I've done it once before but can't remember how to make a helo with a ASW loadout automatically deploy its sonar bouy's. Their is some type of alt/speed/hdg pattern that you use when inputing the helo's path. Can anyone help?

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

Hi Steve,

There is no auto-drop strangely enough. Only if the helicopter is part of a formation will it drop automatically. You can manually drop by pressing the period key . until the buoy pops out.

I think Steve question can be about dipping sonar, not sonobuoys.

When the helo is stationary, the dipping sonar deploys automatically.

I'm not at my computer w/ HCE on it so bear with me. If you go into the Orders menu and set the path and speed for a helo w/ an ASW loadout (with sonobuoys) you can input several legs for that unit. If you do it correctly, i.e. set the altitude to vlow and enter a leg, set the speed to cruise, make another leg and set that new leg speed to 0 a sonobuoy WILL drop automatically as indicated by a small square. Each time the helo reaches the end of the leg and goes to 0, another buoy will drop and then it will resume speed on the next leg.

Thanks again for those of you helping.

Steve

I'm not at my computer w/ HCE on it so bear with me. If you go into the Orders menu and set the path and speed for a helo w/ an ASW loadout (with sonobuoys) you can input several legs for that unit. If you do it correctly, i.e. set the altitude to vlow and enter a leg, set the speed to cruise, make another leg and set that new leg speed to 0 a sonobuoy WILL drop automatically as indicated by a small square. Each time the helo reaches the end of the leg and goes to 0, another buoy will drop and then it will resume speed on the next leg. Thanks again for those of you helping.

 

You can do this, but I expect you will have difficulty getting the helo to leave its hover and resume a cruise speed.

OK, I've think I've got this figured out. When you have a helo or fixed wing aircraft with an ASW loadout, set a course, set the speed to cruise then set the speed again to loiter. Set another course, set speed to cruise then set speed to loiter again. When the helo/aircraft stops to loiter the sonobuoy will automatically drop. If the aircraft doesn't start moving then set the speed to cruise to get it moving then every time it reaches the end of each leg to loiter, a sonobuoy will drop as indicated by the small box in the unit screen. This sounds complicated but if anyone wants me to explain it in more detail, I will.

Thank you

 

Steve

OK, I've think I've got this figured out. When you have a helo or fixed wing aircraft with an ASW loadout, set a course, set the speed to cruise then set the speed again to loiter. Set another course, set speed to cruise then set speed to loiter again. When the helo/aircraft stops to loiter the sonobuoy will automatically drop. If the aircraft doesn't start moving then set the speed to cruise to get it moving then every time it reaches the end of each leg to loiter, a sonobuoy will drop as indicated by the small box in the unit screen. This sounds complicated but if anyone wants me to explain it in more detail, I will.

Thank you

 

Steve

I used to do something a bit like what you've explained but used F10 at each 'stop' so that I'd get a reminder to kick the helo/AC into cruise again.

If you have anything with MAD its easier (and I don't know but seems to work) just cruise them around with no need to hover/ loiter.

I seem to remember a few items on the wish lists to get proper ASW patrols which would be real nice (don't you think!!) but as it stands I find the easiest (where possible) available strategy is to use a formation patrol around what ever it is you're protecting.

Long range fixed wings would be good to get to patrol on their own but you can put them in formation patrol about a surface group (and use F10 to remind you to send them home for fuel because they won't go automatically unless they can land on a unit of the surface group).

Don thomas

Long range fixed wings would be good to get to patrol on their own but you can put them in formation patrol about a surface group (and use F10 to remind you to send them home for fuel because they won't go automatically unless they can land on a unit of the surface group).

Don thomas

For years playing computer Harpoon, and I had never think about that simple solution, it can reproduce also the present situation, CV or CVH Battle Groups without organic ASW planes, teorically protected by land based ASW planes, as P-3, Nimrod or Atlantic.

Thanks Don.

Long range fixed wings would be good to get to patrol on their own but you can put them in formation patrol about a surface group (and use F10 to remind you to send them home for fuel because they won't go automatically unless they can land on a unit of the surface group).

Don thomas

For years playing computer Harpoon, and I had never think about that simple solution, it can reproduce also the present situation, CV or CVH Battle Groups without organic ASW planes, teorically protected by land based ASW planes, as P-3, Nimrod or Atlantic.

Thanks Don.

 

What an excellent solution! Clicking the aircraft in the Unit window will give you the Bingo fuel %age, so I guess if you F10 every 4 hours or so and leave with 5%, you won't get caught crashing OOF on the way home.

Heh, I can only wonder where you folks have been.

 

The 'adding land based air to ship formation' option has always been useful for providing direct ASW cover to a ship formation in transit, especially where that formation doesn't have any organic airborne ASW of its own.

 

But what we really want to do is to find a way to permit land based air to perform its own "automatic" ASW search patterns.

Long range fixed wings would be good to get to patrol on their own but you can put them in formation patrol about a surface group (and use F10 to remind you to send them home for fuel because they won't go automatically unless they can land on a unit of the surface group).

Don thomas

For years playing computer Harpoon, and I had never think about that simple solution, it can reproduce also the present situation, CV or CVH Battle Groups without organic ASW planes, teorically protected by land based ASW planes, as P-3, Nimrod or Atlantic.

Thanks Don.

 

What an excellent solution! Clicking the aircraft in the Unit window will give you the Bingo fuel %age, so I guess if you F10 every 4 hours or so and leave with 5%, you won't get caught crashing OOF on the way home.

I normally look at the cruise speed and fuel distance remaining to calculate (what I hope is on the safe side) endurance in time, allow time to cruise back home and have a time on station figure. For P3s etc its pretty long but for some planes or helos (might borrow a helo from another group) it can be short.

Don

Heh, I can only wonder where you folks have been.

 

The 'adding land based air to ship formation' option has always been useful for providing direct ASW cover to a ship formation in transit, especially where that formation doesn't have any organic airborne ASW of its own.

 

But what we really want to do is to find a way to permit land based air to perform its own "automatic" ASW search patterns.

I think it could be done by cheating (eg a fast non detectable ship) but that detracts from the 'close to real' kind of doctrine that seems to make harpoon so kool.

If planes had formations like everything else? or if we had 'dummy' units that could be picked up and plonked down?

It all sounds a bit hard when what we have is still good even if not perfect.

Don

Heh, I can only wonder where you folks have been.

 

The 'adding land based air to ship formation' option has always been useful for providing direct ASW cover to a ship formation in transit, especially where that formation doesn't have any organic airborne ASW of its own.

 

But what we really want to do is to find a way to permit land based air to perform its own "automatic" ASW search patterns.

I think it could be done by cheating (eg a fast non detectable ship) but that detracts from the 'close to real' kind of doctrine that seems to make harpoon so kool.

If planes had formations like everything else? or if we had 'dummy' units that could be picked up and plonked down?

It all sounds a bit hard when what we have is still good even if not perfect.

Don

 

ASW Planes need some kind of search mission....

 

http://harpgamer.com/harpforum/index.php?s...&hl=pattern

ASW Planes need some kind of search mission....

 

http://harpgamer.com/harpforum/index.php?s...&hl=pattern

Wow, I didn't know so much thought had already gone into this. It would be a great addition, IMHO one of the best I've seen in wish lists etc.

Don