HARM PB Mode

[AG-51_Razor]

After last night, I figured that we could all use a referesher on how this works. It really does give you an edge on getting your HARM off at a greater range and more accurately than the TOO mode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSuIhXBBJfM

[AG-51_Ajax]

Sorry for not making it, Razor.  I was so defeated after shoveling shit and pailing piss water most of the day I figured going to sleep was the best action for me.

What were the issues from last night on HARM PB mode?  I'm happy to share the HARM kneeboard page I built for myself it it helps.

[AG-51_Razor]

One of the key take aways from the Grim Reapers' video is that, in the SP and TOO modes, the SAM you are targeting MUST be emitting prior to your launching them. They need to "lock" onto the radar before they will launch. You do this by either boxing them up on the HUD or down on the EW page in the SP mode or by boxing them down in the HARM page and then doing a Hand-Off in the TOO mode.

With the Pre Brief mode, you need two things to be successful - you need to tell the HARM what you want it to look for by entering the code for the radar into the TGT window in the UFC, and you need to tell it where the radar is, which allows the HARM to tell you when you're in range so you can fire it. You tell it where the radar is by selecting a waypoint and then designating it. This is what brings up the targeting symbology on the HUD. All you need to do next is decide whether you want to use the a/c energy or the missile's energy to loft the missile up and away towards the target. If you choose the a/c, then you get centered on the ASL (azimuth steering line) and pull up while holding the weapon release button down. When your Velocity vector indicator passes through the horizontal line on the ASL, the HARM will launch. This is kind of like dropping a laser guided bomb, only in reverse. Let's say you're after an SA-10 and flying in down on the deck using terrain masking to get in close so you can't afford to pop up to loft the missile. You choose the HRM mode and then just make sure that you are on the ASL with an in range indication and push the weapon release button and away it goes. Obviously, in this mode you'll need to be a lot closer to the target for a hit but when going after something like an SA-10, that is pretty important. You'll need to pop up at some point in order to get the SA-10 to see you and turn on it's radar but if you're in close enough, your missile will already be on top of it and will kill it before it can get to you! Or at least that's the idea! 

[AG-51_Razor]

By all means Ajax, please share!    We were about 50-50 for hits and misses. Totally unacceptable. It might have been worse if my trigger for the last two SAMs had've worked - but that's pretty much par for the course.....also totally unacceptable!   

[AG-51_Ajax]

I use this file in my Kneeboard which walks me through each of the modes - I also have the 'codes' pages I put in that other forum post for the PB  TGT codes.

[AG-51_Ajax]

Yeah, there are some typos but I hope it helps, nonetheless.

[AG-51_Thud]

Thank you for posting Ajax. 

[AG-51_Skeet]

I am not certain what I did different with the setup on Saturday as opposed to Thursday evening's practice.  On Thur evening, I flew in on the designated waypoint (possibly was too close), had the bomb fall line with the new symbology just as it was supposed to be with the exception of right in the center below the velocity vector in big cap letters was 'HARM' which was crossed out!  Kind of a telling sign that the shit I was attempting to pull off was not going to work out for me! I depressed the weapon release button and that crossed out HARM, would change to an uncrossed out PBXL or something like that.  At least those letters weren't crossed out so on like the third pass, I pulled the jet up into a climb and elevated it high enough that the missile eventually fired, but did not hit anything.  Not sure the HARM was even within a dozen miles of hitting anything, as I didn't see fires or anything like that as I watched it on the F6 view and you guys had been getting hits in the same general area.  Soldier and I were both very close, inside the threat rings, in fact we had a SAM fire at us.  I circled back, fired a second HARM exactly the same, X'd out HARM symbol changed to PLXL (or something like that) and again, not even close to a hit. Could I have been too close?

For whatever reason, on Saturday evening's mission, that crossed out HARM symbology big and bold, centered up below the velocity vector, did not appear.  It worked out exactly like the GR video for me. I was able to successfully launch missiles from 40 - 45 miles. They both hit their assigned tracking radars, but unfortunately, I am not sure of what I did differently!

[AG-51_Lahsoldier]

Did some practice and testing last night on single player.   Not sure what happens to Skeet either as I haven’t had that issue but one thing I found was that I placed an sa15 and a sa 6 on my waypoint 1.  Fired in pb mode with the correct code for each battery, switching and changing from one harm to the other after firing the first.  Both hit nicely but the caveat was the 15 NEVER came up on my rwr. The 6 did and I figured the harm honed in on it.    I tried this several times and never got more than a 6 on the twr but 100% kills each time on both sams.   Is this a big or is pb homing in on the 15 by another means ?  I put an sa10 up and was able to kill it also. Shot two harms at its tracking radar and the first one killed it and the second flew by as if it lost lock as I would expect.   Shouldn’t that have happened with the 15 in the earlier example?

[AG-51_Razor]

I'm pretty sure that if the targeted radar doesn't light up, the HARM is not going to hit it unless you're just having a really lucky day. The waypoint coordinates you fed it by designating the waypoint is not enough to guarantee a hit. Try that same exersise but put the two SAMs quite some distance apart with different waypoints assigned and see what happens.

[AG-51_Ajax]

Did some practice and testing last night on single player.   Not sure what happens to Skeet either as I haven’t had that issue but one thing I found was that I placed an sa15 and a sa 6 on my waypoint 1.  Fired in pb mode with the correct code for each battery, switching and changing from one harm to the other after firing the first.  Both hit nicely but the caveat was the 15 NEVER came up on my rwr. The 6 did and I figured the harm honed in on it.    I tried this several times and never got more than a 6 on the twr but 100% kills each time on both sams.   Is this a big or is pb homing in on the 15 by another means ?  I put an sa10 up and was able to kill it also. Shot two harms at its tracking radar and the first one killed it and the second flew by as if it lost lock as I would expect.   Shouldn’t that have happened with the 15 in the earlier example?

It's possible the 15 lit up once the HARM got close because it will try to shoot it down.  The range ring for the 15 is tighter than the 6.

[AG-51_Ajax]

I am not certain what I did different with the setup on Saturday as opposed to Thursday evening's practice.  On Thur evening, I flew in on the designated waypoint (possibly was too close), had the bomb fall line with the new symbology just as it was supposed to be with the exception of right in the center below the velocity vector in big cap letters was 'HARM' which was crossed out!  Kind of a telling sign that the shit I was attempting to pull off was not going to work out for me! I depressed the weapon release button and that crossed out HARM, would change to an uncrossed out PBXL or something like that.  At least those letters weren't crossed out so on like the third pass, I pulled the jet up into a climb and elevated it high enough that the missile eventually fired, but did not hit anything.  Not sure the HARM was even within a dozen miles of hitting anything, as I didn't see fires or anything like that as I watched it on the F6 view and you guys had been getting hits in the same general area.  Soldier and I were both very close, inside the threat rings, in fact we had a SAM fire at us.  I circled back, fired a second HARM exactly the same, X'd out HARM symbol changed to PLXL (or something like that) and again, not even close to a hit. Could I have been too close?

For whatever reason, on Saturday evening's mission, that crossed out HARM symbology big and bold, centered up below the velocity vector, did not appear.  It worked out exactly like the GR video for me. I was able to successfully launch missiles from 40 - 45 miles. They both hit their assigned tracking radars, but unfortunately, I am not sure of what I did differently!

The big HARM in the center of the HUD indicates that you are in "Pullback" mode.  Crossed out means you can't fire on it.  I'm not an expert in this mode so I usually disable it (for now anyways)

[AG-51_Razor]

Here is a Grim Reaper video on the HARM Pull Back mode.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x53IGv2Et3Y

[AG-51_Lahsoldier]

[/quote]It's possible the 15 lit up once the HARM got close because it will try to shoot it down.  The range ring for the 15 is tighter than the 6.
[/quote]

Nope.  watched the RWR the whole time on the subsequent trials just to see if it did and it never lit (at least that the rwr picked up.  I even moved the waypoint from directly near it to the other end of the airfield.  Still hit it almost directly.  The SA6 lit up and was hit as you would expect, the second missile was still 10 miles away so the rwr was blank the whole time until impact.  I think what I will try is place the 15 by itself, not ever go into it rings and watch.  Ill keep the waypoint a distance from it and see.

[AG-51_Thud]

I was thinking the HARM strategy should be a dedicated Shooter in PB mode with everyone else ready in TOO MODE just in case.