Hunting the target, making the Kill | DCS World Apache AH-64D

Patreon member Jake and I continue our lesson as we hunt an elusive enemy artillery battery and unleash the full fury of the AH-64D.
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Hardware:
intel core i9-13900k, 64GM RAM, Zotac 4090 GPU
Joystick: VKB Gunfighter III with 20cm extension
Pedals: Virpil ACE
Throttle: Virpil Mongoose 3

[@mastergunner309]

I really like this style of teaching. Wags teaches us how to do something but there isn’t a lot of “why and when” to tactically employ the aircraft. Thanks for the time put into getting this out.

[@SteelbeastsCavalry]

You're looking at a pro who worked on the ground AND in the air. Casmo's experience can't be beat. His honest teaching is wonderful.

[@CFMLEAP]

This makes me realise how silly I am to just rush in and try to kill everything in an airbase just to get hit by a ZSU-23 and act like I was surprised that I died. From now on I will definitely take my time and fly the Apache the way it was built to be used.

[@terrencejackson4587]

I was listening to this in the background…… your “Army-isms” shine through. “Unass the AO!” It made me laugh hysterically! I still use this term especially when rolling in hot to a target area.

[@JD-xh3ex]

These videos are gold. Learned a bunch and could watch these style of videos all day. Well done and thanks.

[@aaronwhite1786]

I would love to have the random reaction you mentioned. One thing that was fun back in the original Il-2 was when you would strafe a convoy on the road, they would disperse to the sides of the road, and you would see the crews running and diving off to the side. It would be cool if you could set pre-defined reactions to coming under fire, or set it to random, where the convoy will respond differently based on their experience and objective. Units at something like an artillery site might drive if the vehicles are running and move to tree cover or behind some nearby hills, but I have to imagine a lot of soldiers in the real world aren't going to stick around in the driver's seat after seeing another artillery piece next to them detonate. Even just having the crews dismount and run for cover, temporarily rendering the vehicles immobile, or the tanks/AFV's unable to fire back until the crew returns after x number of minutes. It would make for a lot more fun compared to the current "someone's exploded, let us move 10ft and then pause to find our moment of zen". As always, great video! Multicrew looks like a blast in the Apache.

[@acesidewinder]

Very entertaining, educational, and cinematic. Well done Jake/Casmo.

[@archstanton9206]

Good stuff, I enjoy the "training" focused videos you put out, they are excellent.

[@PluckyUnderdog]

Enjoyed this. It showed the one thing that a lot of DCS players (myself included) lack, which is patience. Difficult when the adrenalin is flowing, but I guess that's why they paid you the big bucks to fly the Apache, dude. 😉 Excellent content as usual.

[@jasonbrackstone]

Wow that is some amazing control. So smooth. Can only wish I had that level of control.

[@plokkum]

Watching this after a two-year hiatus from DCS. Thanks - very insightful, I needed this.

[@slickdiggler1197]

Your pilot is doin some smooooth flyin.

[@johnangelini]

Please please please do more videos like this... This is incredibly valuable!!

[@FernandoLXIX]

Excellent content. Most DCS tutorials just tell you about the easy part: to lanuch this missile press this button, then that one, and fire. But they miss the most important part: the tactics and the thought process behind such weapon employment!

[@singhl3]

Would love to see more like this! Excellent teacher and student on display here. Nice work!

[@derrickmiddleton6046]

When you were talking about target criteria and how DCS differs from the Real World in that regard. I'd argue this is largely due to the scripting on many popular PVE servers such as Grayflag. In servers like these 100% of enemy anything has to be destroyed in an objective area in order for you to complete the objective. I watched a guy on stream the other day fly around an objective for ~20 mins just to find a hidden supply truck, once he destroyed that the objective was theirs.

[@CasmoTV]

Ok but in the real world just cause you kill all the supply trucks doesn’t mean you own the airfield. No one does. Not until you get boots on the ground. So the point is moot.

[@hmleao]

Another very cool mission with awesome tips. Liked the editing too. Pretty cool to see the movement in relationship to the enemies from above like that.

[@mgplaying8435]

@14:00 - thats what I said for the last 5 years: we need a really improved briefing and success definition in missions.

[@TheEarthwinders]

Great to see how the real deal approach goes. Thanks for sharing! I look forward to more like this.

[@mrhoptoit7835]

I'm enjoying these lessons. Great job Jake, and great instructions, Casmo.

[@Simongtt]

Thats the best video ive seen in DCS yet, so informative.

[@joshprout1726]

“I mean that was fkn outrageous! That was awesome” 😂

[@dpierron]

Learned a thing or three about gun firing and general tactics; thanks Casmo !

[@jui79]

That was great! Thanks a lot for the insights !!

[@JenkoGaming4]

Hey just wanna say love your videos I myself am a 15Y so work with you AH pilots a lot during our gunnery’s, FARPs. You flyboys say some of the most off hand stuff and it gives us all a good laugh. Keep up the good work

[@CueDriver]

Again another great lesson.

[@JSRJS]

Love watching your training videos. I'm sure you were a great trainer in the real thing

[@wilbuzllf5057]

Nice! Thanks for posting 🙂

[@shinobi61]

lol this is awesome casmo best tutor for helos :)

[@ImpendingJoker]

The motto of the attack helicopter pilot, "Hover and pray for a war." XD

[@fisadev]

Thanks for uploading these videos, I learned a lot from them :)

[@Mouth606]

Love this stuff, you sound kind of like my dad when I’m learning in the air

[@CasmoTV]

Dad sounds wise. And handsome.

[@Mouth606]

@@CasmoTV he also loves your content! 🤣

[@CasmoTV]

@Mouth606 then he’s also very brilliant.

[@Mouth606]

@@CasmoTV sure is 😂 search up 8x Star Wars canyon if your curious what he does

[@dirkhoff1854]

For Me the best DCS Modul !

[@CueDriver]

As of today we can use longbow finally

[@RagsAIN-14]

Awesome demo!, wish everyone a merry merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! God bless you all 🕊️

[@patriciomassun]

amazing video!

[@JeremyD986]

Late to comment. Thanks for the video! Also your point about destruction criteria was something I agree 100%. I was pretty disappointed when I started learning the editor in DCS and found that there isn’t any easy way to set up a victory criteria that doesn’t mean you annihilate every single unit 100% on the map. And even taking it to a smaller scale if you damage the gun and blow the tracks off a tank in DCS that’s not considered a kill. Although that unit is effectively done. Hopefully someday they can implement that.

[@asphelite]

i think those are pretty valid points at 16:00, however I feel like the PvP(vE) missions we have in multiplayer always count on you destroying everything. So maybe if we were able to "destroy" a target by mentioned criteria, I think we'd have more of such experiences Casmo described... also maybe the mentality shifts then too

[@hornet2048]

Excellent 👍🏼

[@SharpGopher123]

Hey Casmo, great point at the end about the chaos and human factors of conflict and how DCS doesn’t quite model this. You can create scenarios where the AI will be handicapped by various factors, or will freeze when engaged. These settings just need to be set in mission editor, and defined what they are trying to simulate. The clearest example of this would be videos of large Russian mechanized columns in Ukraine getting ambushed, and failing to properly leave “the X”, as a result of suppression and various other factors.

[@racingtheweb]

Actually your pilot was very good in my modest opinion! 👍

[@stewfly9227]

Enjoyable to watch.

[@gxlbiscuit]

3:22 looks so real it's almost disturbing

[@ryanw1433]

These are great

[@1underground747]

see that's cool mr casmo you do that for the paying members really awesome boss man great video

[@tommo2944]

Nice piloting Jake

[@warthy4889]

I love these videos, I hope we will see a video like this about the FCR and terrain masking. when it comes to ground units in dcs, and i know they are completely redoing it (how good will it be tho 🤔), it's really bad i agree, the damage models are not accurate and do not feel realistic (like fire randomly coming out of a vehicle as soon as a 30mm round hits the far back of it), the fact that they randomly move after they get shot, the infantry sliding on the ground without walking and repositioning in random areas, it really is an immersion breaker for us, helicopter pilots

[@russtuff]

This is super helpful, thanks! When you save target waypoints, is there a fast way to cycle through those or do you have to push all the MFD buttons to get back to each one?

[@CasmoTV]

Push buttons

[@FuzzyKedama]

Maximum NOE. Loving it.

[@Fr4Ged]

Great student by the way. My flying would be way more nauseating.

[@PiSkiS320]

Hey Casmo great stuff! Wondering if you have a video showing which hotas, controls, hardware (however you wanna name it) are best to use with the Apache, thanks!

[@mumblerinc.6660]

On that “mission realism” topic though: what *is* a realistic/typical briefing and mission layout? As a mission maker, that’s what’s the hardest to get right, and arguably it’s what matters most.

[@CasmoTV]

That’s way to much to answer here. You need to google operations order, air mission briefs, etc.

[@mumblerinc.6660]

@@CasmoTV there’s no condensed example or so? Lacking first hand experience, it’s difficult putting that information into context.

[@BunialskiTrip]

Yess!

[@TheoreticalApex]

This was so awesome! How could I find myself with the opportunity to fly in your back seat? I would LOVE to learn tactics like this.

[@CasmoTV]

It’s a special Patreon tier. I used to do lessons when I was between work trips.

[@TheoreticalApex]

@@CasmoTV looks like it’s sold out. I’ll keep checking back to see more slots open up.

[@signore_yeti]

@casmoTV Would you also consider noise as you are moving round? Ie would you opt for behind a hill which would mask the noise better than trees for example?

[@CasmoTV]

Noise to a point. Depends. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@71stMastiff]

I see the flashing hub bug is back.

[@cgjimeneza]

Hello mr C... when you tire of the Mud Hen, how about a back to basic flight on the Apache? so much has changed that a refresher is in order

[@CasmoTV]

Not a whole lot left to say on that subject.

[@JonBloor7]

Big Dad Casmo vibes👌. I hope you were wearing thick tennis socks and a cell phone holster.

[@CasmoTV]

Always

[@suprakillavr4]

The only thing missing is "ye of little faith" when gapping trees. It's law or something to say it

[@patrickthornton5053]

Hey if anybody reading has an answer I really need one; for some reason when I put a ground force on the mission editor it doesn’t load into the mission, do any of y’all have a fix for this?

[@shagrat47]

Check the late activation is not checked. Verify the time in the box in the waypoint section for waypoint 0 is the start time of the mission and that the trailing box after the time does not(!) show 1 or more (it's days until the group is activated, if you need more than 24 hrs... If it's more complicated check the forum 😊

[@foxhole99]

Is there a way you can upload your saved track from training videos so we can follow in VR or just sitting in the Gunnera while you talk through it? (Sync replay at gun fire) doesn’t have to be exact it can be a few seconds. You will be able to explain the switch what does where it’s at give us a few seconds to see where it’s at and then know when and how to use it thanks.

[@CasmoTV]

Not sure how I would do that

[@foxhole99]

@CasmoTV I think all you need to do is save track. Then have upload link for that track. Nothing changes on your end except you upload a track and put link. Your next video you do save track. If I got some time to test. DCS is working on track part of the game. This is the time to test and try.

[@Tanser777]

Hi, which joystick is the best for Apache

[@CasmoTV]

Impossible to answer. Which food is best?

[@Tanser777]

@@CasmoTV Thanks Casmo, what is your favorite food… I am newbie for this game I want to buy useful system to improve my skill 👍

[@TheEarthwinders]

How far away will the sound of an apache alert the enemy in real life? (assuming you're not hiding behind a hill) And how much does foliage masking affect that audible detection distance? Was that a concern in training for missions?

[@CasmoTV]

You can have a couple kilometers stand-off or so. Just depends.

[@shagrat47]

When you train with tanks in areas consisting of broken forrest and gentle hills, there is this idea that you would notice a tank from miles away and know exactly where it's coming from... Let's just say you don't! The best is to notice there must be a tank somewhere. My guess is, that's pretty similar for a low flying helicopter. Forrest sucks up sound, mist dampens high noise, woods edges reflect and break sound in different directions, wind blows it wherever... 😂

[@facethefaceandmore44]

What I don’t understand: surely despite all this creeping around and ‘masking’ they’d still hear you coming about 2 miles off and know your exact position due to this deafening racket you’re putting out? I live in a city where Apaches fly over and it sounds like nothing else. You know it’s an Apache because the entire city starts rattles to the foundations.

[@CasmoTV]

So you hear these aircraft from 2 miles away and know exactly where they are? You should probably enlist as a human air defense radar. Cause that’s pretty much not natural.

[@poochies0316]

When will all the servers add fcr birds ????

[@scionofdorn9101]

Hey Casmo, Gulf War USAF vet here with a question. I used to be pretty proficient with the old Janes Longbow and Longbow 2 sims (always loved helos since I was a boy and my dad, also USAF, took me up in one). I still (mostly, but not entirely) remember a lot of the systems, HUD indicators, and the general physics of flying helos. If you’re familiar with them (as you probably are), what’s the workload like to learn the DCS World Apache compare to the old Janes sims? Furthermore, are there settings to reduce realism to let one baby-step into proficiency (or just to arcade it up if one is feeling lazy)? I’ve a pretty basic Thrustmaster HOTAS these days and no VR, that’s not likely (but not impossible) to change anytime soon. What sort of beast am I up against if I choose to dive in? (Honorable mention to our Warthog drivers, one of which I knew back then. It’s my other favorite attack aircraft.)

[@CasmoTV]

It’s not for the faint of heart but it’s not impossible. It’s certainly more complex than the James longbow of old. And they are someways to “dumb it down”. Hardware is always an issue as pedals would be a very helpful thing to have for all helo sims. Good luck and thanks for your service.

[@WanderfalkeAT]

That Tor was unmanned or just stupid? :)

[@CasmoTV]

I mean detection range and engagement range aren’t the same thing.

[@MrFreakyTv]

Plz make a fcr vid :)

[@jondamiani715]

What map is this?

[@CasmoTV]

CA

[@richardhockey8442]

Ask the Ukrainians which would be a bigger problem at the moment: knocking out artillery pieces, or knocking out artillery ammo. I bet they would opt for the ammo

[@xyz-hj6ul]

Reality check: the trucks would all be rotating between multiple dispersal hides, either within the trees or in revetments dug out by dozer and covered with nets. You would drive them out only to reach a separate, presurveyed, firing site, and then immediately fold back into cover. The ammo truck or transloader would service them, in the hide. The crews for these battery positions would all be much further, back into the trees, and have individual fighting positions near to the trucks but not so near as to be fragged by secondaries and, where possible, these would also be improved with at least one counter battery bunker with tree branches and dirt as protective cover and thermal mask. Where you would eat and do daily mission order stuff. There would be a security force, as OPs, out beyond these core positions, in concentric arcs, based on terrain features, probably with a Kredo-M or ADADS or equivalent GMTI/Skywatch sensor. Which is why you don't NOE hover taxi into the target zone. Day or night, you will be detected. Every second position would have 2 SA-16/18/25 with the ability to rapid salvo. The Russians like to put a MPAD team on both sides of a likely ingress lane so that you cannot just 'flare and turn away' as you are being shot from both sides of your mean ground track. From behind, after you have overflown them. And if there was a SHORADS vehicle attached, it would be passive, listening with RF intercept and on a LINK to someone with a division alerter or even AEW&C. Only coming up when the threat aircraft was in-range. APR-48 is useless if the bad guys are in RLS. BRDM, BMP, BTR, basically anything gun trucky, would be ones which were out on the high points, and tree breaks, looking to shoot down into bowls or through the treeline gaps into approach funnels. While these are nominally the parent transport units of the site security teams, they have a separate camouflaged position and different schedule from the Grad battery (never attracting attention to the protected element) and would likely drive out with a Wolf or similar jeepsky to drop off and pick up team elements within 1-2km of their OPs. Again, to keep the total coverage net wide and the exposure of the actual OP sites minimal. This. This is just pathetic. Keep in mind folks that, 'once upon a time' we had a linear bar array FLIR and mass video memory on the RAH-66 which would scan an entire target scene in seconds, allowing the pilot to drop back into cover as the avionics cogitated and then presented to the CPG an ATC set of pre-prioritized thumbnails for sanity check confirmation. As an ATHS shoot list for handoff to the prepositioned Apaches which could then fire from behind cover as someone with an AN/PEDS or even the Comanche itself popped up again to designate, on a timed salvo. Why Arrowhead doesn't also do this, with technology 20 years younger, is beyond knowing, it worked in the 90s. It should really work today. Finally, AMUST, which, along with weight, is what killed Comanche, is now MUM/T. Everyone should be looking through the drone optics on a Shadow or equivalent division maneuver UAV and not playing this silly game of slap and tickle with a 18,000lb machine that has all of +3G/-1.5G maneuver limits and accelerates like a 180 decible freight train moving up a 7% gradient. Subtle it is not. And as compensation, JAGM increment 2 is once again pushing the limits on what the MTADS can see. 'Drive closer, I wish to kill them with my sword!' didn't work in the Cold War (total surprise or mutual kill) and it certainly will not in an era of ABM 30mm/57mm and 60-100kw SSLs along with killer drones that increasingly will be over-ridge capable and jet powered quick.

[@CasmoTV]

Bro it’s a video game with some limitations as to what can be done in game. Ie trees will stop every form of munitions. But thanks tho.

[@xyz-hj6ul]

@@CasmoTV Thanks for your reply. Design treestands with logging trails. Put small cutouts as side lanes off the main trail, where the timber would normally be dragged out, trimmed down and put on a truck. Design camouflaged positions, from which BM-21 or indeed anything else (Tochka, Iskander, Smerch) can exit and return to park as a preprogrammed AI behavior. Like you driving out of your garage. Put a camouflaged truck down as many sidelanes as you like. Make this artifact fully destructible. Designate a secondary position where they can all come together to salvo launch and defeat any air defenses before fading back to their hides. They have to do this, to clear the trees. Rinse and repeat: GBAD and Infantry OPs. Even if it looks exactly like 'just another tree' (with a two man fighting position, firing step, net and radio antenna with occasional men moving around) it is discrete firing point site that you just slide in next to the genuine trees. And can disturbed-dirt see with the thermals. Give the player a mission frag which says, 'the battery normally fires four times a day, about once every x hours, get there, get the maximum kills or go sieving the desert for diamonds'. So that players are inspired to move quickly and purposefully, catching the MRL in the open before they execute a preplanned or CFF attack on the friendlies. This should not be impossible to do. In desert conditions, make a deliberate garage (Saddam '91, SCUDs). Or a natural cave (Houthis '23) or do the hull down revetment trick, 'under a bridge'. As long as the revetment is matched to the terrain type/color, it should be a matter of just putting an object down on a grid point, like a belly button 'here be negative terrain'. And again, use launch schedules and take off from FARPs as a way to make it a challenge to find the bad guys without having to point the TADS down the tunnel at Mk.1 Ball range. The point is to reduce the distance at which you have an elevated, MAZ shaped, truck contrast. Except when they have to come up to execute their missions. If a player can drive an F-16 out of a HAS, the AI can drive a TEL out of a barn/treeline/revetment.

[@discofishing]

I wonder how many Chinese Z-10 pilots have watched this...

[@CasmoTV]

Probably not enough to make a difference but I take your passive criticism none the less.

[@shagrat47]

The same that read the briefing about western helicopter employment tactics and doctrine, provided by the PRC Intel guys, I guess. Similar to what the US Intel guys sure handout to US pilots about chinese doctrine and tactics... 😂

[@abdullahalobaidy2462]

The respond of AA is not realistic, and he is so close only fools that not be hearing his engine.

[@CasmoTV]

Well I guess that’s just like your opinion man.

[@abdullahalobaidy2462]

@@CasmoTV I have a close relative wich had fly for 23 years, so im know what im talking about mate, I mean have you try even to play war thunder at least to see the human response lol.

[@CasmoTV]

…I’m not really sure you know a lot about me so I’m just gonna let you keep talking for a bit…

[@abdullahalobaidy2462]

@@CasmoTV Yea yea Sam undertaker.

[@a_romon_noodle_8128]

The ground graphics still look horrible. DCS milked it out and now many are done with it. DCS is dying

[@CasmoTV]

Well if you only find enjoyment from such things from a visual standpoint then I guess that’s your business. Hopefully you find another full fidelity combat flight simulator that achieves your high standards.

[@a_romon_noodle_8128]

@@CasmoTV there will be, maybe not at the moment but DCS will disappear in the shadows as Xplane is currently doing.

[@shagrat47]

Hear the words of a_romon_noodle the wise, master of crystal balls, scholar of the mighty school of prediction. 😉

[@fuckjewtube69]

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