Introduction
The A10c is a twin engine jet aircraft designed for close air support of ground troops and other tasks involving the destruction of ground based vehicles and structures. Therefore you should not expect to be very effective in air to air combat against other planes. The A10 has extremly efficent engines, this however comes at the cost of speed. You will usually not exceed 320 knots. The advantages of the plane is the insane payload of missiles, rockets and bombs, very good survivability as well as good situational awareness.
Some parts in the controls got censored by Steam. ♥♥♥♥♥♥ means C- o- o- l- i- e. Im in contact with steam support about fixing this.
When talking about controlls, the addition "long" means, that said controll needs to be held down. On the other side "short" means you just need to press it.
Important Terminology
Many of the A10s systems have abbreviations to make your life easier. The following list will teach you how pilots refer to the systems, contacts and other things.
Abbreviation Full name What it does TAD Tactical awareness display Acts as both Map and simple GPS system, as well as giving you a better overview of the situation. RWR Radar warning reciever Detects and shows you Radar wave sources that are detected, locked onto your aircraft and if they fired missiles. TGP, Tpod, FLIR, Litening AN/AAQ-28 Litening Targeting pod A external pod made for finding and designating targets to then employ weapons. Has CCD (TV), white hot and black hot camera modes and high zoom. Maverick, Mav AGM-65 Maverick Heavy air to ground missile. GBU Guided bomb unit Bombs which are able to correct their flight path by using integrated GPS/INS navigation or external laser designation. JDAM Joint direct attack munition Refering to a special line of GBUs, which are only able to guide with GPS/INS coordinates. CBU Cluster bomb unit Bombs that are releasing multiple submunitions to destroy targets. Some are guided like JDAMS. HMCS Helmet mounted cuing system A device mounted to the pilots helmet, allowing him to have symbology helping him sith situational awareness when not looking at the heads up display. Furthermore the pilot can set points by using it. SPI Sensor point of interest A point set by a Tpod, HMCS or other means, that allow other sensors (like missiles) to be slewed to it. AAA Anti aircraft artillery Anti aircraft equipment using cannons or guns as theis primary way of engaging their targets. SPAA Self propelled anti aircraft artillery Like AAA, but mounted on a Truck other vehicle or on their own chassis so they can reposition and move on their own. SAM Surface [to] air missile Anti aircraft weapon systems using missiles as their primary weapon. They either lock onto the heat produced by the enignes of the plane, or work in conjunction with a radar system. DSMS Digital storage management system This page allows you to see what weapons are loaded, choose which ones to employ and change parameters regarding the way they will be employed and how they will work. JTAC Joint terminal attack controller A person controlling and coordinating the attacks of aircraft in a certain area. They will sometimes provide their own laser for you to use.
Cockpit Overview
Right console
Yellow: Internal light panel, used to controll different lights around the cockpit.
Turquoise (looks almost white): External light panel for controlling the intervals and brightness of external lights.
Purple/ Dark blue: HMCS controll panel. Activates and deactivates the HMCS and controlls certain options about it.
Orange: ILS - Instrument landing system. Input data for a computer assisted landing approach.
Pink: AAP - Auxiliary Avionics Panel. This systme provides power to the CDU and changes the steer point to the flightplan, a markpoint or a mission point. Also allows you to select different pages on the CDU.
Blue: CDU - Controll Display Unit. The interface for (mostly) navigational purposes.
Green: Master caution panel. Will show lights if systems are offline, damaged, destroyed or otherwise in critical condition.
Red: Countermeasure controll panel. Here you can change between different dispense modes, profiles, as well as create custom countermeasure profiles and see, how many expandables you have left.
Front console
White: UFC - Up front controller. Used to write mostly numbers to use them on the MFCDs.
Red: MFCD - Multi function color display. Displays with a wide variety of avaiable information. You can change pages depending on your needs.
Green: RWR - Radar warning reciever. Shows you which radar sources are in the area, if they are locked to you and if missiles are being fired (more about it in the countermeasure chapter).
Dark Blue: CMSC - Countermeasures set control. Three small displays, the first showing the mode the jammer is operating in (if you have one), the second showing again how many expandable countermeasures you have, the third is the missile warning system, it will give you a launch warning if a missile launch is detected.
Blue: Master Arm panel. Here you can arm/ activate or disarm/ deactivate laser, gun or TGP, as well as allow the employment of other weapons.
Dark Red: UHF. Shows the frequency your radio is operating on.
Orange: ADI - Attitude Director Indicator. A artifical horizon showing you the climb/ descend rate of the aircraft. Mostly a backup in case the HUD goes offline.
Brown: Fuel gauge. Shows how much fuel it in your plane and how much is in external tanks.
Yellow: Engine gauges. Shows the status of the engines, APU and other engine relevant systems.
Purple: Backup Altimeter. A barometric backup altimeter, in case your HUD doesnt work anymore. Here you can also set the airpressure for more precise calculation of your altitude.
Turquoise: HSI - Horizontal Situation Indicator. Here you see the magnetic heading in relation to oyur plane and are able to set courses based on this.
Left console
Red: Fuel Pumps. Yes they are pumping fuel around the plane.
Blue: LASTE - Low altitude safety and targeting enhancement [control panel] - mainly used to set your autopilot and change its modes.
Green: APU and Engine operation switches. Used to start the engines and get more thrust out of them in emergency situations.
Orange: Flaps controll switch. Used to controll the angle of the flaps. The higher the angle is, the more lift you get, but you are also slower.
Purple: UHF Radio control panel. Here you can alter the UHFs system parameters, for example its frequency.
HUD
Your HUD or Heads Up Display is your main source of information. Is sends all of the important information straight to your field of view.
Navigation
Basic flight information is given in form of your altitude (orange) and your airspeed in knots (blue). Your velocity vector (red) will show where youre flying towards. Throughout the HUD are full or dotted
horizontal lines. The black one is called the horizon line or horizon indicator. As you might have guessed, it shows where the horizon is. The dotted lines (purple) show you the climb or descend rate (the rate is shown in degree next to the line). For example if your velocity vector points at the descend indicator with 05 next to it, your plane is in a 5 degree descent. Also your exact angle of attack will be shown under your altitude (white). The lst thing relevant to navigation is your magnetic heading (yellow). The sensor that creates the SPI is shown in the bottom left (dark red). If youre autopilot is engaged, the HUD will show its mode on the brown box.
Weapons
Information relevant for weapon employment is mostly shown in the bottom left. The weapon profile is shown in the red box. The station that will fire in the blue box. Depending on the delivery method you may get a notification in the yellow box.
Coldstart, Taxi And Takeoff
Coldstart
The coldstart in the A10c is probally the longest of every plane we can choose from. In the following chapter i will explain how to start the engines and systems.
First set the battery to PWR (red) and set the inverter to STBY (green).
Now activate all four fuel pumps (green) on the left console and start the APU (red).
Wait for the shown gauge to reach 100%.
When 100% is reached, turn on the APU generator by setting it to PWR (red). If you like breathing, you can turn on the oxygen flow (green).
Start your right engine by pressing RCTRL and HOME.
Start your HUD (Heads Up Display) and MFCDs by first turning all three switched in the red circle to on. After that, power the MFCDs by turning the knob (green) to day or night (day is a bit brighter than night).
When the light in the top left corner of the master caution panel stops showing "engine start cycle", start your left engine with RALT and HOME.
Turn on the CDU by turning both switches under (red) it on. The CDU will not start and perform a bit test.
When both gauges shown below indicate around 60% power, perform the next step.
Turn both AC generators (red) on. You may get a warning, but dont worry about that. Now turn your APU GEN (green) off. You can also turn off the APU on the left console.
The CDUs bit test should now be complete and the display should show similar symbology like below. Set the alignment mode to GROUND by pressing the button next to it (green). Also, especially if you fly in colder weather, turn on your pitot heat (red) to prevent it from freezing.
Turn on pitch and yaw SAS on your left console.
Turn on anti skid (red). Optional you can set your frontwheels light to taxi (usefull at night) with the switch in the green circle.
Now power your CMS panel. Set the mode selector (red) to the mode of your choice. I recomment SEMI for beginners. This mode will automatically choose the right CMS profile depending on the threat. Also turn on the different CMS systmes (green).
When your CDU shows 4.0 0.8 on the display (red), turn the operation mode to NAV with the button next to it (green).
Press the EGI button shown in the red circle. It is located behind your stick.
Turn on the EAC (red) under your throttle and arm your ejection seat (green).
Owners of the A10c II Tank Killer module can now turn on their HMCS system by turning the switch shown below to on. Dont forget to close the canopy with CTRL and C.
Taxi
Taxi just means that you are driving from your parking area to the runway, or the other way around. There are only a few things to keep in mind.
First you will have to press the nose wheel steering button. This will light up a small light over your RWR (red). When nose wheel steering is engaged you can steer with the rudder commands.
Follow the lines on the bottom (red). Keep in mind that this is not a road. Drive on the line and not beside it - grass is your worst enemy and will get you stuck very quickly. Your speed indicator on the HUD (blue) will not show speeds below 50 knots. This means that is it in your responsibility to make sure youre not too fast.
Most airports are organised similarly to this one.
You will have one or more parking areas (red) where planes are parked to start up, shut down or rearm. The Taxi strip (blue) is parallel to the runway, but thinner in most cases. The runway (purple) is the place where you (and other planes) will start and land. Always make sure there are you planes approaching before you drive on the runway or land.
Drive to the edge of the runway and check for incoming planes. Landing planes usually have priority. When no planes are on the runway, drive on the end of the runway.
Taking off
Drive to the end of the runway and make sure that youre in the center of it.
To make your life easier, you can use flaps while taking off. They will produce extra lift but will make you accelerate slower. You can set the angle of the flaps on the left side of the throttle (red) or with F. To retract the flaps use SHIFT and F.
Push the thorttle to 100% power. Disengage the nose wheel steering (by pressing the nose wheel steering button again) at around 55 knots. When you reach around 130 knots, you can take off with most payloads. When you reached a altitude of around 100ft, retract your gear. If you used flaps, retract them at 500ft or above.
Congratulations - you are now airborn.
Weapons And Loadouts
In the A10c II you havea wide variety of different weapons to choose from. The most important thing to know is, which munition will have which effect. Also, you should know what type of guidance the weapon uses and most importantly, if they are training variants or the real deal. In the following table i will list the most usefull weapons, as well as some information about them. I will not include training versions. Since the primary focus of the C model is the usage of precision guided munitions, i will put my main emphasis on these type of munitions as well.
Name Type Effective against Guidance Pylons max. carriable (with racks) Range Weight (without rack/launcher) GBU-12 general purpose bomb Infantry, light/ medium/ heavy armour Laser 1-11 19 mostly ballistic 500lb / ca.227kg GBU-10 general purpose bomb Infantry, light/ medium/ heavy armour, light to medium fortified structures Laser 3-9 7 mostly ballistic 2000lb / ca. 907kg GBU-38 general purpose bomb Infantry, light/ medium/ heavy armour GPS/INS 3-5,7-9 6 mostly ballistic 500lb / ca.227kg GBU-31(V)1/B) general purpose bomb Infantry, light/ medium/ heavy armour, light to medium fortified structures GPS/INS 3-5,7-9 6 mostly ballistic 2000lb / ca. 907kg GBU-31(v)3/B general purpose bomb with penetrator warhead Infantry, light/ medium/ heavy armour, light, medium and heavily fortified structures,
bunkers GPS/INS 3-5,7-9 6 mostly ballistic 2000lb / ca. 907kg GBU-54 general purpose bomb Infantry, light/ medium/ heavy armour Laser or GPS/INS 3-5,7-9 6 mostly ballistic 500lb / ca.227kg CBU-103 Cluster bomb Infantry, light/ medium armour GPS/INS 3-5,7-9 6 mostly ballistic 1000lb / ca.453kg CBU-105 Cluster bomb Infantry, light/ medium/ heavy armour GPS/INS 3-5,7-9 6 mostly ballistic 1000lb / ca.453kg AGM-65 (D/G/H/K/L) Maverick (more about the different models in the AGM-65 Chapter) A heavy air to ground missile. light/ medium/ heavy armour CCD seeker, infrared homing, Laser or force correlation (depending on model) 3,9 2-6 (depending on model) maximum of 12 nmi, however mostly restricted due to having to lock before launch 465lb / ca.210kg up to
675lb / ca.306kg depending on model Laser guided M282 MPP APKWS Laser guided Hydra rocket with multipurpose penetrator warhead (MPP) Infantry, light armour Laser 2-4,8-10 98 ca. 6 nmi 32lb / ca.15kg per rocket Laser guided M151 hight explosive (HE) Laser guided Hydra rocket with hight explosive (HE) warhead Infantry, light / medium armour Laser 2-4,8-10 98 ca. 6 nmi 32lb / ca.15kg per rocket AIM-9 Short range air to air missile Helicopters and planes Infrared homing 1,11 4 up to 19 nmi 188lb / ca.85kg
Keep in mind that a good loadout should be able to deal with most if not all situations. Therefore you should know how to use many different types of munitions. Most player will take the following weapons and pods regularly. This "default loadout" consists of Sidewinder air to air missiles for self defence, a Jammer, the Tpod and AGM-65s (most players will choose the smaller versions and carry six Mavericks in total).
Be aware, that the heavier you are, the worse the aerodynamic performance of the plane will get.
Example of a default loadout based on real payloads. The empty pylons would be loaded depending on mission requirements (note that IRL there are no more than 2 mavericks per pylon, because the inner ones rocket engince would burn the tires [not modelled in DCS]):
Pylon 11 Pylon 10 Pylon 9 Pylon 8 Pylon 7 Pylon 6 Pylon 5 Pylon 4 Pylon 3 Pylon 2 Pylon 1 2x AIM-9M AN/AAQ-28 Litening 3x AGM-65H 3x AGM-65D ALQ-184 Jammer
When creating loadouts, it is important to know what you will do. Depending on the usually i use my all around loadout, but depending on the mission, you might need specific weapons like GBU-31(v)3/B against bunkers. You also should not use overkill weapons against targets, you can destroy with lower yield weapons. Keep your high yield ordinance for targets, that really need them. For example: Dont use a AGM-65 Maverick on lightly armored vehicles, when you have APKWS on your plane. A allround payload may look like this.
Pylon 11 Pylon 10 Pylon 9 Pylon 8 Pylon 7 Pylon 6 Pylon 5 Pylon 4 Pylon 3 Pylon 2 Pylon 1 2x AIM-9M AN/AAQ-28 Litening 3x AGM-65H 21x Laser Guided M282 MPP APKWS CBU-105 GBU-10 CBU-105 3x GBU-12 3x AGM-65D GBU-12 ALQ-184
Personally i fly like this (not smart very heavy).
Pylon 11 Pylon 10 Pylon 9 Pylon 8 Pylon 7 Pylon 6 Pylon 5 Pylon 4 Pylon 3 Pylon 2 Pylon 1 2x AIM-9M AN/AAQ-28 Litening 3x AGM-65D 21x Laser Guided M282 MPP APKWS GBU-31(v)3/B CBU-97 GBU-31(v)3/B 21x Laser Guided M282 MPP APKWS 3x AGM-65D CBU-97 2x AIM-9M
Keep in mind that your most versitile weapon is your gun. It is even able to destroy heavy tanks. Also, the APKWS can be used against helicopters if you catch them with your TGP in point track mode.
Creating Custom Payloads
Custom payloads
You can set your own custom loadouts in the mission editor.
To do this you have to start the mission editor and make a new plane group by pressing the button on the left (red).
Then you select the plane to which you want to add a loadout (red). In this case the A10c II. Planes you dont own will grey instead of yellow. Press somewhere on the map to place the plane. You then want to go to the armament screen (green).
Now you have to make a new loadout by pressing "NEW" (red) and choosing a name you will use for it. Then press OK.
The game will add a new payload to the screen. It will be colored in light blue. You can now add weapons, external tanks or pods to your plane by right clicking the box under the pylons. A menu will appear from which you can shoose your weapons. When youre done selecting your weapons, hit the X in the top right corner of the screen (red).
Now you need to exit the mission editor without saving (dont ask me why). Press the X on the top right (red) and select "NO" (green).
When you now want to load weapons, you can select the loadout you set among the preset ones. My one here is named "Heavy metal" (red). The loadouts are not sorted in any way, you might need to scroll down a bit.
DSMS
The digital storage management system or DSMS has the primary function of showing you what and how many weapons you have, as well as indicating their status. In addition to that, you can change the weapons settings and jettison (drop them withouth the intent of engaging enemies) selected weapons.
Needed controls
Control What is does HOTAS ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Switch Left / Right short Changes the page of the left or right MFCD. Weapon release Here used to jettison weapons. HOTAS ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Switch Up short Makes your HUD SOI. HOTAS DMS Left / Right short Cycles between weapon profiles when HUD is SOI.
Loading your DSMS
After you loaded weapons, your DSMS needs to be reloaded. If you dont, it will look like below.
To avoid this, press the LOAD button in the bottom row (red). Now press LOAD ALL (blue) on the right.
The dots on the left side (between the function and the button) will disappear for a short while. Dont press any buttons on the MFCD until the dots (red) reappeared.
If you now go back to your DSMS page, you can see what weapons and how many of them you have loaded. You can quickly change the page of the MFCD with HOTAS ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Switch Left / Right short.
You will see the currently selected release mode (red) and the weapon profile selected (blue). Each box on the sides is representing one pylon. The stations number is shown on the sides (yellow). The DSMS will provide the name of the weapon in these boxes. Furthermore the weapons alignment status or the laser code is shown (if the weapons has laser or GPS/INS guidance) (purple). The amount of weapons on the pylon are shown in a smaller box next to the pylon (brown). Also, the amount and type of GAU ammunition is shown in the bottom center of the display (dark red).
If you were to select a weapon profile, the box of the station, that will fire will become white.
Changing laser codes
To prevent confusion you should always change the weapons laser code. If not, it may be that someone else also forgot and you both use the default 1688. This can cause confusion for the weapons laser seeker and it may track the wrong laser.
You can choose any laser code from 1111 to 1788.
To change the laser code you first need to go to the inventory page (red).
Now select the station of which you want to change the laser code. In my case the GBU-10 (red).
The DSMS will tell you what weapon is loaded (red). However you still need to confirm this by navigating to the right weapon. I will have to select GBU (green).
And then pick the model, here the GBU-10 (red).
You can see the laser code currently used by the weapon on the right (red).
Go to your UFC and type in a four number long code between 1111 and 1788. For this you can use the number buttons (red). The input symbols will be repeated on the HUD (black). If you want to delete a character, use the CLR button (blue).
Now simply press on the button next to the laser code (red) and press load (blue).
Here are the paths to find the laser codes for other laser guided weapons:
APKWS: Inventory - Pylon - Rocket - laser code is on the left
AGM-65L Maverick: Inventory - Pylon - Missile - laser code is on the top in the middle
GBU-54: Inventory - Pylon - GBU - GBU-54 - laser on the top right
Selective jettison
Sometimes, you need to get rid of stores without actually dropping them on enemies. For this purpose, the jettison function is implemented in your DSMS. To acces it, press the SJET button (red) on the top of your DSMS.
Now select the stores you want to jettison. In this example the L mavericks (red). Note that TGP and jammers can not be jettisoned.
You can also choose to jettison the weapons as entire rack or just one missile by pressing the button in the blue circle. In addition to that, you can choose to eject the ordinance safe or armed on nose, tail or both by using the button i the red circle.
After you made your decision, press the weapon release button a few times. All selected ordinance will drop.
Editing weapon profiles
To alter the behaviour of weapons, you can edit their profiles. To can acces the profiles by pressing the PROF button (red).
You can now see the profiles for all weapons on board and navigate between them by pressing the buttons on the right (red). You will also see a profile called WPNS OFF meaning, that not profile is selected - sort of an additional safety switch.
When you found the profile you want to see, you can press VIEW PRO (red) to view the setting of the profile or ACT PRO (blue) to activate the profile. As an alternative to activating the profiles here, you can make your HUD SOI by pressing HOTAS ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Switch Up short and then pressing HOTAS DMS Left / Right short to cycle between them.
When you view a weapons profile, you will see information regarting delivery method, fuze and more. Since every weapon needs a different setup and has different settings you can change, i will go over them in the weapons chapter. One thing all have in common is the indicator at the bottom showing where the weapon of the profile you view is loaded (red).
Trimming Your Plane
Trimming your plane
When flying with asymetrical payload, or after you dropped bombs, your plane will become unbalanced. Usually one wing will carry more weight than the other (like in the image below), meaning that it will drop down. Due to aerodynamics the other wing will produce more lift and your plane will first start flying in circles and later loose altitude until it crashes. Not even the autopilot can stop this from happening.
To stop this, we can trim out the plane. This means, that we manipulate the controll surfaces in a way, so that they balance out the difference in weight. To do so, we need to controlls "Trim: Left Wing Down", "Trim: Right Wing Down", "Trim: Reset".
When pressing left or right wing down, the controll surfaces will change the roll axis of the plane accordingly. When your left wing is heavier, press right wing down. If your right wing is heavier, left wing down. To reset your trim, use trim reset. This will allow you to have a stable flight, even when having big differences in weight on your wings.
Countermeasures
When flying low to the ground to support friendly assets its only a matter of time until youre being shot at. To stop missiles from hitting and radar from locking, the A10 has a wide variety of countermeasures and warning systems.
Needed controls
Control What is does HOTAS CMS Z Axis short Stops and stops dispensing countermeasures. HOTAS CMS Z Axis long Starts and stops the jammer.
Additional controlls for manual operation
Control What is does CMSP Next Up / Down rotary Changes the selected CMS profile. CMSC JMR Key Changes the Jammer mode.
Setting up your countermeasures for Semi-Auto use
The countermeasure panel on the right console has a mode selector switch (red) where you can choose the mode of operation. I will always recommend SEMI, since this will choose the right profiles for the active threats without wasting your expandables like the auto mode likes to do. Next to it are the system power switches (blue), where you can turn off / on individual system. The display (orange) shows how many expandables are avaiable. CHAFF are small metal strips against radar, FLARES are burning magnesium pieces used to draw the attention of IR seeking missiles to it. OTR1 is... kinda there as well dont ask me what it is, it isnt implemented into the game. PROG shows the countermeasure programm currenlty in use. The CMS system has its own jettison system (green) since the last thing you want during a emergency landing is burning magnesium in your plane.
You can start and stop dispensing countermeasures with HOTAS CMS Z Axis short
Under your UFC you will find your Countermeasures set control panel. The red display will also show you the amount of flares and chaff remaining. Next to it your see the mode of operation and the status of the jammer (green). SBY stands for standby and means that it is not actively jamming radar. Flashing OPR means it it operating. The mode of the jammer will be determined by the aircraft (if you are in SEMI mode). The orange box shows the missile warning system. It will warn you if a missile launch is detected by making warning sounds. In addition to the sound, the missile launch warning light (blue) will start flashing red. This is the moment to deploy CMS and take evasive manouvers.
Jammers
In the A10c you have two jammers to choose from. The ALQ-131 and 184. Both can only be mounted to the outer pylons. As far as i know, both jammers are the same, exept that the 181s case is more aerodynamic. If this is true, the choice should not be too hard. You can activate the jammer with HOTAS CMS Z Axis long. Keep in mind that the jammer only works against radar and is not a warranty that youre not being shot at. When you get close enough to a radar, its signal will "burn through" the jammers white noise and the missiles can lock onto your aircraft.
I have heared from some people, that the jammers do not work like the IRL counterparts and are almost useless. The well known Youtuber Ralfidude also made a video showing the insignificance of the jammers (link here). Therefore i rather carry 4 Sidewinders than a jammer and 2 AIM-9s.
Setting up your countermeasures for Manual use
In case you dont trust your plane to choose the right profile, or the profiles dont do their job like intended (for example the default profiles dont really help against IR seekers imo), you can change the CMS profiles and / or choose the right profile yourself. Note that flares are only helping against IR guided seekers, while chaff only helps against radar guidance.
To do so, turn the CMS mode selector switch (red) to manual.
When right clicking the dispenser switch (red) you will get a menu for the currently selected profile.
You can change the amount of flares and chaff thats being dispensed per jettison, how many times the amount of countermeasures will be jettisoned and how long the intervall between jettison is (only if 2 or more is set under cycle) by pressing the button under the aspect you want to change (red) and then adjust the value with the corresponding switch. (Note the intervall gets changed in 0.25 seconds.)
After youre done with readjusting your profile, press the button (red) twice to first save your changes and then return to your "main screen".
You can change the profile with the CMSP Next Up / Down rotary key and activate it with HOTAS CMS Z Axis short.
In case you want to use your jammer in manual mode, here is a list of the possible SAMs and the needed jammer profile:
SAM Profile SA-2 SAM 1 SA-3 SAM 1 SA-6 SAM 1 SA-8 SAM 1 SA-10 SAM 2 SA-11 SAM 2 SA-15 SAM 2 SA-19 SAM 2
RWR
The best way to stay out of harms way is to not get locked by radar. Radar guided missiles have the most range and should be avoided if possible.
Your Radar Warning Reciever will show you all the radar signals in the area. Every type of signal can be classified to its origin. In the example below you can see the RWR (red) with a SU-29 locked onto my aircraft.
Here you can see the most important symbology of the RWR (source: Hoggit) for mroe detailed information on all symbols that the RWR uses visit hoggits page about the RWR here[wiki.hoggitworld.com] .
TAD
Your TAD or tactical awareness display acts as both a map and a easy way to share information between flight members.
Needed controls
Control What is does HOTAS ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Switch Left / Right long Makes MFCD SOI. HOTAS China Hat Forward short Changes between ESP1, ESP2 and the default view. HOTAS China Hat Aft short Cages cross back to plane. HOTAS TMS Right short Create markpoint on the cross. HOTAS TMS Forward short Hook points. HOTAS DMS Forward / Aft Zoom in and out. HOTAS TMS Forward long Set point as your SPI. HOTAS TMS Left long Broadcast SPI. HOTAS Slew commands Move cursor / map.
When first looking at your TAD, it will display the are youre currently flying over. Note that the map is not looking north but facing the direction your aircraft is facing. You can toggle the map on and off with the MAP button (red).
You can cycle between the default view (if someone knows the name please let me know), EXP1 and EXP2 with HOTAS China Hat Forward short. In the default view, your slew commands will control a cross that you can recage with HOTAS China Hat Aft short. EXP1 and 2 will allow you to move the map, while having a cross in the center. In the EXP modes, the map will face north. EXP2 is more zoomed in than EXP1. You can see in what EXP mode you are in the top right corner (red).
You can set markpoint with HOTAS TMS Right short. Afterwards, you can hook them with HOTAS TMS Forward short and then press HOTAS TMS Forward long to make them your SPI (red). You can also see, what magnetic heading you need to fly towards and how far the point is away from your aircraft (orange). For this however, make sure the mode is set to "OWN HOOK" (blue).
If youre flying with friends, you can send them your SPI via TAD. This is especially helpfull, if a person in your group cant find the target area. The TAD will let you know if youre broadcasting your SPI in the top right corner (red). Everyone in your flight group can see the other persons SPIs, if they are broadcasting. First you need to go into the same flight group. To do so, press NET (blue).
Now select a GRP ID (group id [blue]). All members of one flight have to use the same ID in this slot. After that, every plane needs a OWN ID (red). This needs to be individual per pilot. The SPIs of flightmembers will be shown as a small wedding cake.
HMCS
Your Head mounted cuing system is your best friend for situational awareness and getting a overview of raidly changing situations. If your HMCS panel is powered, you can turn the HMCS on and off with HOTAS DMS Left long.
Needed controls
Control What is does HOTAS ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Switch Up Press once to make the HUD SOI. HOTAS ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Switch Down Makes HMCS SOI. HOTAS TMS Forward long Make a SPI with the HMCS cursor. HOTAS TMS Right short Make a markpoint with the HMCS cursor. HOTAS DMS Left long Turns HMCS ON / OFF. HOTAS China Hat Aft Cages cursor back to boresight. Slew commands To move the cursor around. HOTAS DMS Left short (De-) Activates the mini TGP view on your HMCS.
Basic symbology and usage
The HMCS will show you friendly ground units as a green X (black). And friendly aircraft as a green circle (red). The number under the circle indicates the distance between your aircraft and the other one in nmi. Also some of your HUDs symbology like the altitude (yellow) and the airspeed (blue) will be repeated (i will not name all repeated HUD aspects here, i think they are self explaining).
SPIs will be represented as a wedding cake (red) while Markpoints will be a green box with a dot i the middle (blue). Under the box will be the name of the markpoint.
When moving the cross over a point, you will get information regarding the magnetic heading and distance in nmi to it (red). Also. the elevation of said the point will be shown (blue). The dashed green line (yellow) will point towards your SPI. it will become longer the further you look away from the SPI.
When making your HMCS SOI with HOTAS ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Switch Up (twice) (a star will appear if the sensor is SOI [red]), you can move the cursor (blue) around using the slew commands. The cursor uses many of the TGPs controls like those for making markpoints and SPIs. As you know you can now slave other sensors to the SPI. When youre done with the cursor, you can cage it back to boresight (here the cross) with HOTAS China Hat Aft.
Integration with the TGP
Since the purpose of the A10 is ground support, which will almost always include the usage of a targeting device, the TGP is integrated into the HMCS. You will see the FOV of the Tpod represented by a dashed box. It will change size depending on the zoom factor of the camera. Left a TGP will widest FOV settings, right a TGP with FOV set to narrow.
After you press HOTAS DMS Left short your HUD will show the TGP view in green and black. Very usefull when you need to check something but dont want to leave the tagets unattended.
Navigation
When navigating around the map, you will probally use the following three ways to navigate the most.
The easy way
The easiest way is to simply look at the F10 map. Here you can find the ruler tool.
By simply pressing right mouse on your plane and then dragging the line to your destination, you will get the heading you need to fly towards and the distance to the target.
Mission points
Mission points are set by the creatro of the mission youre playing or by yourself. You can change the steerpoint with the switch (green) if the steerpoint selector knob (red) is set to mission.
Creating waypoint from coordinates
The last (and best way in my opinion) is to create a markpoint with lat lon coordiantes. The coordinates are displayed in the top left corner of your F10 map. In my case they are 41°12´02"N 41°38´24"E 16ft.
Go to your CDU and press WP (red) to get to the waypoint menu. Dont forget to set the steeropint selector to mission.
Now press on the button next to waypoint (red).
Type your northing into the CDU by using the keys under it (red). Then press on the button with the N next to it (green).
Repeat the same for your easting and press the button next to the E (red). You will need put a zero infront of your easting.
Now give your waypoint a name by typing into the CDU with the keys (red) and pressing the button next to the old name (blue).
You can now switch between the mission points by pressing the STEER switch on your UFC (left;red) or the steerpoint select switch (right;blue).
The selected waypoint will be shown on your HUD (red).
And on your HMCS (red).
AN/AAQ-28 Litening Targeting Pod
The Litening Tpod is probally the most essential pice of equipment. It allows you to find and designate targets. In addition to this, the TGP it used for transfer information to the computer to give you accurate information of when to release the selected weapon.
Needed controls
Control What is does HOTAS ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Switch Left / Right long Makes left or right MFCD SOI. HOTAS China Hat Forward short Changes between wide an narrow FOV. HOTAS DMS Forward / Aft Zooms the TGP in and out. HOTAS TMS Forward short Changes tracking modes. HOTAS TMS Forward long Sets a SPI. HOTAS TMS Right short Sets a Markpoint. HOTAS Boat Switch Aft short Sets the camera to White hot thermal. HOTAS Boat Switch Center short Sets the camera to CCD / TV vision. HOTAS Boat Switch Forward short Sets the camera to Black hot thermal. HOTAS China Hat Forward long Used to slave the camera to the SPI. HOTAS Slew Horizontal (axis) Used to slew the camera horizontal. HOTAS Slew Vertical (axis) Used to slew the camera vertical. HOTAS Slew Up / Down / Left / Right (buttons) Used to slew the camera Up / Down / Left / Right.
General controls of the TGP
To power the TGP, you will need to flip the switch on the master arm panel to on.
After this, a two minute warmup phase begins. Once its complete, you will get the symbology below. NOT SOI (red) means, that the display is not your sensor of interest, or to put is simple - any controls you might press will have no effect on the MFCD. In the top row you see three avaiable operation modes (blue). A-G means air to ground. This is the mode you will spen the most time in. STBY meany standby. The pod is warmed up and operational, but the lens is stored to prevent it from catching dirt. The last mode it A-A, standing for air to air. You will probally only use it when you try to shoot down a helicopter with mavericks or APKWS. The selected mode will have a green box around it.
When you select one of the two operatianal modes, you will see the following.
Yellow: The FOV (field of view) setting and zoom factor of the TGP.
Blue: North in relation to the point the TGP is locking at.
Dark Blue: The direction where the TGP is locking at in relation to your plane.
Purple: The mode in which the camera is operating (TV or BHOT / WHOT thermal).
Black: The distance covered by the horizontal cross lines.
Brown: The FOV when the setting is changed to narrow.
Red: Your bank level.
Orange: The coordinates of the point youre locking at.
Green: The distance to the point youre locking at.
The Button in white resets your TGP back to boresight (it makes the camera look infront of you again).
When you click on CNTL in the top left corner (dark red), you will see the control menu of the Tpod.
Orange: Allows you to see friendly units on your TGP image marked with a green X.
Dark Blue: Your laser code. Has to be the same code that is set to laser guided munitions.
Purple: LSS code. Laser spot search allows you to search for other players lasers with the code you set.
Green: Allows you to change the displayed information from metric to weird american units.
Red: LATCH allows you to just press the nose wheel steering button to fire a laser, instead of having to hold the button.
You can make the display SOI with HOTAS ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Switch Left or Right long and move the camera with the HOTAS Slew controlls. The green box around the edge of the screen will indicate that the display is SOI.
Here you can see the same image - a BTR - in the three avaiable camera modes.
Top left: Black hot thermal
Top right: CCD or TV view
Bottom left: White hot thermal
You have two different types of tracking avaiable. Areatrack (left) will lock the camera to the ground, while Pointtrack (right) will lock it to the point it is moved to. This can also be a moving point like a tank. The tracking mode is shown in the bottom of the screen (red). You can change the tracking mode with HOTAS TMS forward short.
When you see a M (red) like in the example below, it means that you are approaching a masking area. To simplify things, this means, that the TGP will soon look at your plane or external stores, which will cause it to breack line of sight with the target. This is espacially important when firing laser guided weapons. Try to change course more towards the target (if this is not too dangerous).
Setting points
With the TGP will mainly set two types of points for later use. The SPI (sensor point of interest) and the Markpoint.
Markpoint are mainly used to save coordinated for example to fly towards them later on or to release multiple JDAMs in one run (more on this later).
To set a Markpoint, have your TGP SOI and press HOTAS TMS right short. The point will be names with letters from A to Y until they are being overwritten. On the left you can see a markpoint on the HMCS and on the right on the TAD.
SPIs on the other hand are used to slave other sensors to it. These "other sensors" are mostly AGM-65s. Also, incase you end up in a masking zone, you can slave your TGP back to the SPI. A SPI is created with HOTAS TMS forward long while locking at the target. You can see a SPI in the HMCS on the left and on the TAD on the right. Many peole refer to the symbol as a "wedding cake".
Weapon Delivery Methods
The A10c uses mostly 2 different delivery methods. CCIP (continiouly calculated impact point) and CCRP (continiouly calculated release point). There is also a third way of delivering bombs called lofting. In the A10 it is not as effective as in other jets due to the slow speed, but i will still show it.
AGMs use CCIP mode, but it works different for them. This chapter is explaining delivery for bombs.
Needed controls
Control What is does Weapon release Drops bombs. HOTAS Master Mode Control Button short Quickly changes the release mode.
You can change the delivery methods in the weapons profile (red) or by pressing the HOTAS Master Mode Control Button short with a selected weapon.
CCIP
CCIP is mostly used to reduce falltime of the weapon. It can be compared to divebombing. When using CCIP you will get a dashed line to your ground (red), indicatig the flightpath of the bomb in that moment. In theorie you can release the weapon at any time as indicated by the weapon release note (blue).
At the end of the line you will find a circle with a dot in the middle (red). Your goal is to brind said dot over your target. This mode of delivery is not very accurate and (like i found out while taking the screenshot) puts your plane at risk of getting caught in your own bombs blast. Especially with larger bombs.
CCRP
CCRP is the prefered methos of dropping bombs since you dont loose altitude and can stay out of reach of AAA guns. Your symbology will look like the following. You will have two lines (black), one from the CCRP redicle, one indicating the direction of the target (red). Your goal is to get them to overlap as good as possible.
At a ceratn distance from the target, the small circle at the top of the line will show a countdown starting at 20 (red). When the countdown reaches 10, press and hold weapon release.
At 6 seconds, the circle will move down the line (red). Keep holding weapon release.
You can stop holding the weapon release button, when the number next to the small circle is negative (red). You might get a "pull up warning" when dropping bigger bombs.
GAU-8 Avenger
The GAU-8 is the figurehead of the plane, producing the iconic BRRRRRRRRRRRRRT sound. With a rate of fire of 3900 rounds per minute you have the power to destroy all types of armored vehicles with relative ease. The gun has two main types of munition to choose from.
HEI - High Explosive Incendiary. High explsive rounds without any significant penetrating abilities. Most useful against infantry and unarmored targets.
CM - Combat Mix. A 4:1 mixture of API armor-piercing incendiary and HEI rounds. This will be your most usefull type of ammunition for tanks and other medium to heavy armored units.
You can carry up to 1150 rounds in the drum.
Needed controls
Control What is does HOTAS Master Mode Control Button Used to cycle between the HUD modes. In this case to cycle to the GUNS mode. Gun trigger (first stage) Held down to engage the PAC system. Gun trigger Fires the gun.
A picture by the US Airforce. The GAU-8 with the ammo drum is bigger than a VW.
To use the GAU, you will first need to set the gun safety switch (red) to GUN PAC ARM. This will allow both the gun and the PAC to work. The PAC can be imagined as a autopilot, that willlock onto the ground where the rounds will impact and balance out the extreme recoil the the gatling cannon.
After that, a the GUN READY light will light up above the RWR, indicating the status of the weapon.
Change the HUD to GUNS with the Master mode button. The HUD will now show a CCIP (continously calculated inpact point) redicle (red) as well as the type and amount of ammo loaded (blue).
When you found a target, place the upper dot of the redicle on it and hold the first stage gun trigger. A small note will appear on the side of your HUD, indicating that the PAC-2 system is currently operating (blue). This will lock onto the ground and balance the coming recoil. The upper dot indicates the impact point of the API rounds and the lower the inpact point of the HEI rounds. When you are within 1 mile of the target, start firing. If you engage lightly or unarmored targets, you can fire form up to 2 miles and get acceptable results. The distance between your plane and the target will be shown under the reticle (orange). Make sure to pull up when you the the pull up warning (red). The higher your angle of attack is (so the higher your descend rate is), the more penetration you will achieve.
Dont forget to disengage the PAC before trying to pull up.
GBU-10/12
The guided bomb unit 10 and 12 are laser guided bombs which first entered service in 1976. The bombs consist of a seeker in the nose, the main body containing fuze and explosives and the tail fins used to guide and stabalize the bomb.
Needed controls
Control What is does TGP controls To find targets with the Tpod. Weapon release. To drop bombs. HOTAS TMS Forward long Designates target with SPI.
GBU-12 (500lb class) on the left and GBU-10 (2000lb class) on the right while falling towards their target.
For this type of bomb, the profile is very important (if youre lazy like me). Take a look at the GBU-10 and / or 12 profile. You will need to change the delivery mode to CCRP (red). After that click CHG SET (blue). Also, set your laser code.
The setting page will look like this. Were interested in the AUTO LS function (red) and the LS TIME (blue). Auto lase means, that the Tpod will lase by it self when a bomb of this type is released. The LS TIME dictates how many seconds before impact the laser is turned on. Common times are 15 and 20 seconds.
Go to the UFC and type in the lase time you want with the number buttons (red) the input will be repeated on the HUD (blue). If you misclicked, use the CLR button (yellow).
Go back to the MFCD and press the button next to AUTO LS so it is set to on (red). Now press the button next to LS TIME. This will replace the 0 with the time you have choosen. Press SAVE (yellow).
Find your target and designate it with HOTAS TMS Forward long. It follows a standart CCRP release.
GBU-38/31
The GBU-38 and 31 are JDAMs, they are "dumb" bombs fitted with a GPS/INS guidance kit, turning them into precision guided munitions. They are avaiable in three flavours. The first one is the GBU-38, a 500lb class bomb (top left). The two others are 2000lb bombs. The GBU-31 (now GBU-31(V)1/B) is a general purpose bomb (top right), while the GBU-31/V)3/B has a penetrator warhead to destroy hardened structures like bunkers and command centers (bottom).
Needed controls
Control What is does HOTAS TMS Forward long Create SPI. Weapon release Drops bomb.
The bombs profile is not relevant and they dont require any setup.
The only thing to note is that the bomb will only work after the alignment phase, which will start automatically after the DSMS has been loaded. Ordinance ready for employment is marked with RDY on the DSMS (red).
After designating a target with HOTAS TMS Forward long you will see the following symbology.
The dynamic launch zone (red) shows the distance from the target, where the weapon can be deployed with sucess. The steering line (black) shows in what direction you have to fly. Try to keep it over your velocity vector.
You can release the weapon when the arrow on the right of the dynamic launch zone is in the bracket (red). You will also get a notification that you can manually release the weapon on your HUD (blue).
Dropping multiple JDAMs in one run
You can use a little trick to drop multiple JDAMs on different targets while performing only one attack run.
First you need to set you steerpoint knob to MARK.
Now find your targets and set a markpoint on them with HOTAS TMS Right short. On your TAD is will look something like this.
Make sure that your currently selected waypoint is your first target (for me A).
Drop your bomb and select the next markpoint with the switch (red). Repeat until you have dropped all your bombs or are out of range again.
GBU-54
The GBU-54 can be imagined as a combination of a laser guided bomb and a JDAM. In fact, it is just a JDAM with a laser seeker attached to it. If no laser is provided, the bomb will guide with GPS/INS navigation. If a laser is involved, it will follow the laser. When using a laser, you can engage moving targets.
Needed controls
Control What is does Weapon release Drop the bomb. HOTAS Nosewheel Steering Button Used to manually lase a target. HOTAS TMS Forward long Set SPI on the target.
A GBU-54 midair.
The profile is not important to us. Since the GBU-54 is a very versatile weapon, i would not recommend using autolase. If you want to do so anyways, please go back to the GBU-10/12 where i explain how to use it. Dont forget to set a laser code for the weapon and check on the alignment status.
GPS/INS
When using only GPS/INS guidance, you can just designate your target with the TGP (Hotas TMS Forward long). After that you will get new symbology on your HUD. Your steering line (red) idicates where you should fly towards to get the best launch angle. Try to keep it in the center of the velocity vector. On the left (blue) you will see your dynamic launch zone. This is the area form the target where you can drop the bomb with enough energy, so it gets to the enemie. The number with the arrow next to it (green) shows the current distance to the target in relation to the dynamic launch zone. You will also get a expected time until youre in launch range in seconds (white).
When youre in range, the HUD will show you MAN REL for manual release (red). You can now drop the weapon.
Laser guidance
For using a laser, you will get the same symbology. The only difference is, that you now lase the bomb into the target with the HOTAS Nosewheel Steering Button (i recommend latch). Lasing will be indicated by a flashing L on the TGP (red).
CBU-103/105
The CBU-103 and 105 are GPS/INS guided cluster munitions. The 105 releases IR homing submunitions that will destroy targets within a certain area. The effects are devastating as you can see below. The left picture shows the situation before, the right one after the deployment of a single CBU-105 on the center tank. Out of 25 main battle tanks, 14 got destroyed. The 103 on the other hand is... sh*t. You can imagine it as dropping grenades onto your target. As long as you dont fight infantry, you will not be very successful. The 105 on the other side has a drawback of its own: Strong winds can push the submunitions of their intended target after they have been deployed.
Needed controls
Control What is does TGP controls To find and designate targets. Weapon release Deploys munition.
The CBU-105 canister (left) and the submunitions (right).
The clusterbomb can be deployed without any changes to the profile. One interesting thing however is the HOF - the hight of effect. This is the altitude where the bomb will release its submunitions. You can see it in the profile, however you have to change it via the inventory menu.
Designate a target group with your TGP and create a SPI. If your group is big, target the center vehicle.
Your HUD will show your standart symbology like it did with other GPS/INS weapons. Steering line (black) and dynamic launch zone (red).
AGM-65 Maverick
The AGM-65 is a larger air to ground missile (AGM) capable of destroying any land based vehicle in a single hit. The missile has (in theory) a range of around 12nmi. However this is mostly limited, since you cannot fire the weapon without a good lock, which will usually be achieved around 6-9 nautical miles from the target (depending on the version). All Mavericks exept the L model are "fire and forget" weapons. Once theyre launched, they are destroying the target without relying on external help, making them probally the best choice against dangerous targets such as SAMs. In addition, the G, H and K versions can use a "Force correlation track", meaning that they can be fired at targets that are not considered a valid target by the missile such as buildings, roads, bridges or even just the ground. The L Maverick - of course - just goes where the laser guides it to. The Maverick can track moving targets.
Here is a small overview of the different AGM-65 models avaiable to the A10c II.
Bossfight against Jamsheed the RPG god.
Needed controls
Control What is does TGP controls To move TGP around and find targets. HOTAS China Hat Forward long Slew Maverick to SPI. HOTAS China Hat Forward short Change Maverick FOV. HOTAS ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Switch Left / Right long Make left / right MFCD SOI. HOTAS TMS Forward short Lock target / laser. Weapon release Fires maverick. HOTAS Boat Switch Center short Sets maverick to fore correlation.
The AGM-65s have no important profile settings. The L however needs a laser code.
H/K/G/D models
These models are operated the same, since they all rely on a camera to lock their target.
First you need to warm up your mavericks by going on the MAV page on your left MFCD (blue) and press the EO ON (red).
Now you need to find your target and set a SPI (TGP controls and HOTAS TMS Forward long).
Select the maverick model you wish to fire and go to the MAV page (red).
Make it SOI (HOTAS ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Switch Left / Right long) and press HOTAS China Hat Forward long to slave the mavericks camera to the SPI you just created. You can change the FOV of the Mav with HOTAS China Hat Forward short. On the left you will see the dynamic launch zone (red) indicating if you are in range.
Your HUD will also show different symbology. On the left, the dynamic launch zone will be repeated (red). The wagon wheel (blue) shows where the mavericks seeker is looking at. Under the wagon wheel you see the distance between you and the target.
If you press HOTAS TMS Forward short with the MAV page SOI, you will get a lock - if the seeker detects the target of course. If the target is locked, the tracking gate will collapse (red). You can fire with weapon release.
Note: Sometimes - if too many targets are close to each other - the seeker will lock to a different target than you want it to. You can sometimes work around that by setting your Mavericks FOV to narrow.
Force correlation
Force correlation allows the AGM-65 G / H / K to lock to things that are not considered a valid target, for example a bridge.
First find a target (here illegal campers in the desert) and set a SPI.
Slave you Mav to the SPI. Now press HOTAS Boat Switch Center short to set the Mav to force correlation.
"Wiggle" the camera around with the HOTAS Slew controls. You will see that the tracking gate will now collapse even if youre not locking a valid target.
Slave the maverick back to the SPI and press HOTAS TMS Forward short to lock. Now fire. This mode will not track moving targets.
AGM-65L Laser guided Maverick
As you might have guessed, the L maverick needs a laser. So find a target, set the TGP laser to latch and start lasing.
Your MAV page for the L looks different than those of the other models. The laser code is in the top part of the display (red). Make the screen SOI and press HOTAS TMS Forward short to uncage the seeker. It will now move from left to right, trying to find the right laser. You might need to pitch down so the seeker can find the laser. If the laser is locked, the X will turn into a solid box (yellow) and a dynamic launch zone will be shown (blue).
Fire with weapon release.
APKWS
The Advanced precision weapon kill system or APKWS for short was designed to close the gap between the AGM-114 Hellfire and the unguided 70mm Hydra rocket. The goal was to create a cheap way to destroy lightly armored targets like cars and create less colleteral damage than the 100lb Hellfire . The APKWS consists of a Hydra rocket and a mid-body guidance kit, which will follow a laser of the right code. The seekers are deploying after the rocket has been fired.
Needed controls
Control What is does HOTAS Nosewheel Steering Button Used to manually fire the TGPs laser. Weapon release Fires the missile. TGP controll To find the target.
A single APKWS missile.
The weapons profile isnt very important to us. The only interesting thing is the ripple function (red). Ripple means, that you can hold down the weapon release button and the plane will fire the amount of rockets you set as quantity (blue). Other options are the pair function which shoots two rockets at a time, single (set by default) which will shoot a single missile and ripple pairs, meaning that amount X will be shot in pairs of two. Dont forget that you will need to set a laser code for this weapon.
To use the weapon you need to find a target with the TGP.
Select your APKWS as your weapon.
When youre within 5.5nmi, turn on your laser with nose wheel steering (i recommend to set latch to on in the TGP). A firing laser will be indicated by a flashing L on your TGP (red).
Now move the rocket redicle (red) over the targeting pods FOV (blue).
Wait for the impact and watch out not to bring the TGP into a masking zone.
AIM-9 Sidewinder
The AIM-9 is your only way to effectively engage planes. Therefore i would not recomment using them against helicopters, use your gun or APKWS instead. You have two AIM-9s too choose from. The L and M. The M is the more modern one and should be used whenever you can.
Needed controls
Control What is does HOTAS Master Mode Controll Button long Set HUD to air to air mode. HOTAS ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Switch Up short Makes HUD SOI. HOTAS TMS Forward short Uncages the seeker. Weapon release Fires the missile if a lock is acquired.
AIM-9M Sidewinder
First you have to make put your HUD into air to air mode (left). To do this, press and hold your HOTAS Master Mode Controll Button. This will also select your Sidewinder missiles (right).
Now make your HUD SOI with HOTAS ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Switch Up short. A star (red) will appear if you did. After that, press HOTAS TMS Forward short. This will uncage the missiles IR seeker. The FOV of the seeker is shown as a small circle (blue). It will start rotating around a point on your HUD.
If the seeker finds a IR source strong enough, it will lock into it (red) and make a high pitched noise. This means you can fire with weapon release.
The missile is fire and forget.
Landing
Basic Landing
Since every sortie has to come to and end, you need to get back to the ground at some point.
To land, you will first need to find the airfield of your choice and distinguish between runway and taxistrip. Keep in mind that some airfields may have more that one runway.
Now you need to line up with the runway you want to land on. It doesnt have to be perfect, but the better youre aligned, the less you have to worry about later.
Deploy your speedbrakes to slow down. You landing speed should never be over 160 knots.
Move your velocity vector (red) over the start of the runway and keep it there. To do this, add or reduce throttle power. However, you have to make sure, that your speed is over 130 and under 160 knots.
When deploying your gear, you will get new symbology next to your HUD. The small box in the top left will show you one or two of the following symbols. The meaning is as follows.
Red: Too slow, add throttle.
Blue: On speed.
Purple: Too fast, decrease throttle.
If the aircraft shows you two symbols, youre near the edge between them.
Proceed to fly towards the airfield. A second or two before you touch the ground, pull the throttle back to 0% and pitch up. Set your velocity vector to the end of the runway.
You should glide down to the runway without any problems. If youre unsure if your landing gear got damaged, you can look under your anti-skid button. The panel (red) will show you, if the gear is safe or if and which gear is damaged. The example on the left shows how your gear should look like. The right shows a damaged gear.
Emergency Procedures
No matter how good of a pilot you are, sooner or later you will catch a missile or AAA fire. For this purpose, the A10s systems can be overwritten almost entirely.
Me in the early days of flying the hog before knowing how to extinguish fire. Still made it back to base.
Engine failure and fire
After you got hit, by a missile, you should first get rid of all your munitions. Chances are, that you will loose at least one engine. Having less weight can make a huge difference. To drop all your weapons (exept TGP and jammers), press and hold the EXT STORES JETT button (red) for about a second. It acts as a emergency jettison.
If youre burning, check what part of the plane is on fire. Most of the time it will be one or both engines. If so, set the engine to idle and pull the corresponding fire lever (red). And flip the exstinguisher to the side with the fire (blue).This will get rid if the fire, but most likely also render your engine inoperable.
As a result of this, the destroyed engine will take no more fuel, causing an inbalance in the weight of the fuel tanks. This can be easily fixed by pressing the CROSS FEED button over your fuel pumps (red).
To get more thrust you can override your intact engine by flipping the ENG FUEL FLOW switch for that engine (red).
Since your engine generator has failed at this point as well, descend to below 15000ft and turn on your APU (red) and APU GEN (green). This will prevent aelectrical failure in the event that the second generator fails as well.
To make your life a bit easier, turn off your SAS (red). This will give you more controll over the plane. A master caution will light up. Turn it off by pressing the Master Caution button on the UFC.
Land ASAP.
Belly landings
Being hit by a missile usually meanst, that your gear is destroyed, stuck or non-existent. Most other aircraft would be screwed at this point, the A10 however can land on its belly without gear. To do this, you just approach like you would normaly, but this time, you need to be carefull not to smash too hard into the ground, meaning that you need a lower angle of attack and, if you can, touch down with as much surface area at one so yo dont rip off any external surfaces. This means that you need to go faster than usuall. In addition you can use your flaps to generate more lift.
Notes And Links
If you want to see anything added to this guide or find mistakes / typos i made, please leave it in the comments.
Learn how to triangulate the position of RWR based threats here.
Officall USAF Flight Manuel[dokumen.tips]
Another guide on the A10c for DCS.[www.mudspike.com]
Very usefull while flying.
Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2245658674
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