Enhancements to Munition Guidance

[Stona_WT]

Hey everyone! In addition to refinements in the modeling of directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM), improvements to the CCRP interface, and the introduction of cluster bombs, the Eagle’s Shadow update will bring several further enhancements to aircraft. Let’s take a look!

Aiming of MITL-capable munitions

The game already features munitions with man-in-the-loop (MITL) capability for aircraft, and this functionality will be extended to helicopters in the upcoming update. However, despite the advantage these munitions offer, namely the ability to guide them without a direct line of sight between the launch platform and the target, they have historically suffered from a significant drawback. This is that the guidance system would lock onto a random point on the vehicle, and this specific point would remain remembered, even if the target was re-acquired.

You can now adjust the impact point when engaging vehicles. It’s very simple: once you’ve locked onto a target, click the left mouse button, aim at the specific spot you want to hit on the enemy tank or vessel, and click again. That’s it! Your ammunition will now be directed to that exact location.

Despite the fact ground vehicles don’t have MITL capability for balance reasons, the ability to more precisely select the impact point will affect ground vehicle ATGMs as well, for example Spike missiles. Now the target acquisition frame won’t select the target as a whole but a precise point that the missile will target so you can retarget the missile before launch choosing the optimal impact point on the target.

Homing of certain infrared-guided missiles onto aircraft engines

Previously, all air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles equipped with infrared seekers would guide toward the center of an aircraft model, regardless of the specific seeker technology used. In the Eagle’s Shadow update, we’ve refined their logic. Now, these types of missiles, with the exception of those using imaging infrared (IIR) seekers, pseudo-imaging seekers, or seekers with angular gating (i.e., missiles that perceive the entire aircraft as a single target), will no longer guide toward the center of the aircraft, but rather toward its hottest components, like the engines.

That’s it for this dev blog. Be sure to stay tuned for more news on the Eagle’s Shadow major update!

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[exeisdefeatable]

Update tomorrow?

[Pipimer]

we had like 3? dev blogs today

[30x170_APDS-T]

F&F Spikes IMPROVED YEASSSSSSSS

The end of the Spike launching with almost no visual on target, tho.

[NoodleCup31]

hope not but likely

[exeisdefeatable]

2 (including this one) , great war was event blog so it does not count

[Dzhkグ]

@Stona_WT

Previously, all air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles equipped with infrared seekers would guide toward the center of an aircraft model, regardless of the specific seeker technology used. In the Eagle’s Shadow update, we’ve refined their logic. Now, these types of missiles, with the exception of those using imaging infrared (IIR) seekers, pseudo-imaging seekers, or seekers with angular gating (i.e., missiles that perceive the entire aircraft as a single target), will no longer guide toward the center of the aircraft, but rather toward its hottest components, like the engines.

Hopefully this also comes with a fix for FoV IRCCM, since it just doesn’t work atm.

[exeisdefeatable]

Why not?

[I_9029]

@Stona_WT

with the exception of those using imaging infrared (IIR) seekers

So are we getting IIR seeker next update? IIR missile that we have in game (IRIS-T, aim 9x, python 5 etc) will get its real seeker and ditch their placeholder seeker?

[Doomboltz]

@Stona_WT

Previously, all air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles equipped with infrared seekers would guide toward the center of an aircraft model, regardless of the specific seeker technology used. In the Eagle’s Shadow update, we’ve refined their logic. Now, these types of missiles, with the exception of those using imaging infrared (IIR) seekers, pseudo-imaging seekers, or seekers with angular gating (i.e., missiles that perceive the entire aircraft as a single target), will no longer guide toward the center of the aircraft, but rather toward its hottest components, like the engines.

Still no fix for FoV IRCCM not doing anything?

[Schindibee]

@Stona_WT

Now the target acquisition frame won’t select the target as a whole but a precise point that the missile will target so you can retarget the missile before launch choosing the optimal impact point on the target.

@Stona_WT Big question here: Will that only affect ground vehicle fired missiles and MITL weapons?

Reason for asking: In aircraft, missiles (such as e.g. AGM-65 Mavericks) only lock on vehicles as a whole, and sometimes, especially when vehicles are close to each other, they lock just at a random point.

The effect of this is that one may aim somewhere specific, attempt to lock, and the missile locks somewhere completely different from where one has aimed.

Will the possibility to aim at specific points instead of “centermass” also be possible for AGM’s without MITL mechanic?

After all, that function is an intrinsic part of how those weapons work, and has nothing to do with MITL pre se: A seeker like the Maverick’s flies to a point determined by the pilot on a contrast intensive target…

[wolf_308lr-psn]

@Stona_WT will this rework include a bugfix for console MITL controls? As of now, the axis are reversed and the guidance constantly loses track even in optimal conditions, it is moatly impossible to use MITL effectively as of now on consoles.

Also, disconnecting the controls of TV/FLIR pods, seeker cameras, and MITL guidance would be very useful, as those are all connected to the “gunner camera” settings for joystick sensitivity etc., making it very hard to choose a usable sensitivity.

[Fanta_3412]

@Stona_WT

You can now adjust the impact point when engaging vehicles. It’s very simple: once you’ve locked onto a target, click the left mouse button, aim at the specific spot you want to hit on the enemy tank or vessel, and click again. That’s it! Your ammunition will now be directed to that exact location.

Guess LMUR with mitl just wasnt strong enough and buff was super necessary

[Beeschurger]

@Stona_WT

the ability to more precisely select the impact point will affect ground vehicle ATGMs as well, for example Spike missiles. Now the target acquisition frame won’t select the target as a whole but a precise point that the missile will target so you can retarget the missile before launch choosing the optimal impact point on the target.

No way, a possibly functioning spikes?

[Michael-IR]

So many good additions this patch.

[Beeschurger]

Low key Operation Health we should be getting. Not full one, but fixes are always welcome.

[Michael-IR]

Long awaited “We fixed the game” update might be closer than ever

[F-16D_Barak_II]

Really happy these changes are finally being made
Missed opportunity not showcasing DIRCM operate in thermals/nvd though

[Fanta_3412]

Except MITL for helis

[ItsOnyy]

Good news for Spikes, but how will this affect their accuracy at range? It’s obviously a lot harder to aim precisely at longer distances. I wish we had the option to aim for center of mass or a precise point.

It would also be nice to have precise aiming for FnF munitions on helicopters without MITL as they always tend to lock onto modules that lead to no significant damage, like machine guns, copulas or tracks, it would be a massive QoL improvement for aircraft as well.