Ok interesting, from my testing with IOG + SALH at least, the IOG guidance is lost after picking up laser (and losing it), as how it works on the live server too. Code wise the GPS + SALH are the same as IOG + SALH (but instead they have 0 inertial drift), but maybe somehow for those it does switch back to IOG/GPS?
Are you sure it wasn’t just luck because the bomb was fast and managed to change course in time before turning off laser? Like how I test it is, get within 4.5km (so the bomb is in “POINT” mode) of a target above them, drop the bomb slightly off to the side with laser on, then turn off laser directly after dropping. At least with regular GBU-24, it does not go to the last known spot and just flies off in a ballistic trajectory. Could you test it again this way? It’s not as important now, but if GBU/EGBU-24 seekers could become better, it may be more significant.
The same way the Maverick does; pre-calculated deflection of control surfaces for so many seconds post release (G-Bias, Trajectory shaping), and then maintains zero AoA until the Seeker reaches some preset look-down angle then proceeds tracking as normal.
Basically what it is doing is storing excess energy that it has at release (speed) as altitude since past the point where the required glide slope to the target can be met, it is in excess and flying a ballistic course / zero AoA course incurs greater losses to drag (scales with V^2 not ~V^6 so is much more efficient especially at very low altitudes and near transonic releases due to a number of factors) and so to best conserve that energy as it may be needed for terminal maneuvers, or converted back to velocity due to impact velocity requirements for penetration of the target.
Let me explain a thing then. The GPS guidence does not turn back on, that is true, game limitation. If you tested it on normal PW3 it does return to IOG when you turn the laser off, but it has a HUGE drift value of 5 (for example AIM-54 has 2), so it goes off course severely. EPW/PW4 have their drift set to 0, to simulate GPS turning back on, and they will not miss. In their case IOG keeps turning on and off when you play with the laser. And also there is for example Hellfire, where if you turn laser on it will disable its IOG and go dumb.
Paveway III (both normal and GPS equipped) had a bunch of different lofting modes. It’s on my list of things to report, but I need to find time to do a proper write-up on the different modes.
the issue is it had brimstone 1s that only had the LOAL mode as far as I am aware, the Dual mode brimstones were the ones that added Mode 2 that could be used like other FnF weapons in the game where they would need to lock a target before launch
Eee, no. Brim 1 had MMV seeker only. Seeker would LOAL or LOBL depending on the situation. DM Brim added laser seeker, that can be used to guide the missile, or designate a exact spot MMV has to look at.
