This guide is for the perspective of SB, and thus will mostly be looking from within the cockpit, but I will add any relevant details for use in other gamemodes
PLEASE NOTE: Not every aircraft has CCRP symbology, this can either be due to it missing such symbology IRL or this can be due to it missing in game, several aircraft should have symbology but don’t
That having been said, the more recent additions, full symbology is not necessarily a requirement for making use of CCRP, and the only thing that is required is a bombing ballistic computer. This can be checked in the “Customization” view of an aircraft, select “X-Ray” and then hover over the pilot, you are looking for “Bombs: CCIP, CCRP”
Also, CCRP’s automatic weapon release does not function with guided bombs, you will always have to manually release the bomb at the right time
Controls
The first thing you need to do, is set up the necessary controls.
These consist of
- Switch Sight mode in Cockpit
- Switch Mission Bombing Target
- Activate Target point
- Deactivate Target point
Spoiler
Optional Setting
- Secondary Weapon ripple quantity
and/or
- Drop Bomb Series
- Exit selected weapon mode
These are the main controls you will need within SB to perform CCRP bombing runs
Additionally, there is “Automatic bomb release in CCRP mode”. This setting disables the system that release the bombs at the right time when you give weapon permission. Enabling manual release which is useful for when CCRP fails to function correctly, on some maps such as “Afghanistan” many of the bases cant be hit using CCRP due to a bug.
Bombing Basics
It typically takes around 5 to 6 1000lb bombs or equivalent to destroy a base, but not all, for example, the H.E M.C Mk1 bomb carried by the Buccaneer is able to destroy a base with only 4 bombs. Likewise Napalm can often kill a base with just 2 bombs.
Check out this amazing info-chart An actual up-to-date, intuitive, visually pleasing bomb chart - LEGION's Loadouts to help with other nations.
Likewise, test flight now has BR appropriate bases, so you can test a loadout prior to entering a match.
If you wish to use bomb series, make sure to select the correct amount before taking off, I recommend 6, but All is another good option if you can only carry the minimum amount to destroy a base.
On a personal note, when in SB, its generally considered good form to “ping” the base you are going for once you’ve taken off and are approaching the target. This is done by clicking on the map, over the desired base giving a “attention to the map” notification. If a teammate has already done this for that base, then you should go for another base. Not all do, but its good etiquette
Pre-attack run
Once within the game and on-approach to a target, you will need to set up your aircraft for the attack run. CCRP will work from any altitude, but the higher you are the harder it is set-up CCRP, and I have found that accuracy is an issue passed around 15’000ft, as its easy to introduce minor errors in alignment, that have a big impact on accuracy.
With weapon selector/Ripple mode
- Select your bomb load
- Switch to your desired ripple mode
There is 2 possible options here. Select “8” and drop more than is necessary on target, or take 5-6 bombs of a perticular type, and use “S” to drop all of that specific kind of bomb. If your aircraft can take 2 types of bombs, such as normal and drag bombs. Then you can use this to drop 5 or 6 per target. But this does require an aircraft with large bomb capacity - Enable your target selection.
I recommend doing this by pressing “Switch mission bombing target” key, as it will give you a message at the bottom of the screen - Switch your gun-sight mode to “Sight Mode: Bombs (Auto)”. If your aircraft has a functional CCRP mode, then it is at this point you will know. As your interface should change
With Bomb series
- Disengage weapon selector, if used by pressing “Exit selected weapon mode”
- Enable your target selection.
I recommend doing this by pressing “Switch mission bombing target” key, as it will give you a message at the bottom of the screen - Switch your gun-sight mode to “Sight Mode: Bombs (Auto)”. If your aircraft has a functional CCRP mode, then it is at this point you will know. As your interface should change
Target Selection
There are now three methods for target selection, they each have their strengths and weaknesses and ultimately you will need to decide which is best for you. I do recommend learning how to do it all 3 ways as none of the methods are flawless and you may need to switch between them.
Method One - Mission bombing target
The First method is far more fiddly and is entirely dependent on your aircraft displaying CCRP symbology correctly. If your aircraft lacks this symbology, then you will need to use the other method.
- Roughly align your aircraft with the desired base
As you start learning how to do this, I recommend doing so from further out, and then as you get more confident/comfortable with the controls, starting swapping over later, in case the situation changes - Cycle through your your targets using “Switch Mission Bombing Target”.
Airfields will be first in the list, and consist of 4 targets. Usually the first 12-20 targets will be airfields (starting from 0). Additionally, if 4 targets seem very close together, it’s likely an Airfield, not a base. - You should eventually see a marker (this will vary from aircraft to aircraft what this marker looks like, but usually a dot or cross) somewhere in front of you, you will need to be fairly accurately aligned with the base for it to appear within your HUD, so doing this from further a field can help.
You can tell if you have selected the right base, as most aircraft will have some kind of timing indicator, that will be begin to go down as you approach the base, if this does not happen when you are nearing the target, you either do not have bombs selected (See previous section) or you have selected the wrong target
If you have a targetting pod equipped, the camera will snap to your currently selected target, this is another highly effective way of knowing what you have selected, though does require a little bit of altitude to see the target.
This method is perticularly ideal when attacking airfields, as its currently impossible to accurately target each specific subsystem using method two.
Method Two - Map target selection
Method two is a relatively newly added method for target selection that allows for a custom CCRP target to be placed via the map. This enables free and rapid targeting that has uses beyond just base bombing, such as rapid targeting of a targeting pod or IOG deployment of laser guided AGMs such as Hellfires or Brimstones. But for this guide, it will be for dropping bombs onto bases.
To use this method of CCRP targeting, open the map view and use button located in the bottom right of the map to place a market. You can also see the necessary keybinds to directly interact with these buttons without manually clicking them. These are currently, “Right click” to move the map around when you zoom in and “Middle mouse button” to create a CCRP target.
Map symbology
You can place a marker anywhere and at any zoom, but I advise against placing a marker when fully zoomed out as this leads to highly inaccurate target placement and will often cause most, if not all bombs to miss the target. Instead zoom in as much as you can and place the marker then, the accuracy will be significantly higher. The marker will appear as a small red blinking box on the map.
Zoomed out marker placement example
Marker placed fully zoomed out
Zoomed in to see the affect
That’s it. You have just created a target point via the map.
Target selection in ARB
Both methods work within ARB, but you will have additional symbology appear above the target for any and all aircraft with a ballistic computer, making target selection much easier.
Method Three - Manual Target Selection
It is possible to create a manual target point to use in conjunction with the CCRP. There are two main ways of doing this. The first is without a targetting pod, point your aircraft at the desired target and press " Activate target point" this should create a target point at the desired location to use with CCRP using the the next steps. The other is with a targetting pod. When you use the targetting pod, it automatically creates a target point at whatever the camera is pointing at, allowing you to use this for a CCRP drop. But note with this second method, there is a limit to how far out you can lock, its currently about 20-30km.
Approach
As you approach the base, with everything set-up and ready to go, the timer within the HUD will begin to go down. It is at this point, you will want to press and hold your desired release method. Whether that is weapon selector or bomb series. This will give you a message at the bottom of the screen, saying “Bomb Release Permission”.
Now at this point, its important to keep your aircraft steady, otherwise your bombs may miss the target. When you reach the right point, and the timer hits 0, your aircraft will automatically release the desired amount of bombs onto the target.
Here you can see me performing an attack run in the Tornado Gr1 in an SB match. (note bases no longer have AA defending them)
Spoiler
Please note, that even if you have done everything right, CCRP will sometimes not release the bombs, this is due to a bug, possibly due to bases in elevated positions. In these instances, you will need to manually drop the bombs onto that base. To do this, you can disable CCRP using “Deactivate Target point”. Your HUD should remain in “Sight Mode: Bomb”, but now you’ll see a CCIP indicator instead. Alight that indicator with the target, and press your desired drop method, the bombs should hit the target, alternatively you can use “Automatic bomb release in CCRP mode” to remain within CCRP and manual release the bombs at the right time
Special tactics
Some targets are defended by SPAAGs and so attacking these targets with a level attack profile is not recommended, so an alternative method is to “loft” the bombs at the target, essentially throw them towards the target. At the moment, the only target this is needed against is the airfields. But this could change in the future.
To do this:
- Set up, your aircraft in the same way as you would with a level attack.
- When the timer reaches around 1/4 left (will vary from aircraft to aircraft, so some exerpimention will be required) pull back on the stick gently and enter a gentle climb to about 15°-30° whilst giving weapon release permisison. The bombs should release at the right moment.
It is really important to keep your wings as level as you can, and remain on target. In some aircraft this is fairly simple, as you will have some form of guidance indicator, but others can be a lot harder, due to HUD limitations. In these aircraft, I recommend a more gentle “Loft” from a lot closer. As there is less chance to introduce errors suffecient to miss the target. This tactic does take practice. I would also recommend not using sequential release for this method as it can spread the bombs over a wider area, meaning some can easily miss the base.
Here you can see me performing a Loft attack in the Tornado Gr1 in an SB match.
Spoiler
Additionally, if your aircraft can equip a targeting pod, then the targeting pod will snap to your CCRP target selection, you can use this to check which target you have selected. Ideal when dropping from height. You can also turn on the laser designator and you’ll have a marker for where the base is, outside of your HUD (though this last bit is likely a bug)
If you have any questions, please ask