EricJ

Maybe this weekend, I assume you want the aircraft number on the intakes and Poland uses the Russian 'bort' style correct?

Definitely rusty on the trapping (even though in reality it was a touch and go anyways)

Still makes it look much better...

If you mean buildings no, if you mean ships yes. I've done some testing with the Super Hornet radar and a ship done through a custom mission and locked on it fine. Problem is that it locks too close, 5 or 10 miles (been a long time since I did it) so you carry a Harpoon and well... seems pretty rediculous to me. Anyway to extend the lock on range so I can actually fire outside of the SAM envelope?

Been a few days, getting rusty so yeah, hitting The Range to keep current.

thanks both! Yeah STORM I realized it when I was editing it... I transferred the layers from the Fox because I update it more than the others and caught it. I'm trying to get some weathered ALQ-99 shots as they're always clean.

Thanks! I actually have an updated one right now, just trying to find some good ALQ-99 pictures so I can dirty them up a bit, when I get the time, but here's the updated one:

Ahh the fun times...

VAQ-132 WIP

Just did a couple bouts... and my view is that the Phantom just doesn't have IMHO the energy to maintain the energy curve like the Flanker can. General maneuvering (i.e. banking, etc.) will help get you a kill but the Phantom doesn't have the push like the Tomcat does. So if you can keep the Flanker out of the circle (tried to seriously go vertical, as it just didn't feel like it was happening where the Flanker got on my tail and shot me with an R-73.

Damn... I'll have to try the F-4 against the Flanker and see how it goes then... sounds like the Phantom just doesn't have the oomph... well if properly managed maybe... I'll try it.

Show off

True enough as the Turkey IMHO just is too damn heavy to be trying to always out duel in the circle. So far going vertical on average is the best way to do it since he also goes wide most of the time so you can probably stick to a 'winder and possibly a Sparrow shot. And thanks!

Managed to get off my lazy butt and finish the numbering for the VAQ-132 birds a la Operation Odyssey Dawn/Unified Protector 541 542 543 544 Just have to touch up the skin (add weathering, etc) but here's 542 as a sampler

Me: F/A-18F EPE with 2 x AIM-9X and 8 x AIM-120 gun Opposion: Two Su-27s with 4 x R-73 and 4 R-27 each Decided to try my luck with two Flankers and came out on top. At the start they both broke and one played the target while his wingman or lead decided for my six. So I broke off the target and went for the guy going for my six. He overshot me down to my lower left as he had a wider turn to take. At the third screenshot I was in a Flanker sandwich and it was getting time to really start chopping down the threats so I can keep it manageable to just one. At this point I'm not sure which one did but one continued north which was the time I locked on the northbound while the one to my east (you can see in the second launch shot, I tried to get it all in one but wasn't good enough) was coming around at my level. I fired one 9X as it looked like a perfect stern shot while I retargeted and turned into the eastern Flanker (sixth screenshot) praying that the 9X wouldn't go stoopid on me which in the following screenshot it didn't. With his buddy burning I focused on the remaining one, which pulled me into an energy circle, which I went vertical to get a better position and this time it didn't work. Again he pulled around me as he was circling and while I came over the top I was getting his radar lock, HOBS shooting my remaining 9X while deploying flares and rolling to reengage and to jink at the same time, with the Flanker taking it right in the face. Takeaways is that move move move. You have to think and move fast in order to stay alive, as one aircraft in a sense is easy but two? Makes you think... Liberal use of the overhead map helps gauge your targets movement and also joystick or keyboard use has to be known in order to do this on the fly. Only in the fact that I had to take a screenshot did the bout take longer due to getting angles and the like. Two Flankers are a real treat and also keep situationally aware and take the shot when it presents itself. Had my first 9X go stoopid I'd have a heater left and therefore could slide into an AMRAAM kill and have to be defensive until I can work my way out of it. With the higher maneuverability I could have pulled it off but it would have been interesting. And a note, selecting Fighter Sweep seems to make them more aggressive rather than the Intercept "mode".

Early morning takeoff

Me: EA-18G with 2 x AIM-120C, 3 x ALQ-99 pods, 2 x tanks Opposition: Su-27 with 4 x R-73M2 and 4 x R-27 Naturally the Growler is not the recommended aircraft due to a "typical" configuration the aircraft and tactics is not designed to really mix it with aircraft in a dogfight. However, the main benefit over the Prowler is that I can shoot back, and have the capability for close range dogfight missiles. Again the Growler is not designed nor do tactics reflect the BVR mentality that most fighter pilots have. It's to jam and blow up radars, as it's doing in Libya currently. What the Growler has however despite the weight loading is the same general maneuverability of the E or F Super Hornets. Since I still had the Flanker setup I decided to show how to work the AIM-120 in the knife fight. Forget HOBS shots as at best the AMRAAM isn't a good HOBS missile IMHO. Once he started maneuvering I rolled easily with him tracking him. He managed to try and attempt to suck me in to overshoot but since I'm well accustomed to it I let his speed keep him ahead of me. When we got along the southern coast he started to try and weave in order to force another overshoot. At that point I locked on him, selected my AMRAAMs and shoot him with a straight shot into his rear. Takeaways. If you're down on your luck with AIM-120s then the best tactic so far is to let him extend and set him up for a shot or work him into the point to where he's not maneuvering so much that an AMRAAM shot can work for you instead of going stoopid because the AIM-120 can't maneuver as efficiently as weapons such as the 9X and so on. The reason is that he's defensive and in the no escape zone. There is of course it can be defeated by countermeasures or maneuvering but then again... you may get lucky. Since he's defensive you have to be quick on the lock and then fire waiting to follow up if it misses. This is a case of tactical patience in setting him up for the kill rather than an "easier" way with IRMs but also shows that even a jammer plane can hang with the Flanker.

Me: F/A-18F EPE with 2 x AIM-9X and 8 x AIM-120 gun Opposition: Su-27 with 4 x R-73M2 and 4 x R-27 Hard FM With the successes with the EPE I thought that I'd be knocking down the Flanker quite easily. It's turning out that the Flanker is I won't say highly maneuverable, as if I can finally take on the F-31 and walk away then it would be a no brainer. Well I have to say that the Flanker likes to suck you in and make you overshoot, which it does with the lighter faster aircraft. Of course you can only do so much. Started off with keeping myself behind the Flanker while it led me out to sea. I managed to come to the conclusion that I can try and work on the knife fight AMRAAM kill rather than waste a 9X, instead toying with it until it got me back over LA. Well... it managed to suck me to overshoot, with me going defensive and working myself back into an advantage over it. I managed to get a lock and the 9X went stoopid, plowing into the ground instead. After that I worked him into a good firing position and downed him. The major takeaway was that I was flying the EPE on Hard rather than Normal. Not much difference but made the stick have more resistance, and that was pretty much it as I realized halfway through it but still rolled with it. A following bout (which I won't go over since the same thing happened). I rolled quite well with the Flanker and compared to the Turkey, the couple times that the Flanker did manage to get on my six I was able to go vertical and roll back into him. I like the Flanker as an opponent since he's the one that'll make you work for your kill for an older generation aircraft as opposed to some of the new gen aircraft which with the exception of the KF2 and the F-31, aren't much to fight. Normal FM bout Same as above only that with the FM on Normal it was more interesting I guess. Often times the Flanker would just "hang" in the air while rolling with him. It's quite an odd experience I tell you. However the basic gist is that while it's old, it's nothing you should take seriously in the knife fight. I just wish some of the other aircraft were just as fun to roll with.

Me: F-14B_96 with 4 x AIM-9M and 4 x AIM-7M and two tanks Opposition: Su-27 Flanker with 4 x R-73M2 and 4 x R-27 Hard FM After watching Caesar's video something just didn't sit right. Not to say that he doen't know the Tomcat better but I guess an alternative view on nearly the same fight in regards to the energy circle. I personally don't like it and always try and work my way out of it whenever possible to get the opposing fighter into my sights and a sure kill. The fight started off slow and I had to nudge him into playing with me. After that it was as the video, but I guess the personal view is that when he or any other aircraft gets me into a circle I try to go vertical and then come up on top of him or at the minimum get him to do something else. He flew in a wide circle while after not flying the Turkey for awhile kept on muscling the jet trying to get my nose into him. Bad mistake as it cost me energy and speed as I felt I was just hanging in the air most of the time, setting myself up for him, not me. I managed to avoid both his R-73 shots (one can be seen in the screenshot below) after defeating it with maneuvering rather than any countermeasures. After that he went low into a circle and I managed to force/maneuver the Tomcat into a half loop, getting my nose on the Flanker and at first I thought my 'winder was going to go stoopid but it tracked and killed the Flanker. Takeaways. This isn't a bash against Caesar, but rather another way to get out of the circle fight. And I still realize I'm not an expert like him (tried the flaps thing but didn't work because I was too fast) with the Tomcat, but that's another thing. However it's to show that in some cases that you can pull out of the energy fight with a vertical (make sure you have the advantage first!) and then go for the kill, if you feel it's going to work. In this case the more maneuverable jets your IR missile may be defeated through a combination of both countermeasures and maneuvering, such is life. And it also reinforces the tactic that if you got the lock on tone and he's got IR missiles, dump flares to confuse either him or the missile combined with some maneuvering or he'll spike you. And it shows I need more practice with the Tomcat but again remember for the nuggets that can't pull the stick as I can on the Super Hornet to get my nose into him better. Have to be firm and not hard with it and you'll get what you want, eventually.

Despite it's size the Flanker on average has to be taken seriously... what happened other than you got shot down?

Thanks!

File Name: VAQ-132 CAG Operation Odyssey Dawn/Unified Protector EA-18G File Submitter: EricJ File Submitted: 22 May 2011 File Category: SF2 Series Add On Skins This skin represents nose number "540" while conducting combat operations over Libya for Operation Odyssey Dawn/Unified Protector where the squadron was hastily deployed from supporting OIF to OOD/UP. Click here to download this file

Some more tweaks and some weathering just to break up the monotony of the skin... I have a few more things to touch up (even included the real BuNo) and I'll upload it after some lunch.