Lase & GBU on Buzzard not locking

[pottage7 1]

I'm currently testing the GBUs on the Buzzard. I'm grouped with a Recon JTAC lasing a T-100 from the Castle in Kavala. I cannot get the GBUs to lock onto the lase. I tried dropping them and seeing if they automatically guide themselves however that doesn't seem to work either.

My ATGMs can lock (and destroy) fine. Any ideas? Am I doing it wrong?

Edited September 5, 2013 by pottage7

[trent 14]

I think the GBUs are like previous games where they have literally no guidance a la WW2 bombers. Which is sad because even modders could add in an Ace Combat style predictive pipper in previous games.

[pottage7 1]

I'm 90% sure the GBUs are laser guided in ArmA 2, I remember testing it. I think.

[Mattar_Tharkari 10]

There seems to be a new method for getting a laser lock:

Place a JTAC with Line of Sight to the vehicle.

You need to press Tab to lock the laser target - forms a white square around laser target.

Then you need to position the plane about 500 - 1000m away, above 750m in height, too close/too low and it doesn't work.

Put the target in the centre of the circle on the HUD - a diamond will appear, then start to shrink as you get closer.

Release the bomb before the diamond disappears.

Any idea why the cannon goes rat-tat-tat-tat instead of brrrrrrrrrrrrrrp - terrible?

The distances are approx - not tested them fully - all I can say is if you don't get the white diamond inside the white square, the bomb will miss. I like this change - it's makes you fly a more realistic approach, instead of slinging LGB's way off boresight at 500ft which never happens in real life.

Edited September 5, 2013 by Mattar_Tharkari

[kylania 568]

750m is kinda high for ArmA.

[pottage7 1]

I managed to get it to work. It seems flakey at best. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Thanks for the help, Mattar_Tharkari.

[kilrbe3 37]

Hmm, Gonna go have to test that out Mattar.. That seems a tad ridicilous change.. Let the player have control over that. We spent like 45mins last night trying, and we came to the thought it was completely broken.

In this case " Whats not broken, Don't Fix it". Lazing worked great in A2 IMHO. Don't know why they feel they need to mess with it so much in A3. Makes drones act not like a drone at all...

[Moerderhoschi 107]

750m is kinda high for ArmA.

thats true and sad at the same time.

Yesterday i mad a MP Mission to test the GBU Bombs with a soldier on the ground who lased on a target. But i was not able to to lock on the Target at any high and distance. BI should really do something in this case, it would set airsupport in arma to a new level.

[magicpanda 19]

It seems to be the same kind of thing for the Laser Guided Artillery on the Scorcher while using it as support. The first request missed or never arrives. The second usually comes in ok

[spanishsurfer 58]

Hmm, Gonna go have to test that out Mattar.. That seems a tad ridicilous change.. Let the player have control over that. We spent like 45mins last night trying, and we came to the thought it was completely broken.

In this case " Whats not broken, Don't Fix it". Lazing worked great in A2 IMHO. Don't know why they feel they need to mess with it so much in A3. Makes drones act not like a drone at all...

It did not work great at all. Yes, the guided bombs would hit their mark almost every time however there was some sort of voodoo that would happen with regards to the physics of these bombs. GBU is just a dummy bomb with stabilizer fins and a gps attached, it flies to a target given that it has enough altitude and airspeed to reach that target. In Arma 2 I was always amazed how far I could hit marked targets with the GBU, it seemed to have its own propulsion!

[kylania 568]

I had a Scorcher hit with the first LG round when my friend was lasing.

[magicpanda 19]

Might be just lasing buildings where it goes a bit Awry then. I'll test a few more.

[Harzach 2518]

Any idea why the cannon goes rat-tat-tat-tat instead of brrrrrrrrrrrrrrp - terrible?

I think the sound is appropriate for the gun pod I see on the pylon, but it's odd - why is it called a "gatling cannon" when it clearly is not? Really sloppy, I have to say.

[pottage7 1]

How do you actually use the guided rounds on the Scorcher?

[maturin 12]

Might be just lasing buildings where it goes a bit Awry then. I'll test a few more.

That's likely, because the bomb has to have line of sight to the end of the laser beam. The roof could be in the way.

[Mattar_Tharkari 10]

I think the sound is appropriate for the gun pod I see on the pylon, but it's odd - why is it called a "gatling cannon" when it clearly is not? Really sloppy, I have to say.

That gun pod exists in reality, it goes brrrrrrrrrrrp! See 0:30 in this vid:

All aircraft rotary cannons do - better vid of an F-16 here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi102-ndz-A

Edited September 5, 2013 by Mattar_Tharkari

[Harzach 2518]

That gun pod exists in reality, it goes brrrrrrrrrrrp!

Ah. indeed it does.

All aircraft rotary cannons do - better vid of an F-16 here:

Yep, I'm relatively familiar with GAU-series weapons systems. But, the GSh-23 isn't a rotary cannon. It's a "Gast gun". Interesting system, I've never read about them before.

[Mattar_Tharkari 10]

Script for designating from pilots seat here, no need for JTAC:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?163274-Laser-Designator-System-script-for-A143-Buzzard-%28CAS%29&p=2491545#post2491545

[maxton0600 10]

GBUs are laser guided and you need a guy or vehicle with laser marker close enought so the marker can actually paint the target (not sure with distance but in ARMA2 we bombed with 1000+ m marks).

About hitting the target once you acquired it is a different story. The accuracy of hitting target depends on your speed (bomb will drop with same speed), height and angle under which you fly.

If you fly high above target with 800km/ph and drop the bomb 1km away it is likely that you will miss it since the 1km is shown but not as ground distance but point to point (you can count real distance a s triangle, practice math). You will either have to slow down, drop from farther way or perform a short dive to drop the bomb.

Note that laser can be kept as lock on target only on limited distance unlike vehicles (keep as target as long as they are seen.... mostly).

[Harzach 2518]

Script for designating from pilots seat here, no need for JTAC:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?163274-Laser-Designator-System-script-for-A143-Buzzard-%28CAS%29&p=2491545#post2491545

Nice one! Now we just need a LITENING pod model...

[starlightman 10]

Would anyone be able to post a youtube video of successfully locking on to a laser from a JTAC in the Buzzard? I've read the guidance here about height, speed and distance and no matter how many times I try I cannot get it to work. I've confirmed the target is lazed as I can see the JTAC using his designator if I switch to splendid camera and if I turn the difficulty down to recruit I can actually see a huge red dot covering the entire T-100 I'm trying to bomb.