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FighterAcademics
Part1
AirCombatPrep
Lesson1 Radar&HUD
Radar
Overview&GeneralDescription Use,Functionality&Operation
HUD&HSD
RadarrelatedinfodisplayedontheHUD&HSD
AN/APG68Radar
Display,Use,Functionality&Operation
Overview FireControlRadar(FCR)Display Range Azimuth BarScan Elevation LockingTargets TargetInformation
AN/APG68Radar
Overview&GeneralDescription
Beforewegetintoradarmechanizationandsymbologyinthepit,abasic overviewoftheradarandhowitoperatesisinorder.Ivefoundgoingoverthe basicsofhowtheradaractuallyworks,helpspilotsbetterunderstandand operatethecomplexavionicssystemsinFalcon4.0. AllcurrentUSAFcombatreadyF16susetheAN/APG68v9radaror equivalentupgradedunit.AsfarasIcandeterminetheradarversionmodeledin currentpatchversionsofFalcon4.0isablendoftheolderAN/APG68v5and thev9. InFalconthefightersyoullencounterwillbeequippedwitheitheraPulse (olderaircraftsuchastheMig21)orPulseDoppler(neweraircraftsuchasthe MiG29,Su27,F18)typeradarunit.TheAN/APG68usedintheViper,isa PulseDopplertyperadar.Inlayman'stermsthedifferencebetweenthetwo typesisthattheolderPulseradarsdonothavelookdowncapabilitywhile PulseDopplertypesdo.InotherwordsanaircraftequippedwithaPulseradar cannotdiscriminatetargetsatloweraltitudesagainstthegroundclutterpickedup bytheradar.PulseDopplerradarshaveagatethatfiltersoutgroundclutter andslowmovingobjects.Thisgivesthemalookdowncapabilityenabling trackingandfiringontargetsatloweraltitudes.OneadvantagetheolderPulse radarshaveoverthePulseDoppler,ishighresistancetonotchingtechniques. NotchingagainstaPulseradarequippedaircraftrarelyyieldsthedesiredresults. PulseDopplerradarsbycontrastaresusceptibletonotchingtactics.Illgoover notchinginmuchmoredetaillateroninthislessonseries.
Primaryradarunitsinfighteraircraftaremountedinthenoseofthejet.The noseismadeofspecialfiberglassassemblywhichisdesignedtobeinvisibleto radarwaves,andprovidesawindowsotospeak,fortheradartolookthrough.The F16sradomeismadeoffilamentwoundfiberglass(asareradomesonallmodern U.S.fighters)whichprovidessuperiorlookthroughcharacteristics.Asapointof interest,whenIrepairradomes,specialcareandtrainingcomesintoplaytoensure therepairisdonesoasnottoimpairtheradomesabilitytoletradarwavespass throughseamlessly.Ifnotdoneproperlyarepaircouldaffectradarcapability. Typicallymotorsmovetheantennaassemblyleftandrightandupanddownto providemaximumcoverageofairspaceinfrontoftheaircraft.Thisiscommonly referredtoasradarsweep.Ifyoureferencethepicturesprovidedearlierinthis lessonyoucanseehowtheantennaintheViperismounted,andtheswivel assemblyandmotorsthatallowtheantennatomoveupanddownandleftand right. Radarassembliesconsistoftheantennaandmotorassembliesaswellas hardwareandsoftwarethatisusedtosendoutandreceiveradarenergy,interpret anddisplaytargetreturns,aswellascontrolscanarea,volumeandscanintensity. IntheF16AirtoGroundandAirtoAirradarreturnsandinfoaredisplayedon eitheroneofourMFDs.Youcantellyouareinaradardisplaymodebychecking thebottomofyourleft(defaultforradardisplay)MFDwhereyoullseeFCR(Fire ControlRadar)highlighted.TheradarforbothAGandAAmodestiesinto,or communicateswithseveralotherinterfacesavailabletoussuchastheHSD,HMS, andcertainweapons/displaypages.
TheAN/APG68hasatotalcoverageareaof120degreesleftandrightandupand down.
Youllcommonlyseethisreferredtoas +or60degreesazimuth(leftandright)
and+or60degreesvertical(upanddown).
Theradardoesnotscanitscompleteareaofpossiblecoverageatalltimes.Its importanttorememberthattheradarhastosweepormoveleftandrightandupand downtoscanairspace.Thistakestimeandtherearemanycontrolsandmodes availableforyoutousetotailortheradarsscanpatterntooptimizeittoyourneedsat anygivenmoment.AllAirAirradarmodeshaveanazimuthandvertical(BarScan) modesettingtheydefaultto.Youhaveoptionstotailorthesetoyourneedsinalmost allmainradarmodes.Youcantilttheradarantennaupordown,adjustthewidth (azimuth)ofthescan,slewtheradarleftandrightandsetthevolumeofspace coveredvertically(Barscan).Insimplesttermsthismeansthatyoucansettheradar toscanspecificlargerorsmallerareasofthesky.Largerletsyouseemore,and smallermeansaquickerscan.Thisisanextremelyimportantconcepttograsp.Most virtualpilotsdonotknowhowtogetthemostoutoftheirradarequipment.Whengoing upagainstanexperiencedaircombatpilotwhodoes.moreoftenthannotthey inevitablyfindthemselvesblownoutofthesky,and/ordanglingintheirchute.
AScope
Thistypeofradardisplayispopularbecauseit isveryintuitivetouse.Howeveritsmain disadvantageisthatclosertargetsbunchup together,makingitdifficulttodiscriminate targets.
BScope
Themostimportantthingtoremember withaBScopedisplay,isthattheentire lengthofthebottomofthedisplay representsyouraircraftsnose.
Wecoveredpreviouslythefactthattheradardoesnotcoveritsentirepossible areaofcoverageallthetime.Evenifitdiditwouldtakeliterallyforever(inair combatterms)tocompletethescan. Wedohavetheabilitytodefinewheretheradarislookinginairspace,and howmuchvolumeofthatspaceiscovered.Rangesettingsareavailabletoadjust howfarouttheradarscans.Azimuthsettingsareavailabletoadjusthowwidean areatheradarissearching.BarScansettingsareavailabletoadjusthowmuch verticalspaceiscovered,andElevationsettingsareavailabletoadjusttheblockof airspacebeingsearchedupanddowntosearchhigherandlower. TostartoffwithwelllookattheFCRdisplayontheF16MFDandthenRange, Azimuth,BarScanandElevationsettings,explaininghoweachworksand graphicallydepictinghowthesettingsyoumakeaffecttheradarsscanareaand volume.Finallywelltakealookathowtolocktargetsandsomeoftheinfoprovided anddisplayedwithalock.
FCR(FireControlRadar)Display
RangeSettings
Rangewilldoubleeachtime youpresstheOSBtoincrease rangeandhalveeachtimeyou presstheOSBtodecrease range.TheF16radaris arguablythemostreliable, accurate,tenaciousandprecise outthere.Howeveritsability locktargetsatextremeranges islimitedcomparedtothelikes oftheF15andF14.Larger targetssuchasbomberscan bepickedupat80+miles.Non jammingfightersizedtargets usuallyarenotdetectableuntil insideof6040miles, dependingontheRCSand electromagneticemissionsof thetarget.
AzimuthSettings
WhenyoufirstgetinthejetyourFCRAzimuthsettingistothefullwidthof120 degrees.Thisisexpressedindegreesleftandright.TherearethreeAzimuth settingspossibleinthedefaultRWSmode:A6is60degreesleftandright(120 total),A3is30degreesleftandright(60total),andA1is10degreesleftandright (20total).InthejetinFCRviewontheMFDinRWSmodeyoullseeA6displayed abouthalfwaydowntheleftside.PressingtheOSBnexttoA6willcyclethrough toA3andA1.
Hereswhateachsettinglookslikeinthejet.
TheblueTatthebottomof thedisplayisanazimuth indicatorthatshowsinreal timewheretheradaris pointingasitscans.The Verticalgreenlinesalongthe bottomareanazimuth referencescalein10degree incrementsleftandrightof center.
Onlythearearepresentedin betweentheAzimuthgatesis scannedbytheradar. HoweverwheninA3(Azimuth 30)andA1(azimuth10),you canslewtheradar/scanleftor righttotheradarsfullgimble limitstoscanspecificareasof thesky.Notethatinthe defaultA6(Azimuth60) settingtheradarisalready conductingafullscanupto gimblelimits,hencenogates.
BarScanSettings
TherearethreeBarScansettingspossibleinthedefaultRWSmode:4Bar,2Bar and1Bar.Thebarscansareprettymuchwhattheysoundlike.ThedefaultisBar 4,shownontheFCRdisplayasB4.B4startsinascanatthetopoftheselected elevationrange,thendropsdown2.2degreesandscans,dropsandscansect,for atotalof4sweeps,orbars.B1justdoesonesweep,coveringmuchlessarea,but alsotakingmuchlesstime.Itsatradeoffdependingonyourneedsatthetimeand istotallycontrollablebyyou.InthejetinFCRviewontheMFDinRWSmodeyoull seeB4displayedabouthalfwaydowntheleftsidebelowtheAzimuthsetting. PressingtheOSBnexttoB4willcyclethroughtoB2andB1.
Hereswhatitlookslikeinthejet.
ThischartgraphicallyshowstheBarScansas wellastheAzimuthsettings.
ElevationSettings
Elevationsettingsadjusttheblockofairspaceyourradarissearchingupand downtothefullgimblelimitsof120degrees.Thats60degreesupand60down. Youcandothisonyourkeyboardoronyourstickifyouhavetheoption.The keystrokesare:F5=Down,F6=Center&F7=Up.EachtimeyoupressF5orF7youll steptheradarsearchincrementallyupordown.F6centersthescanbacktothe default,orlookingstraightahead.Dependingonyouraltitudeandradarrange setting,youmaynotbescanningtotheground.Itsusuallybesttohavedifferent membersoftheflightscandifferentaltitudeblocksfortotalcoverage.
LockingTargets
Imsureeveryonereadingthisknowshowtolockatargetontheradardisplay. HowevernoteveryoneknowswhatBuggingthetargetorlockinginSAMorSTT means.CommonterminologyforthesetermsisSoftLockandHardLock respectively.Bugging,SAM&STTwillbeexplainedindetaillaterinthiscourse.For nowwelljuststickwiththecommontermsandthebasicdifferencesbetweenthem. AsoftlockinRWS,thedefaultAAradarmode,isaccomplishedbydesignatinga targetoncewithyourjoysticksdesignatetargetbutton,orthe0keyonyour keyboardsnumberpad.Doingthiswillgiveyoualtitudeandheadinginfoonthesoft lockedtarget.Yourazimuthscanareawillalsoautomaticallybereducedregardless ofinitialsetting.Thisisdonetofacilitategettinginfoonandtrackingthesoftlocked target.Ittakesextratimeandradarenergytodothissoazimuthisreducedsoscan andothertargetreturnsdisplayedcanbeaccomplishedinatimelymanner.Again, thevariousradarmodeswillbegoneintoindetaillateron,butfornowImgoingto keepthingsverysimple. Advantages:SoftlockinginRWSgivesyoutheadvantageof:stayingmorestealthy andnottrippingthetargetsRWR/TWS(RadarWarningReceiver/ThreatWarning System),gettinginfoonthelockedtargetwhilestillbeingabletosee/trackother targets,andbeingabletofireonthetargetundetected(whenusingmissiles capableofbeingfiredinSAM)withhighprobabilityofmaintainingastealthylock. Disadvantage:Theonlyrealdisadvantageisthatasoftlockisalittlelessreliable thanahardlock&anditseasierforthebandittobreakthelockvs.ahardlock.
AhardlockinRWSisaccomplishedbydesignatingasecondtime.Doingthiswill focustheradarsscanandallitsenergyonlyonthetargetandnothingelse.No othertargetswillbedisplayedandnoothervolumeofspaceislookedatexcept thatimmediatelyaroundthehardlockedtarget.Hardlockinggivesyouthe advantageofanextremelysolidlockandpositionalinfo. Advantages:Alittleharderforthebandittobreaklock,verygoodpositionalinfo. Disadvantage:Thebanditwillknow: 1) youhavehimlocked, 2) whenyouhavelaunchedaradarmissile 3) yourgenerallocationifhehasaRWR/TWSunit. Youwillonlyseeandgetinfoonthehardlockedtarget,allotherreturnswillbe ignoredandwillnotbedisplayedortracked.
TargetInformation
Imnotgoingtogetintoabsolutelyalltheinformationtheradargivesyouon targetsjustyet.WellhitmostofwhatsdisplayedinRWSmode.Whatwedontgo overherewillbegoneoverlateronandwouldonlyconfusethingsifexplainedright now.Theeasiestwaytodothisistoshowyouwhereeverything'satontheMFD andwhatitmeans.Illdothatusingpicturesandnotes.
40,000Feet
10,000Feet
4Targettracksatabout2628miles. Thealtituderangebeingcoveredatthe acquisitioncursorslocationofabout26 milesis40,000downto10,000feet.Notice thatwhentheacquisitioncursorsare placedoveratargettrackthatthetargets altitudeisshownjustbelow.Current altitudeforthetargetwiththecursorsover itisAngels25,or25,000feet.Practice movingtheacquisitioncursortothetop andthenbottomoftheMFDandnotehow theuppertoloweraltitudereadings change.Rememberthatyourradarsscan isgoingoutfromyournoseinawedge shape.Lessareaiscoveredclosertoyou andmorefurtherout.
Onceyouhaveatargetsoftor hardlocked,variousinformationwill bedisplayedaboutthattarget.This includestargetspeedandthe closureratebetweenyouandthe target.Inthepicturetotheleftyou canseethatthetargetlockis indicatedbythetargettrackbeing depictedasatriangleinsteadofa solidyellowsquare.Noticeaswell thatthereisaline(knownasa vectorline)comingoutofone cornerofthetriangle.Thisindicates whichwaythetargetisheading andthefasterthetargetsspeedthe longertheline.Inthisexamplethe banditisheadingtowardyou.The targetscurrentspeed,andclosure ratebetweenyouandthetarget, areshownintheupperrightofthe displayaslabeled.Thisisallcritical infothatwillgainimportancefor youaswemovefurtheralongin thiscourse.
HUD
Symbology&Use
Milestoselected steerpoint
Heresanexpandedviewofthe HSDtobettershowthetargetyou havelockedandthetargetyour wingmanhaslocked.Thisis extremelyusefulinfoforsorting targets,helpingtoavoidfireing missilesatthesametargetsandat timesgivingyouinfoontarget locationswhenyoucantfindtargets ontheradarbutaflightmemberhas targetslocked.
TheHSDinFalcon4.0simulatesLink16capabilitiesenjoyedbymanyU.S.and NATOaircraft.Link16isbasicallyasystemthatgivesaircrafttheabilityto communicatewitheachotherviadatamodemandintegrateswithAAandAGradar andcertainweaponstoprovideinfofromandsendinfotootherfriendlyaircrafton thelink.InfoisdisplayedontheHSDaswellasradarandHMCS(ifused)display. TheHSDinFalcon4.0isanapproximationofthistechnology.Exactlyhowit worksandhowinfoisdisplayedingamedependsonthepatchversionyoureflying. ItsanincredibleSAbuildingtoolthatprovidesusefulinfoinaneasytounderstand display.Graspingjusthowimportantthistoolistoyourcombatflying,andthen implementingtheknowledgeandskillsgainedinreferencetoincorporatingtheHSD intoyouroperations,isanimportantobjectiveofthiscourse.
PuttingItAllTogether
TheAN/APG68hasamazingflexibility,controllabilityandfunctionality.Youhave atyourfingertipsanextremelypowerfultool,especiallyonceyoulearnjustwhatits capableofandhowtocontrolit.Youlldevelopyourownstyleandtechniquefor workingtheradar.Youdonthavetousealltheoptionsallthetime,butknowing whatyoucando,howandwhentodoit,andhowtointerpretwhatyouareseeing, willmakeyouamuchbetterandmuchmoredeadlyvirtualFighterPilot. RememberthatreducingthescanvolumeineitherAzimuthorBarScan,canbe usefulbyreducingthetimeittakestheradartosearch,butthatyourealsolooking atalotlessairspace.Therearetimestodoafullscanandtimestonarrowthings down.Theskillislearningwhentodowhat.Agoodexampleofwhenyoumight wanttonarrowyoursearchiswhenyouknowwherethebanditsarealready. Anotheriswhenyouneedtoclearaspecificareaofthesky.Experimentand practiceandyoullstarttogetthehangofthingsanddevelopyourowntechnique.
Totherightisalistingofall theAAradarmodesandsub modesandtheavailableAzimuth andBarScansettingsineach. NotethatinACM(commonly referredtoasDogfightmode) AzimuthandBarScanareset andnotadjustable.Allofthese modeswillbediscussedindetail lateronintheAirCombat Course
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