameter in some drastic way, like doubling your airspeed (if you figure out how to do that, tell us!), I presume your distance-to-target upon release will be more-or-less the same no matter what your TOF is.

Of course if I am way off here, I'm happy to be corrected

TOF simply tells the system how long you PLAN on having the weapon fall to the target, in other words how high & fast you plan to release from.

You can't magically make an un-powered weapon fly further without somehow giving it more energy with which to fly further. Put simply, the only way to make a weapon fly further is to either be higher or faster (or both) when you release. In the A-10 faster isn't really an option so you can only go higher.

Yes a JDAM or similar weapon can fly 10 miles (or even further) to the target, when dropped from a high performance fighter/bomber doing 500-600 knots (or more) at 30,000ft. But not from an A-10.

In reality there are many parameters that can be chosen/adjusted by the pilot in regards to a JDAMs (or similar modern guided bomb) flight, including the angle and heading from which it hits the target, and you can also release a JDAM when not flying directly at the target in reality. Although exactly how such things work in the A-10C, or even if they are supported, I don't know.



Spot on.

Thanks everyone!



And - Ice, you've seen my afterburners?
Screaming Warthog


WC

Yeah, but did that double your airspeed?

It probably more than doubled his rate of descent.



The Jedi Master

Well, there goes his "release from altitude" option.