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Laser guided artillery, how to use it reliably?

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Hi all!

Me and a couple of friends are running a server with a few home made co-op missions of different styles.

We have the mindset that all provided services must be ran by a player, so if you want a helicopter transport, you need a pilot. If you want CAS, you need a pilot and a spotter (at the very least), if you need artillery, you need a artillery team and so on.

So, we've been playing around mostly with laser guided artillery shells since the more non-guided ones are kiiiindof self explanatory (not easy to use, just self explanatory ;D). What I don't get is a reliable way of getting the laser guided shells on the actual lased target. Some times it hits the very centimeters that is being lased, sometimes the splashdown is 100m off. I've been trying to read up on laser guidance in ArmA 3 and artillery all over the internet, but there don't seem to be a guide that actually states the fact regarding how to do this. Some guides states that the target should be lased at the time of firing, some tells me to activate laser when there's 20 seconds to splash down and all kinds of variants in between. Mostly a lot of "I think it needs to be done this way ..." :)

So, my questions is, how is it supposed to be done?

In the artillery computer, how far off can you aim from the lased target at the different base ranges (close, medium, far etc)? My earliest test gave me that you need to aim within 50m from the lased target to get the shell to guide spot on somewhat repeatably when shooting at targets in the "close-zone". If the artillery gunner need to be that exact even with active guidance it feels kinda redundant having to lase, or?

Is my thinking way of base here perhaps? Is the laser guidance system on the shell a way to negate or cancel the spread/built in inaccuracy of fired rounds and it is in fact working the intended way? I need to be on target and laser guidance makes sure that I hit what the crosshair aims at and not getting a random spread splash?

I know I'm rambling a bit and I will admit that have little to no experience of real life artillery. I know it's not a rocket but indeed a shell with fins. I'm just interested on how much the shell can guide itself and how it's supposed to be done.

Thanks in advance! :)

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Don't know if this is part of your problem, but something to keep in mind when firing artillery is that you must wait for the piece to line up its trajectory before firing. For example, when using the artillery computer in a mortar, if you fire too soon after selecting your target, the shell may land off-target because you haven't allowed the launcher enough time to line up the shot.

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We noticed that when testing, and when compensating for sight in times the thing that happened then was first fired LGS was dead on, one minute after (or so) when the second shell was fired it missed the target by 50-75m. Strange stuff :)

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I am wondering too about those laser guided shells.

I tried once in mutiplayer and it didnt work.

Some guy told me that he thinks it only works if the shooter and the spotter are in the same group. I never actualy took the time to test that.

In view of all teh tests you did, do you think it makes sense?

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I've never ever gotten the laser designated shells to actually hit what I'm designating. I don't think they work TBH.

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nicolas: hmm, that's an interesting thought. Will need to rally some guys and try that out. Pretty fubar if that is a prerequisite tbh ... but stranger shit has happened in ArmA 3 I guess ;D

Windies: yeah, Im getting that same feeling. It's those pesky shells that hit smack on that makes my head spin a bit tho. I'd be "fine" with them not working (you just need to settle with shit not working in ArmA 3 :/)

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Just did some testing, straight hits seem to be very rare with laser guided arty rounds. Some of them even hit the ground more than 300m away from the marked position.

Very weird.

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Yeah, tried some artillery this weekend with a darter lasing a target and me in the Scorchers' gunner seat on a local MP server.

If I place the center of the aiming reticle withing ~50m of the target I get somewhat consistent hits on a stationary target. If the target is on the move (tested with slow moving damaged vehicle and/or just moving the laser dot as fast as a soldier runs) or I get no hits at all. Not a single hit on the ~50 shot laser guided shells. It always hits around where the laser dot was at the time of firing.

Since moving targets is not an option and target calling with that precision is really hard during combat we've given up on guided artillery all together and deemed it bugged. If we need precision munitions put on target we've been doing F/A-18 runs with pinpoint accuracy and a close to 100% reliability (all comes down to pilot skills, mechanics works like a charm).

If someone from BI has something to say regarding this I'd be happy. Please shed some light on this :)

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bumpetybumpety ... BI? Any words on this? :)

In a combined arms kind of simulator, it's nice to be able to use the full potential of all types of pewpew.

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pewpewbump :)

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Protip: BIS is clumsy. The laser guided shells are actually labeled "Guided", and the heatseeking automatic guided shells are labeled "Laser Guided" They are with other words reversed.

And by the way stop bumping your own thread.

Edited by Necrodancer

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Are you sure? :)

The only shell that I've been able to put smack in the middle of the lasermarker is the one labled laser guided. The guided ones end up close to, but not smack on like the laser guided shells.

Test has been performed on most kinds of vehicles, patches of soil/sand/grass/rock, houses and a few other non-targetable (and with thermal-WH very black) entities.

Is there a way to test your thesis out? I'm willing to try pretty much everything out just to shed some light on this.

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No I tried it again now and the Laser guided seemed to follow the laser mark on 1 occasion. The rest of the time it was completely random... Dont know if it's the artillery computer that is broken or the rounds themself.

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Still not working. Any statement from a developer on this or a feedback tracker that needs some upvotes?

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Contrary to what people believe about artillery they are not 100% accurate as you increase the firing distance of the artillery shell it's in-accuracy increases. Just look at when you are in an M4 Scorcher it has a "Spread report" this means the amount of distance the shell will spread no matter what if you fail to maintain an LOS. You also must maintain a complete and stable LOS at all times for the target to be hit. Trees will obstruct the laser, bushes, land, rocks anything. A "Complete" LOS. Otherwise it will not hit.

Guided Shells are: Most arma 3's shells are "passive" which means a "point and shoot concept" you lock onto it from a distance using T and it goes to that with the spread report included. Passive systems are prone to error. You can confuse the missile guidance system quite a few ways including Chaf, Deceptive transitters, Flares etc (Interesting question could you screw up a missile AA by firing a standard grenade shell flare.

If you wish to know more about missile guidance systems please follow the following link: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1357360/rocket-and-missile-system/57325/Passive

Edited by Polymath820
Need to know more?

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