They Do!
We old-farts stays with the Mk84 for a number of reasons

Yes, JDAMs are very simple. Set some precision steerpoints and just fly over and plink 'em. Don't even have to lock anything.


I had told Oden that I would have the next campaign ready to go by today, but I've been under the weather the past couple of days so there will be a short delay. Sorry for the inconvenience.

No stress DBond, we'll switch when we have time.

Just ran a RECCE mission just out of curiosity.
Overflew Mostar and Sarajevo to see if this kind of mission would show red ground units on map like the E-8 does.

Poor rating and no target photographed.

When I tried to setup the steerpoints there was no setting for RECCE type steerpoints.

If anyone knows how to set these missions up I am all ears.
If they are a waste of time, please let me know

Check out #5 and #10 in the thread: https://www.bmsforum.org/forum/showthread.php?17480-Low-lvl-camera&highlight=recon+patrol
Not sure how the camera works but guess you have to load one.
It's an old thread so no idea if things have changed.

Is this server open for anyone at any time and is IVC set up?

Yes, it's open to anyone

Yes, anytime, it's a 24/7 server

Yes, IVC is enabled. But recent reports indicate it may not be working at the mo. Use SimHQs Team Speak BMS room in the mean time as an alternative. We had tested IVC and it was working. But perhaps not right now.

I have TM Cougar. I got that up and working for the most part. Need to take the throttle apart as it is very loose. Also picked up some rudder pedals and a Track IR. Finally got the Track IR working decently. Cannot find my damn headset/mic....might have to just get a new one.

Flew a couple training missions. I can still land my jet...it ain't pretty though. lol I was able to log into the server as well. Figured I better go figure out how to fire some weapons before I try any mission since everything has changed so much since I last fired this sim up.

Awesome Wolverine, and so it begins...again.

Track IR is a great investment. I cannot imagine flying without it anymore. The Cougar and a TIR is all you need really. I have pedals but I don't even have them hooked up. No need when flying the Viper as far as I am concerned.

Headset, yeah, you'll need that, eventually. I use a Steel Series. But we have no requirement for voice comms. So if you can get to the point where you can fire air missiles and just want to fly some CAP or a sweep, you'd be all set.

Which stick profile did you go with?

Or.... work out bombs and run a strike or whatever. I don't know why I singled out air missions?

JDAMs, that's the thing I would work out first if I was doing it over again.

If you ever want to hook up for a hop or two, let me know.

I got a flight in this morning.

Flew an AI from Brnik airbase to attack targets down at Split airbase with an AI wingman (well I would have had he not got stuck at the end of the taxiway...)

Red air was no factor.

Took out 5 trucks and an s60 with mavericks (a waste of good missiles really). Especially when I discovered an armored column about 10 mlies north of Split once I was dakota.

Took out a few more trucks on a couple of strafing runs.

Had plenty of fuel so lit the burners and got up to angels FL30 and kept hem lit until the DED showed me at 2000lbs over home plate.

Cruised home and landed (avoiding my wingman and a few vehicles dotted around the threshold).

Overall a good day out.

Now that's awesome! Great work. You pop out of nowhere and two days later you're giving the Reds the business

We could use more pilots like you Wildcat.

Yes, Red air is smashed to smithereens. AI wingmen have issues, to the point where unless I have a human to fly with I'm going solo.

Strafing runs? Mavericks? Good god man. Keep it up!

Well they were sitting ducks. The airbase had been flattened, very little AAA, no SAM threats and no red air... and the trucks were driving in circles ☺

Yes, the B-52s out of Casale have a regular appointment at Kastela. They drop by every few days with another 240,000 pounds of JDAMS.



Yes, Oden and I have flown a few sorties in this one. Gotta shoot sumpin'



I would too if some guy in a F-16 was shooting cannon rounds at me

You can use SDBs in the same way. A flight of 2 can easily carve a corridor through the SAM defenses by taking out the SAM acquisition/targeting radars from range.

Just recon 8 different (fixed) SAM sites each per jet and let them have it . A 2 ship can take out 16 SAM emplacements pretty safely.

I tested this and fragged a Recce mission and there was a Recon steerpoint fragged on the target. This is in Korea





I think it works like this...A Recce mission is to be flown against a certain target, like an airbase or a refinery. So the structure itself must be right-clicked to set it as the target. You should have a camera loaded and IIRC correctly you have to be really close. I think this is why I never flew them. But like 2 miles slant range, which is about 11,000 feet. I don't think you have to actually use the camera, just getting close enough should do it, but perhaps that is different in BMS? But that means you either have to overfly it, low. Or fly out away from it, even lower. Take lots of flares!

A Recce Patrol is like an interdiction, two Recon steerpoints with no target assigned. That should be better if you are looking to have the AI reveal some targets for you to then target yourself. But I don't know what constitutes mission success if you were to fly a Recce Patrol yourself.

If I may, have a look at the BMS Manual pdf, page 212. Recce patrol was designed for AI helicopters.

Thanks for reconnaissance explainations.
I guess they are not really useful for us.

Since we're about to finish BoP I dared myself to try and reallocate 22nd FS to Banja Luka.
With one save file of day 16 broken (at least that's what I think since first attempt failed and when trying again I got ID duplicate errors) I managed to move our first Balkans Squadron down to Banja Luka.



Looks all good when fragging a new flight.



and VHF here too (133.075 Mega Hurts)



ai-wingman seems to be an option from here unlike up at Brnik.



Banja Luka Airbase in all its glory



This time I put some effort into boresighting each AGM-65 station with the TGP.
I was lucky enough to see two tanks in column outside Split.
Locked the last one in TGP and then the same one in WPN followed by pressing "BSGT" on the WPN page.
Then I switch station and made the same procedure for that station.

Finally pickle I got both mav's flying away, you can see two smoke streams in this picture:



Curious if these would hit or not I kept them in TGP view until I saw two good hits:



After the two hits I made another attempt at an engineer vehicle I found outside Split but for whatever reason I never got the kills I expected.
Uneventful RTB once on ground I had to taxi a bit into mid base since it was my first landing at Banja Luka.



My two kills was enough to give me excellent rating so I'm fine with that and it was great to see my wingman producing some work results too, he did smash two ZU-23 and two ZSU-23's - must have been in some SEAD mindset for whatever reason



Current Situation:




Regarding the IVC issues I have once again flipped the portforwarding of 9987 to 9989 using TCP again.
If anyone manages to connect to the IVC please let me know.

That's great work, yes with the Mavericks, but more so with the base transfer! You used Mission Commander for that? If you're comfortable with that, it gives us much more latitude and options in our campaigns. I'll have to hop on later to fly out of our new digs!

Now I feel like my shuttle mission a few days ago was also like an advanced scouting party

Sir, Yes Sir!

I wouldn't say I am truly comfortable with that tool but it seems to work and I just need to keep in mind to make a copy of the save file before editing unlike I did this time (flyyy me to the.. Dangerzone).