hello everyone,

 

vids showing military aircraft training at Vlow altitude and stories where drop tank have hit the sea waves or the sand dunes are both common.

 

it's also well know that in wartime, at least over the sea, pilots had to fly very low to not be spotted by the opposition's radar too early.

 

a famous operational exemple is the argentinian Super Etendard wich were approaching their targets at between 10 and 15m above the water.

 

off course, it deosn't mean that they would fly so low over land or even that they would do it by night or adverse weather.

 

thow could we simulate it correctly? as far as i know, the lowest alt at wich teh planes can fly over water is 31 meters.

 

cheers,

 

Jan

It seems as though there is a problem with the VLow flags. As it currently is in ANW, it seems that all planes from F-111 to 747s can fly at 31m without the need for any flags.

 

Another player wanted to re-make some Falklands scenarios and he has ask me the same question regarding VLow flight. He wanted to make his attacks at VLow altitude with the Etendard and fly below the Sea Darts. Unfortunately, we couldn't get normal planes to fly any lower than the 31m restriction.

 

I did test a method to get his planes down to -20m height (or maybe it was -10m?) but it meant making a "special use" platform that would not be able to climb to higher altitudes. It would have to launch, approach, attack, and make its egress at the VLow altitude.

It seems as though there is a problem with the VLow flags. As it currently is in ANW, it seems that all planes from F-111 to 747s can fly at 31m without the need for any flags.

(...)

 

exact Herman.

 

i don't know if it's since ANW or former, but i noticed the same things over the water. Above the ground, the flags seems to work.

 

cheers,

 

Jan

I have been thinking about this issue for a long time now. 1-2 years long time that is.

 

Here is what I have come up with.

 

1) More flags are needed on SENSORS

2) EMCOM needs to be re-done on sensors. EG Ships may use generic surface search radars in real life, in the game it is all or nothing. Aircraft Might use a VERY low power Terrian Following Radar to fly NOE (LANTIRN anyone?)

3) The AI (for AI controled missions) should automaticaly turn on the TFR while leaving other sensors OFF or standby during a mission at V/Low/NOE. A Player controled mission (plotted) should allow the player to select "Terrain Following Sensor, Passive, Active, with a greyed out selector for intermetint.

4) the Game code should be re-written that Aircraft without a TFR sensors (READ ANY SENSOR WITH A boolean "Is a Terrain following sensor") can not fly TFR! Common Low level interdiction aircraft (Tornado IDS/ECR, F-15E Strike Eagle, F-111 Aardvark, Su-24 Fencer) all have a seperate Terrain following radar. Some aircraft (F-15E Strike Eagle, A-6E TRAM intruder) have MORE Than one Terrain Following sensor (TRAM/ LANTIRN's Nav IR sensor)

5) Terrain following sensors need two additional data fields. Overland "safe altitude" and Oversea "safe altitude" Safe altitude is 2x what the absolute lowest the aircraft would fly wartime is. So for Aircraft like the Super Etendard in Jan's example below would have a Safe overwater TFR of 30 meters. That means non Weapons free missions are flown at 30 meters and missions with weapons free on them are flown at 15 meters.

 

Ok this is a lot of programming work to make it work but it IS doable and it will IMPROVE REALISIM in the game.