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Solid turnout last night chaps. Thanks to @fruitbat, @DD_Fenrir, @BluBear, @PapaBear, @wingflyr, @Zukker, @delta7 and a guest appearance from @Crash along with myself of course. Everyone was able to chip in and make a solid contribution and play their part in the advancement of the campaign. We continue to make good ground managing to take an another airport and FARP in our new drive back to the east. A strong showing by the F16 is starting to show benefits of good team work to attack targets with excellent aircover provided by the F14. Well done chaps.

Depends on what bombs.... For Snake eyes and dive bombing you want to be in CCIP (easy and very effective with dumb bombs), for level (ish) bombing on a waypoint or dropping LGB's on a target in your TGP you want either DTOS or CCRP (function very similar, DTOS allows more flexibility with designating, particularly using the Helmet). There is also a hybrid CCIP/CCRP mode which can be useful for dropping LGB's onto a target your being talked onto and don't want to get to low to, but we'll leave that for now. This thread I did a couple of years ago walks you through LGB's (also has an extensive part on the HTS pod and HARM's in it). LGB's are bread and butter bombs, and you don't even need to lase them yourselves with helicopters around, one thing i would learn though if you are going to drop bombs with other people lasing for you is how to quickly enter a new steerpoint into the DED, its actually very easy and can be done in 30 secs or so..... JDAMs and other GPS weapons work in two different modes, PRE for launching on a steer point, or VIS for using the helmet to designate an area on the ground before using the TPOD to fine tune before dropping. JDAMs are an incredibly powerful and quick way to get warheads on foreheads quickly, and up to 4 in 1 pass on 4 different targets once you are proficient, but not suitable for moving targets. Basically, a JDAM is going to land wherever your Tpod is looking, whether via steerpoint, helmet cuing, HUD or HTS pod, as long as you are in release constraints. You will need to learn your Tpod unless you get co-ordinates from another source (can easily be sent via datalink from one F-16 to another...). If you learn how to drop LGB's and JDAM's and understand CCIP functionality you will be able to drop every type of bomb ordnance, only types of Air to Ground weapons that the F-16 has that are employed differently than these 3 methods are Mavericks and Harms. I would start with LGB's, that knowledge base will then help with progressing to JDAM's, or if you want to start with dumb bombs, start with CCIP bombing. Here's a quick little demo of CCIP bombing, put the thing on the thing...... (can I get direct hits every time, no, but I'll be close every time. If you set up a good approach you are 90% there though, throttle back and speedbrakes out in the dive). If you do CCIP bombing with CBU 97's you will make a real mess on enemy positions. Here a silly vid I made several years ago showing the carnage you can do with CBU97's, (CBU 105's are a GPS guided version of this weapon dropped the same way as JDAMs) this run in a low level toss bombing in CCRP using a steer point... skip to the last minute and a half for the release and carnage (symbology of the drop has changed since this video was made, but same process).

Whilst sweltering in the Friday afternoon heat doing my chores (yes, I am the perfect husband ) an idea came to me. How about we run a Foothold campaign one weekend for 24 hours straight, taking the mission through both time zones for UK/Europe and Canada/US. We try and get as much of the mission completed as possible with players able to come and go whenever they can? It would mean some changes to the server as a one off ( @FoolTrottel ? thoughts) but might be a fun way of getting as many Dogz as possible to take part in what ever way they can? Has the heat got to me or does this idea have any value? Friar

Both me thinks ! Idea is a good one, I like it. Server can for sure run for 24hours. The down side is that a sizeable part of those 24hours the mission will be dark. As dark as night. In 1946 one could stop the time if I recall correctly. Not sure if DCS can do that? Or is the darkness in there not a problem?

Friar, I spent a few days on this writing more lyrics and moving things around a bit to come up with a set I liked and stayed on theme. This one I will sing someday it will be fun. It has inspirational memories of other M8's here at home too. Have fun hearing what you started M8! I can't find time to fly but during breaks or motel stays I can still fart around with kind of stuff even from my phone. I can't wait for retirement. https://songer.co/song/h1adtuzwjpd0buzfxffkhcoq

Since more and more of us are getting the mighty Viper, this post is going to go through the steps you need to do to get the full functionality of datalink, rather than just the basic functions that you get with a dynamic spawn. Full functionality gives you the ability to not only share targets with the push of a button, but you can see what targets your team members are targeting, both air to air and air to ground on the HSD, you can hook team members via the HSD and have visual cues as to where they are in the helmet, In general its a real situational awareness huge plus especially in air to air. On top of that it allows for the full power of the HTS pod to be utilised, and quickly get PGML 1 locks on enemy SAM's, by using 3 or more HTS pods to triangulate the enemy SAM positions, and are accurate enough to use JDAM's on, negated the enemies ability to turn of its search radar when HARM's are employed. Once you have done it a few times, it is very easy, and takes a minute, and can be done at the airfield before moving. It is however critical it is done perfectly, otherwise it will not work. First up, press the LIST button, then hit the ENTER button, then use the DOBBER switch and go right twice, this will show the STN page on the DED, see below, Next we have to populate the STN numbers. These are 5 digit octal numbers, and there are 8 available slots, for a total of 8 team members. The critical thing here is, that everyone populates this list with the same numbers. I suggest we use the same numbers as a Dogz standard and just use, 00200 00201 00202 00203 etc up to 00207. We only need to populate with enough numbers as vipers flying. To enter these numbers you need to Dobber up and down until the Asterix's are bracketing the slot you want to enter, In this screenshot number 2 slot is ready to be set, as shown by the Asterix's bracketing it. once the number is typed in via the ICP, press enter on the ICP. Lastly everyone needs to pick a unique own ship number between 1 and 8, which we will have to allocate there and then on comms, to get to that, dobber down until the own ship number is bracketed, as shown below, Enter your number and press Enter. That is the Datalink set up. To get the full HTS pod functionality, one extra step has to be taken to add to the TDOA network, and that is to add the T in front of the STN number. this is quick and easy, just dobber down in front of each STN number to get the Asterix's either side of that position as shown by there position in the first screenshot, and type any number on the ICP and the T will appear, that' all that need to be done. Happy flying!

very useful for situational awareness and iff which im sure the awacs crews are eternally grateful for

Damn, you caused me a tear or two as well Todd. But that's OK, because real men can cry if they like, even while they fire a few .45 slugs in the air in remembrance of their fallen comrade. EEEEEEEE-HAW, I shore do miss that geezer!

great stuff william toddspear!