DCS AH-64 Tutorial | Lock On After Launch your Hellfire Missiles

[@therocinante3443]

Playing the Apache in VR is the greatest gaming experience I've ever had. Thanks for making it possible Casmo

[@CakePrincessCelestia]

AH64D in VR: ThE iMmErSiOn Is ImMeAsUrAbLe!

[@Knightfall23]

Thank DCS they made the game

[@augiehicks4588]

@@Knightfall23 DCS didn't make the game, DCS is the game lol. Eagle Dynamics made the game.

[@doubleugly1594]

Agreed, VR is the only way to play this module... i tried in 2d when i setup my controls and it feels like a totally different experience

[@hernzo9798]

Really feels like you’re wearing the combat helmet 😃

[@forest4283]

I come for the artistic ability, I stay for the brilliant expertise. Thanks as always Casmo. You lived the dream bud, thanks for helping us get even a fraction of the experience the AH-64 has go offer.

[@eatleadcobra]

Man this is going to be awesome with the Kiowa when it comes.

[@104thMaverick]

Awesome sauce boss! A much safer way to engage in a high threat environment! I’m going to get a lot more LOAL in my life now

[@CasmoTV]

It’s much safer that way

[@toxicity4818]

@@CasmoTV Wish I had buddies to run with. No wingmen or FOs :( I gotta get forward and see it myself with FCR if I want any kills.

[@josefwitt9772]

Another great tutorial explaining what to do, why to do it, with a demo of how to do it right. Really appreciate the format.

[@swiftplus175]

Hi Casmo, thank you for all the things you do for the DCS Apache community. Now that Apache is one more module that is offering the multicrew capability, I think it would be very nice to have a video about the crew coordination and communication standards, from the startup until the engagements or maybe even any emergencies. Would be nice to know the real life things and procedures that only one of the crewmen do, and not the other, ot how the crew communication goes in different scenarios (startup, takeoff, navigation, combat etc.). For instance the other day I just flew with a new CPG, who during the startup tested the FIRE warning in a front seat without pre-announcing it, and I just crap my pants in the backseat about what did I just screw up to have a fire onboard?? So who does or does not what, and what should be announced and how. Just if you have some time or if you think this should be useful to adress in a video.

[@crazygmanssimstuff]

I find with high trajectory shots the missile won't pick up the laser energy if the target is inside about 5.5 kilometers. Which makes sense if the missile is fired high and the target is close the gimbal limits on the missiles sensor prevent it from seeing the laser energy so it doesn't track.

[@CasmoTV]

Yeah there are some ranges associated with the missiles trajectories which we can explore in future videos but my intent here is to get the basics out so guys can play around with it AND know that it’s working with ground based lasers. But you are spot on.

[@cleanmarine91]

I tried with a buddy a couple days ago and we weren't able to get it to work between 4 and 7.5km, the missile never picked up the laser. Someone told me to try setting the target point short of the actual target, but that seems more like a bug than a good solution.

[@crazygmanssimstuff]

@@cleanmarine91 you need to make sure when you fire the missile that the aircrafts nose is lined up nicely with the target. The further off angle left or right of the target the missile is whe fired will cause it to more likey move outside the gimbal limits before it sees the laser. Excessive height of your aircraft will also exacerbate it. Most of my successful LOWAL high trajectory shorts are done when my aircraft is well below 500 ft and pointed right at the target.

[@crazygmanssimstuff]

@@cleanmarine91 the setting short is only to compensate for the errors in the laser tracking. Even with PGM there is usually a error of a few feet, as the missile has to do a lot of stuff to track to the target espessially if it's coming from a parabolic trajectory. Which is why it's better to aim mid body or at the tracks rather then the top turret of a target. If you aim at the turret with the laser the missile might overshoot, and just miss the target. That is what people are referring to by aiming short to correct for this.

[@ctguy1955]

Thank You so much for the help videos, at almost 68, trying to learn so many systems of all the DCS jets, planes and Heli's is a bit overload. One step at a time.... Clear Skies/Mike

[@CasmoTV]

Glad to help!

[@specter929]

you have missed your calling Casmo, art school :) - nice video man

[@ianboys1000]

This was super useful, thank you. Have since tried it out with an in game default JTAC and it works fine, nice way of killing the most dangerous SAM systems from perfect safety.

[@ianboys1000]

BTW this now works fine when you're the pilot and you don't need George or to go into the front seat yourself. Great for online.

[@phil73805]

I've used LOAL when there's a target just behind the brow of a hill. A regular LOBL dir shot hits the hillside but I've found that when I switch to LOAL HI, George lases the target after launch and I can get a good kill from above the target avoiding the blocking terrain. I think I saw the trick on one of Wags's videos. It works :)

[@slyderace]

Yeah I've played around this way as well, to get above tree cover, and it works well :)

[@antimatr8109]

Another informative tutorial that'll come in handy when I scrape up enough quarters under the couch for the module. Also, for some reason I really want a Cheyenne in DCS now...

[@BluejayGamingVR]

Do more full mission videos! Pls and thank you, love the content

[@Tuuvas]

Can't wait for the Kiowa to release so I can buddy lase for people from behind trees/buildings/hills

[@CakePrincessCelestia]

I'm waiting for that for two reasons... one being the thing itself, the other being the Gazelle finally getting a proper FM afterwards :D

[@skyrider6227]

How does the 8 second ballpark figure for 'on target lasing time', tally up with the 'LASE 1(2...3...etc) TARGET' message? That message comes on a lot earlier than 8s TOF when at longer ranges, and if you wait that long the missile sail over without picking up the spot. (The LASE 1 TARGET message if not a 'you must lase now or miss message, or is it?). Thanks.

[@Chesty_McVelvet]

Thanks for making a complex aircraft accessible to the average dcs player,you are doing sterling work 👏

[@honeyspringshomestead1411]

Very interesting, cannot wait to try this out myself once I get my new hotas mapped. Supposed to get it today, but paid extra for shipping to get it here yesterday... yeah fun times.

[@honeyspringshomestead1411]

@Robert S nice call, I'm assuming the wired version. Would be nice to have a sim pit replica of the apache, 2 man for accuracy. In reality I would go 1 man though.

[@kenhelmers2603]

Thanks Casmo!

[@sofloemir]

So you have to be in constant contact with the ground unit so you can (or he tells you) when laser is on? I assume the ground unit would be lasing the whole time. He's not gonna know tof is 8 secs

[@CasmoTV]

You can tell him. All depends on how you work it out.

[@Thijsjeboeitnietveel]

Coud you do an explainer on the Linear Motion Compensator? I saw you using it during a stream and it was very stable. When I use it, it slides all over the place when I move the crosshair on TADS.

[@CasmoTV]

It’s a delicate dance of on and off. I’ll try and tackle it.

[@alexanderryan-jones600]

@CasmoTV So to clarify- we don't strictly need a designation to do this. We could point on heading, select LO or HI trajectory and fire away?

[@CasmoTV]

Correct

[@slyderace]

This is basically the same principle as the A-10 dropping laser-guided bombs on a target that is being lased by Infantry on the ground or lased by another aircraft :) I've done this before - it's fun/cool :)

[@skyrider6227]

Casmo, would you say there's no reason to be using LO/HI traj if you have direct LOS to the target? There's no advantage here right? LOBL and DIR would be for those shots, with LO/HI traj ONLY when behind a mask? Does that tally up with RL considerations?

[@CasmoTV]

Essentially. Unless you wanted to delay lasing.

[@Zatracenec]

Awesome. Thank You.

[@flightsimulatoradventures7246]

This is why I enjoy combined arms. I’ve spent many sessions just lazing from a ground unit bino view. Best of all the man pad units are the smallest player drivable unit. I do have a question for your user that lazed in the video was how they hid the bino view menus?

[@dg6546]

4:54 This looks familiar. Sure, I am talking about hellfire...

[@MeariToSutefu]

How does your friend acting as JTAC convert the lat/lon coordinates that he sees in the binocular to UTM coordinates?

[@CasmoTV]

You can change what you see in the binos as I recall.

[@ktos_PL726]

Can my friend in f 18 lase the target with his atflir? Will it still work?

[@TechGaming45]

Thanks.

[@CasmoTV]

Welcome.

[@RotartMedia]

This sounds fun

[@gabriel-bl4ckh4wk-6]

Do we really need to use the target as ACQ to LOAL work? Or can we just point the nose of the AC to the target and fire?

[@CasmoTV]

Your constraints box is tied to the ACQ

[@CakePrincessCelestia]

The Acquisition Source is taken as target to lob the missile at so it can pick up a laser there, so you're basically aiming it with that into the general direction.

[@gabriel-bl4ckh4wk-6]

@@CasmoTV Got it, ty Casmo. So, somehow the missile gets the "ACQ" before launch, like it gets the target you're lasing on "LOBL" mode and calculates a high path to fly right? What's the minimum safe distance to do it, 7km? There's no way to shoot it on a low path? Like to kill something inside a bunker for example, where the missile can't hit from above, like the Scuds in the Scud Busters singleplayer mission, where you need a direct hit. Also, yesterday, i've posted a commentary on your last video, would be real cool if you tried what i'm doing, i want to know your opinion, plz check it out. I'm a big fan from Brazil.

[@henrikoldcorn]

Has anyone messed around with deliberately not lasing, and seeing where the missiles goes? That is, can we use Hellfires as INS-guided missiles?

[@CasmoTV]

It will keep flying

[@henrikoldcorn]

@@CasmoTV 😭 oh well. Makes for a missile that's more resilient in actual use I suppose, but ruins my evil plan. Thanks!

[@mgplaying8435]

Hey Casmo! Is there a way to stop the IHADSS NWS mode from changing brightness/contrast when looking up/down?

[@wilbuzllf5057]

Sweet video and explanation!

[@Happy-tp4jd]

couldnt even tell I was drunk! nice!

[@teggy689]

If that observer doesn't activate the laser will the missile just keep going or will it turn towards the target grid and attempt to pick up the laser?

[@CasmoTV]

It goes where it goes at that point

[@jamesrothwell8693]

I can't get LOAL to work with George, is there some step I'm missing?

[@CasmoTV]

Can’t say. I don’t use him… me… whatever.

[@jamesrothwell8693]

@@CasmoTV sad times for me.

[@MegaMoxica]

How do you get into "I am in LOAL mode"? How do you activate LOAL mode?

[@CasmoTV]

It’s already in LOAL. default

[@MegaMoxica]

@@CasmoTV I just found out the hard way. Wow! This is so cool. I make sounds like Ooooh! and Aaaah! Loud! :)

[@faidon90125]

Can you illuminate the target with a targeting pod on an F-16 or F-18? Would that work?...

[@CasmoTV]

Yep

[@briantoplessbar4685]

What is the tactical reason to use high over low? More Time of flight?

[@CasmoTV]

Distance and terrain between you and the target mostly

[@suninmoon4601]

This is looking super immersive 🤩 Quick question: Do modern tanks have laser detectors and counter measures?

[@The_Real_Pimpaho]

Depends on the tank but yes, most modern do. Ex: T-90 , M1a2 Abrahams, etc

[@suninmoon4601]

@@The_Real_Pimpaho Are these simulated in DCS?

[@The_Real_Pimpaho]

@@suninmoon4601 I could be wrong but as far as I have seen No it is not.

[@The_Real_Pimpaho]

@@suninmoon4601 I do know if you want to see how that is simulated and have War Thunder, You can see it in there against the above mentioned tanks in the test drive thing. Been a while since in there so I can't remember what it is called. I have been flying in DCS since 2012 and used about every module and the Laser has never been effected by said Tanks.

[@suninmoon4601]

@@The_Real_Pimpaho Thx 👍

[@paetz1052]

Hey Casmo Do you think you could enlighten us all and do a tutorial of how you would run through a mission on your LLH Apache hunter server at night…Pleeeeeease

[@aaronwhite1786]

Casmo, is there a certain angle requirement that you need when you're using another source to designate? I assume that since you're relying on the reflected energy of the laser to guide the weapon, you would need to be roughly within the same angle as one another. I've always wondered, since generally in games you could be on the North side of a target and lazing against the side of the tank you can see, and say someone on the complete opposite side of you could then guide a weapon in on that laser beam, and I was always curious if that would be realistic in the sense that it could see enough of the beam leading to the target and follow that enough, or if it would need to be fired from a relatively similar angle to pick up a clear reflection. That's always been one of my DCS shower thoughts that I figured I would ask someone who is likely to know.

[@CasmoTV]

Yes. I address it in the video that I don’t think it’s modeled in game.

[@CakePrincessCelestia]

I'm rather confident it's not modelled. I've been attacking stuff from the west with the lasing guy being located east of the targets in the past. That was before the 64 release, but they'd definately have communicated a change in that regard as it would make a huge difference.

[@CasmoTV]

@@CakePrincessCelestia yeah that was my findings a couple years ago and I agree it’s not changed.

[@aaronwhite1786]

@@CasmoTV Thanks! Goes to show what happens when I comment before getting to the end of the video!

[@Jimmybrianmike]

@@CasmoTV How about if the guy lasing was for example south of the target and i was east or west? Is it the same thing or ..

[@aslaughter4215]

Just wondering When you play DCS do you every get as serious or tense as you were when you were actually on the job in real life,

[@kiwioz01]

Can you do a pilots /George perspective?

[@TrickerDCS]

You misspelled F16 Viper

[@Arkaine_]

Are you able to do this via self lase; just to squeeze a little more range outta your hellfires ? Can this be currently done with George as CPG ?

[@joshuagarcia874]

1). Yes 2). I don't think so yet

[@mikeck4609]

Casmo, maybe not the best forum for the question but I’m not on discord. Wondered how you felt about the viability of Helos providing close support in light of the number of apaches damaged in Iraq/Afghanistan as well as the Russian losses. Have manpads made anything flying low and slow over the battlefield an easy target? Would apaches more likely be used in a stand-off capacity with Hellfires; over friendly lines firing into an enemy miles away? As opposed to deep strike or interdiction.

[@CasmoTV]

It’s in the way that you use it 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@mikeck4609]

Ok…just seem that low and slow is the only way TO use them and modern anti-air systems make that untenable.

[@CasmoTV]

Everything is dependent on the threat system and density of those systems. So there isn’t really an answer to the question. It’s hard work.

[@mikeck4609]

@@CasmoTV 10-4

[@styleofender8945]

I saw the 56, cannot hide from me😂

[@hernzo9798]

This chopper needs a heading hold gyro 🥙 I have no tail authority

[@CasmoTV]

Early access. It does.

[@utley]

When I LOAL with George, 90% of the time he misses.

[@tmting4942]

【๏ₒ̯͡๏】Wahwooo ! ! ! my dream come true🪄.. Skimming the treetops and concealed shooting behind them right in the 𝓶𝓲𝓵𝓼 ₥ 🏹🎯

[@CakePrincessCelestia]

8:40 Wow, that is some serious 160p footage there, almost as bad as the stuff the Russian govt releases... :D

[@Titanium_fighter]

Hi CasmoTV, I don't know when use TRAJ LO and HI. Could you explain it for me? Thnanks.