LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #09

After a brief stand-down over the holidays we are ready to resume training in the Su-25T. Today we’ll be departing Gelendzhik on a short training strike against three sites that will allow us to further explore some of the unguided munitions we are able to hang on the –T.

This mission can be downloaded here: http://www.mudspike.com/lomac/simhq09.zip



We’ll take off, cross into the valley east of the airport and head up to the northwest to the first target site between the strike waypoint #5 and waypoint #6. We’ll drop a pair of ZAB-500 incendiary bombs on the fuel storage tanks and see how that works out.







After the strike on the power plant site we’ll head over to waypoint #7 on the coast and follow the coastal road toward the southeast where we’ll find a mixed convoy of armor on the move. We’ll try out the PB 250 retarded bombs on the convoy allowing for a low altitude, high speed delivery.



Once we finish up with the convoy we’ll head over toward waypoint #10 where we’ll perform a strike on the southernmost hardened aircraft shelter on the field using the BETAB-500 bomb. This type of bomb uses a parachute and rocket motor to drive down into reinforced structures or runways.





Cont…

We’ve reduced the fuel down to 80% and you can see our weapons loaded on the hard points.



Taking off I’m quickly reminded why I enjoy this sim so much..a little dancing on the rudders and trimming out for the climb and we are headed on course.



We hit the gap in the ridgeline and take the big left turn and drop into the valley closing on the power station.



Once into the valley I activate the air-to-ground mode (7). On the lower portion of the HUD the weapons station display shows which stations have weapons mounted and which ones are currently selected (currently pylon #2 and #10). The HUD display is mirrored down in the cockpit weapons panel.



Using the weapons select key (D) I change to the inboard pylons that are holding the ZAB-500 incendiary bombs. I’m also looking down the valley matching up terrain features with the anticipated target location. Since this was a preprogrammed target location there is a hash mark on the left side of the HUD giving you the location of the target as well.



I also take a look at the ripple and interval settings, but the manual is a bit shaky on how to interpret this. I can’t find a correlation for the interval settings that equates to meters between bombs. I’m assuming the system works on time delay, so airspeed would partially determine the interval, as well as dive angle. It certainly isn’t as much a no-brainer as it is in the Falcon; I’ll have to study these setting further though to get more use out of them.



Coming up the valley I start looking for the river that leads to the power plant. Keeping track of your waypoints, studying the mission layout and watching for geographic features and structures are the best way to find (and keep track of) your targets in LOMAC. Again, this is where TrackIR shines with the ability to lean in and peer closely through the magnified HUD view. The target diamond also lies over the target area since it was a prebriefed target.





Cont…

Since I’ll be doing a level delivery I simply pull the nose up slightly to put the CCRP pipper onto the target diamond and hit the pickle button. Now I’ll get a steering cue (director circle) and my goal is to keep the vertical line (datum “keel”) centered at the midpoint of the circle. I’ll continue holding the pickle button down until the computer determines the correct time to release the bombs. On the left side of the HUD the large arrow will start moving down the HUD at 10 seconds from bomb release and reach the bottom at the projected bomb release time.





The two bombs impact the power plant site and destroy several fuel tanks. I have to admit my disappointment though in that I thought these ZAB-500 incendiary bombs would look more like napalm bombs going off: spraying their flaming, jelly-like liquid across the site.



After the strike on the power plant we take a sweeping left turn to line up on the highway road in pursuit of the convoy.



Since I’m carrying four PB 250 retarded bombs I make an adjustment on the Weapon System Control Panel and set the salvo size to “4” and the release interval to .2. It is worth mentioning again that even if you have the ripple number (salvo size) set to “1” that ordnance hung at the outermost weapon stations will still release in pairs to prevent excessive asymmetric loading on the wings.



Again looking through the HUD at higher magnification I’m able to spot the dots of the convoy moving slowly south along the coastal road. I try to maneuver a little more to the south so that my attack run will run down the axis of the convoy allowing my bombs to fall in a string along their path of travel.





This time I use a diving attack which gives me a CCIP pipper with a bomb fall line. I try to place the pipper near the midpoint of the convoy so my bombs will “walk” forward. I press and hold the pickle switch until all of the bombs have been released (it is important to hold the button down until the entire ripple sequence is complete or all of the bombs will not release).



Cont…

As the bombs fall away small parachutes deploy from behind to slow them (retarded bombs) which allows for such a low altitude attack. Unfortunately my interval setting (.2 seconds) was far too short and the bombs end up spaced too tightly and the damage is minimal with only a single truck destroyed and a little damage to one of the T-80s.





It is until later, when viewing the screenshots that I realize I should also be continuously releasing chaff and flares during these attack runs. I might as well get into the habit since future bombing in combat missions will not be in such a benign environment.

I’m disappointed with the results of the bombing attack so I decide to come back around and try my hand at the onboard canon for the first time. Selecting the canon (C) brings up the strafing pipper which you simply fly over the target before pulling the trigger. The number in the box in the lower right hand corner of the HUD indicates in quarters how much ammunition you have left (4=full, 3=3/4, 2=1/2, 1=1/4). The 30mm canon holds 150 rounds. Setting up in a shallow dive toward the convoy I use the magnified view through the HUD to try to settle the pipper on one of the vehicles in the convoy and pull the trigger. The canon shells arc down among the convoy kicking up sparks and dust but I manage to miss every vehicle.





Coming back around, I once again line up on the lead BMP but my rounds hit all around the vehicle without destroying it. I wonder if LOMAC models different densities of armor based on aspect? I seem to recall that in EECH you could destroy armored targets more easily (with less shells) with the canon hitting the armored vehicle from the side or from behind instead of the heavily armored frontal area. I wonder if LOMAC also models that? If that is the case, attacking a convoy from behind with the canon would probably be the most effective technique.



I line up once again for a run on the convoy and as my tracers streak down at the lead vehicle I’m surprised (though I shouldn’t be) to see some tracers arcing back up at me! “Thunk-thunk” I hear and suddenly my right engine is belching smoke and flames! And though I’m on fire, I manage to leave the convoy with no losses from my canon fire: frustrating!!



Climbing up over the port area I assess the damage. My right engine is on fire, clearly indicated by the flames and the fact that the right engine temperature gauge is pegged. Unfortunately I’m a bit out of practice (already) with my emergency procedures so I look up the engine shutdown command on my keycard and for some reason I always read it wrong. I tried hitting the right Windows key + End + Shift all together and it did nothing.



Cont…

With the engine not developing thrust I was having a handful just flying around, so I couldn’t spend much time troubleshooting. Fortunately I find myself directly over Novorossiysk which is where my final target is so I quickly select the outboard pylons and drop my BET-AB500 bombs on the target hardened aircraft shelter.





The bombs waffle down on their parachutes until they are near vertical then their rocket motors kick in driving them down through the concrete roof of the shelter blowing up within.







I climb away and enter the downwind for the runway, all the while my engine is burning away.



I concentrate on flying a methodical pattern and try not to get rushed which could lead to a poor landing. I’m relieved to see my landing gear operates normally and I turn on the base leg.



On final I put in a little wing down and a bit of rudder to keep lined up. I elect to land with half flaps instead of full flaps so that I don’t have to use such a high power setting on the operative engine.



Cont…

I drag it in a little low and slow and just barely get across the runway threshold before touching down. The rollout is very short though and soon I’m stopped on the runway.





I open the canopy and then I have a bit of time to figure out this engine thing. Then I realize (duh!) that the key combination for operating the engines singly does not require the Windows key to be pressed, just Shift-End ends up turning off the right engine and the flames go out. I can be pretty dense sometimes. I must say though, there should be a penalty for flying around that entire time (probably a good 4 minutes?) with the engine burning. At some point there should be cascading failures if not an outright explosion of the aircraft. I remember flying around with a burning engine in Longbow 2 you would have to fire off that extinguisher pretty quickly or risk exploding.



The damage to the right engine fairing and turbine blades is readily apparent. Pretty exciting stuff for a training mission.



The results of the mission could have been far better. Even though we managed to hit some of the fuel tanks, and took out the hardened aircraft shelter, the attack on the convoy was a terrible failure. Though retarded bombs might work well on softer targets (jeeps, trucks, utility vehicles) it might be better to use guided munitions on armored targets (we’ll be getting to that in one of our next missions!). I also need to explore a little more thoroughly the ripple and interval settings to find the proper settings for different types of munitions so that I don’t get overlapping frag areas that don’t maximize the blast area with multiple weapons.



This mission can be downloaded here: http://www.mudspike.com/lomac/simhq09.zip

BeachAV8R

Excellent read! Thank you. BTW, way too long between reports. I need my fix.

Thanks
Whammo

Keep the coming

Great one Beach (as usual :-))

Ah, so you can't hit a damn thing with the cannon, either... That makes me feel better.

If you look real close at the 29th pic you can see the guy leaning out the back of the truck still waving the Marakov pistol he used to hit ya Beach. Maybe talk to that guy about aiming lessons!

j/k! Great training AAR as always. Can't wait for your Vikhr mission!

Cool report Beach, always a good read

Great! Has been looking forward for this for some days.:)

The ZABs really are a disappointment aren't they? The graphics are those of a regular bomb explosion. Not at all what you expect to see.

Another enjoyable read.

Rich

Thanks for another great report. I too have been waiting for this one for a while.

As a suggestion, you might find the KMGU containers to not only be effective against such convoys, but also quite exciting (and risky) to deliver.

Also, you do in fact run the risk of a catostrophic explosion when the engine is left burning. Consider yourself lucky.

And finally, I noticed you were running in clean for the cannon attacks. Some people find it useful to take the flaps half-way down to help manage the speed a little bit.

Very informative and entertaining. Nice work, BeachAV8R!

LOL, no kidding I don't think I've ever survived long enough with a burning engine to attempt a landing. 4 minutes without exploding is quite unprecedented in my experience!

Thanks guys..glad you stuck through the "drought" there for awhile over the holidays. Crazy Christmas stuff..I'm skipping it next year!

Ironhand - Indeed..I loaded up those ZAB's and had visions of spreading a wall of flames across those fuel tanks...sort of like that Apocalypse Now scene where the they drop the napalm in the treeline...hehe..didn't quite work out that way...

EvilBivol - Roger that on the flaps..probably be a better choice than those rumbly speedbrakes. Funny about the engine fire..I was careful to take my time lining up for that approach too because I know rushing things and having a poor setup for the final usually ends up in a poor landing. Guess I squeaked in under the wire for the engine explosion....

Regards..
BeachAV8R

Almost missed this episode. That was a very good read - learned some stuff too. Apparently Black Shark will model cascading failures but I don't know if FC does.

Now, wait a minute... You were using the cannon against a convoy? I think I had a Deja-vú from your Falcon 4 reports... YOU WERE "GOING BEACH"! Haven't you learned anything?

That's funny..hadn't heard that expression in quite a while...guess I'll never learn! The darn canon is so addictive...but so dangerous...

"Just...one...more....pass....uhhh...oh crap..."

BeachAV8R

Dynamite disco on the radio..uh PC... Great Job!

Re your comment on armor aspect angle, yes, to my knowledge, it is implemented in LOMAC. I can tell you as a former sim A-10 pilot, it makes a difference hitting a T-80 from the rear or side versus the front. The details I don't recall, but like soup, it's in there.

Oh man, just wait till you get some dedicated badass AAA down there, it's freaking brutal! And I have had multiple engines shot to you know, and I almost invariably blow up. Badly sadly. Really, it's a bad deal, you either shut that puppy down or bail out, right now. Four minutes, man, living on the grace of good luck!

Re the strafing run, carumba. I can't hit crap with the gun, or gun pods. I end up wobbling up and down right when I need the sight to steady, and then spray and pray. No workie. Once in a while I get close enough to hit, and yet survive the pullout. Not often.

Heh, "Go Beach on them!", I have used that phrase extensively in my sim and AAR career. I recall one F4 sequence where I penetrated deep into North Korean airspace, delivered my bombs on target, then saw some bombers taxing down below.

Know what I thought? Time to "Go Beach on them!" and I did, successfully no less. Wow, what a great time!

Thanks guy, we're loving it clearly.

I ain't lying about this stuff, there's history to support me!

http://www.simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.ph...rue#Post1651958