DCS Ka-50 - Target Points

This is the first video in a new series covering all the ways the Black Shark can store targets and share them with other Black Sharks on your Data Link, as well as other airframes.
This episode cover the fundamentals for Target Points, which is further expanded by the 2nd video on Data Link Targets.
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and yes, I do run on coffee.
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00:00 Series Intro
00:52 The main systems involved
01:32 Capturing Target Points
02:49 Capturing Target Points: Type in Coordinates
03:45 Capturing Target Points: Fly-Over
04:34 Capturing Target Points: Shkval
05:22 Selecting Target Points
06:15 Uncaging to slew to a Target Point automatically
07:07 Sharing Target Points via Data Link
08:06 Receiving a Target Point via the Data Link as a Data Link Target
08:32 Summary & Recommendations
Preloaded Target Points are very useful for night missions as you get a estimated distance to your target, so you get an earlier warning of when to prepare for your run-in or hover, and it allows you to slew automatically to the point you're expecting to find targets, so you don't need to slew around using purely the hat.

[@Mossyyyyyyy]

Comment for the algorithm, keep the content coming, my new fav DCS rotor head channel. Also awesome intro.

[@janhruska4471]

Superb video, explaining many useful things I have already forgotten. Thanks very much!

[@rpersen]

Great video, thanks. I’m pretty good with the KA-50, but you take it to another level.

[@KittehBit]

Thanks for those videos, nice to get some KA-50 ABRIS info. :3 (Also, nobody here is discussing his flight path at 0:45? OK :P)

[@volkvoort]

What's there to discuss? Standard circular patrol with a quick intercept out to sea before resuming the route ;-)

[@fedesev]

Great Video!! keep up the good work,

[@volkvoort]

Thanks, will do!

[@FGCH03]

Hey @Volk after using the input method of making target points the abrís shows the correct position of the target point but when trying to use the shkval to look to that target point is looking way off. Is this the normal behavior?

[@volkvoort]

That might be INU drift. As in the alignment wasn't fully done, and/or it's drifted over time without a correction. ABRIS, if it's working knows your position and knows the angle/distance the Shkval is pointing. But the uncaging to a target point uses the INU, so it might have uncaged where the drifted INU thinks you are, so there may be that disconnect. I typed that weirdly, but hope you get the idea.

[@jozsefveverka7398]

Great video man. Really appreciate it (along with the rest of your Ka-50 videos). Half of these features are not really explained in any of the guides i found online so far. Is there a way to download the summary of your videos in printable format like txt or pdf?

[@volkvoort]

Thanks. As for pdf/printable, no. Well at least not yet. While I have scripts for most of the guides, completed after I have the test results, I usually remember some more info in the voice-over, the subtitles when editing and the text summaries some of them have, so I'd have to re-collate/re-watch to do that.

[@jozsefveverka7398]

@@volkvoort Thanks for your reply. What i was thinkig is just the last section, the summary part of your videos. I did my homework, and converted it manually to a word document with a little help of OCR (cannot really handle the green text on the black background). i just thought you might have that part as a txt saved somewhere.

[@volkvoort]

@@jozsefveverka7398 Yes, but mostly no. IIRC the first episode or two may have been word docs converted to pics, and number tables would have been stored in excel, but those HUD effect ones are all done via blender as text objects (awkward text manipulation). Fastest way would just be screen-grabbing them from the video...but now you have me wondering if copy-pasting them into a word doc/pdf is the best way (outside of going into all the individual summary pages and their objects - by that I mean if pasted together would they make the best sense for a summary? They're show-notes for an individual topic, for the stuff from that guide that needs the most repeating/rephrasing with different words or quick recap, rather than explanation behind it. Are you leaning towards a general summary with then maybe links to individual vids/topics, something like a Chucks, or stuff from a specific vid/topic?

[@jozsefveverka7398]

@@volkvoort the videos themselfes are pretty self-explanatory, however the amount of information can be a bit owerwhelming, also you talk a bit fast, which made me keep revinding the videos. IMO the best would be is just a quick recap with a brief step by step "guide" to activate certain functions. Really just press this, than press that, .... etc... As i said i did it with 1 video, will do it with the datalink ones as well, than i am planning to convert them to a kneeboard page, so they are easily accessible while flying (i am flying in VR, my rig doesnt even face the monitor, so cannot really watch videos while flying, even reading documents is a bit complicated).

[@ydh966]

hi.. really great video. but i have question. how to shakval TV follow waypoint or tarpoint?

[@volkvoort]

Thanks. Not sure I fully understand your question, but as far as I know you can't automatically have the Shkval uncage to or track a waypoint. The Shkval/TV can only uncage to Data Link targets your set to DL Ingress (next video in this series), or Target Points (as in this video - ie. select NAV TGT, Target Point Number, press uncage). Hope that helps.

[@ydh966]

@@volkvoort oh. ok thanks!

[@HobelDcs]

Is there any way to make a WPT a target point?

[@volkvoort]

No automatic way I'm aware of. So you'd have to set a target point looking at it/flying over it or more typically recapturing the coordinates.

[@matka5130]

[@jameslong4252]

at 407 you say press nkswall. What is it you press to enter the cords? Thanks

[@volkvoort]

You press "Uncage Shkval" - which should be bound to your HOTAS. I believe the default key is O. So after you've selected the Target point with the toggle in fly-over, just press Nav TGT button, then any number, then tap uncage. The coordinates should appear which you can then . Doing it with the I-251V you first lock up a target, then select a target point, then tapping uncage Shkval puts in the coordatines.

[@jameslong4252]

Thank you for your videos. They are much help.

[@WW2Fr3k]

How did you get the abris in english?

[@volkvoort]

Main menu > Options and then under gameplay tab (might be Misc tab) change the Avionics language to English

[@WW2Fr3k]

@@volkvoort thank you!

[@teetar1751]

I get the strong feeling the abris and pvi can and are much more integrated, to the point were the the pvi is a punch panel for the abris, Also backup INR, incase abris fail... If you can get an DL, FROM allied Shivavl Tgt, and Then you can hit one button and your Cam will Sklew direct to the target, No matter your position/movement In relation to your Ally, says Datalink Stores more info then the lowly PVI can... Its much more like the a 10c, with its amazing moving map, and draw able, Points.. etc... idk why Our Systems can't cTalk" Yet if its an enemy tank , oir Systems can integrate, Causd the DL TARGETS, are on abris, Not pvi, and You can instantly find them.. Theirnupdated constantly, so why can't I say.. SLEW NY CAM, THEN, Datalink a tree then turn that tree into a waypoint? I mean what is really the difference between a Target point and a waypoint, except as black socks Target points can move around with the target so they're more advanced. I wish DCS would work this out already and just give us the modern oddsshark instead of the 1985 version seems they tried to stick us with but with 90 style upgrades San GPS. Just give us a 90s shark even though they really didn't exist fuck it. Pretty sure the Russians dropped the ka50 in the eighties and moved on with the 52 and tandem

[@volkvoort]

Well the PVI-800 is backup for your weapons computer apparently if that fails. But yeah seems like the stuff was still getting integrated when they moved to Ka-52 only. Shark itself was I think only produced '95, possibly slightly delayed from the fall of the Soviet union and resulting budget cuts. Ka-52 first made in '97 I think, but then somewhere after the success of the Ka-50 they decided against the firing-squad-with-scout-commander mixed groups and ordered only the Ka-52s. I think the 2x "Night Attack" Black Shark conversions were also '97, with one of them a full glass cockpit. So probably just budget constraints and the amount on order being cut. If I understand the Apache A (early-to-mid-ninetees) also either barely had, or was upgraded later with a moving map - so it was a bit more cutting edge for helos of that time. Not sure one can compare it to the A10 though - IIRC the "old" module sharing wasn't that amazing and also not perfectly accurate, while the new module's helmet mounted system is a ~10-15 years newer in terms of IRL development. But as for DCS it might be that tech is too close to the Ka-52 currently in operation and thus classified/touch and get locked up. For what it's worth, the Data Link Target vid you can send a target you see with 2 buttons (1 is who to send to if not all, and the 2nd button confirming to send). The guy receiving can also with 2 buttons have their Shkval pointed at that target (if it's within limits). And you don't even have to lock it up - you can literally look there roughly. So that bit's not bad. But yeah, the version we have has 2 mostly severed systems, with each method of creating targets having it's own advantages, though you can combine them to do some stuff like no other airframe in DCS can.

[@Gert-DK]

For me, you are talking way too fast. Use the periods pls.

[@volkvoort]

My natural talking speed is a bit faster, even on more complex topics. I might try and add more pauses - thanks for the feedback.

[@Gert-DK]

@@volkvoort U'r welcome. English is my second language, think thats why. It's a shame you do make some very good tutorials.

[@volkvoort]

@@Gert-DK yeah, trying to find that balance between not wasting the viewer's time and spacing it out for absorption.

[@SFDPSFDP]

​@@volkvoort For tutorials about technical topics and medium to long video lengths, I noticed that it is always good to lower the rythm at which you throw new information to the viewer, it really makes people more likely to follow you throughout the entire video, especially if they are not native speakers. Personally what i did is use the playback speed 0.75 and it was perfect so no need to change anything in my case and thanks for the vid :)

[@volkvoort]

@@SFDPSFDP Thanks for the feedback. Weirdly enough I often speed up vids I'm watching to x1.5, but yeah, that is in my (or one of my) native languages.

[@jimmydesouza4375]

What country are you from? Your accent almost sounds English, but your patter is wrong.

[@volkvoort]

South African