DCS: Supercarrier and Hornet | Automatic Carrier Landing System

DCS: Supercarrier required.
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Download DCS: F/A-18C Hornet from:
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Earlier Case III video:
• DCS: F/A-18C Hornet - ...
In this DCS: F/A-18C instruction video, we’ll review operation of the Automatic Carrier Landing System (ACLS) and associated Link-4 datalink system that allows two-way communication between the carrier and aircraft.
ACLS provides guidance to the Marshal Stack, the carrier, and three different levels of landing assist. Mode 1 provides hands-off recovery, Mode 1A allows manual landing with ACLS HUD and Link-4 indications, and Mode 2 allows manual control with just “tadpole” guidance.
ACLS is only available for Case III recovery operations.

[@MattWagner]

Dear all, we apologize for any confusion the upcoming inclusion of ACLS to the Hornet may have caused. A primary reason for the development of DCS: Supercarrier was to provide the most realistic carrier operations ever done for a PC flight simulation. Key aspects of this include the new Link 4 datalink and Beacon systems specifically created for the Hornet (just recently completed) and the new ATC radio communication system. While the ATC radio communications system will remain a unique feature of DCS: Supercarrier, we are investigating moving Link 4 datalink and Beacon (BCN) from SC to the free carrier. This would use the existing communications for the free carrier of simply messaging inbound. When we have more information on this, we look forward to updating you.

[@KevinS47]

I have the SC and I absolutely love it, but I have to say that I wouldn't have expected this either (for the people who don't own it). Thank you, I am glad that you guys will give it a thought, and hopefully introduce Link4 to the free carrier (as long as it is viable to do so regarding the coding that goes behind all that).

[@urgentsiesta7606]

Because DCS World is a FREE simulator, DCS Stennis is fine as-is. When I look at the alternatives to carrier aviation in other sims, DCS Stennis is actually better than the payware options in most of the things that matter for standard CV ops (and Stennis DOES support ICLS for low vis recovery). So having ACLS limited to the premium SuperCarrier is reasonable, IMHO.

[@HippoDrippo]

is there any way to be able to purchase models without steam or paypal/cc? and if not will there be a way in the future

[@btratemylegs.6342]

@@urgentsiesta7606 I paid 80 dollars for the plane, I don’t think I need to pay another 50 for all of the features with carier ops, I think super carier should cost money, I just want all of the hornet systems to be available

[@jroclay5737]

@@btratemylegs.6342 Exactly this. I'm tired of the subservient behaviour that many people are expressing in the comments, if you want to throw money at ED then that is your prerogative not mine. They don't seem to care that people bought something that was advertised and then stuck behind a paywall. ED moving this feature to a free carrier is the correct course of action to resolve this.

[@MikeyRox44]

Wags! Former F-18 avionics technician here. One of the stories the more senior guys in my squadron told me is that when developing the ACLS, it was so accurate at hitting the same spot on the flight deck that the tailhook was tearing up the non-skid/flight deck. They had to program the datalink to be accurate, but not too accurate and put an acceptable margin of error into the system. That way it's still catching a wire but just not at the same spot everytime.

[@SDsc0rch]

they're having the same problem with the F-35C I think I heard that on jellos podcast (the Fighter Pilot Podcast)

[@kennethhicks2113]

Hey bud! Me too : ) O7 I was in cal lab AIMD Cecil Field when the A7's were getting replaced by F/A 18's. Man we were updating the weapons test sets on a constant basis... it was GREAT! 82-90 O7

[@medwaystudios]

Couldn't they just reinforce that section of the deck?

[@KevinS47]

That is funny, and impressive too!

[@kennethhicks2113]

@@medwaystudios I lived it, yea they could but easy to vary landing spot.... with that said and experience on the higher radar frequencies used.... the story is a bit of an exaggeration ( it was high propaganda time and you know the pride we had at the time).

[@badnewsreport3835]

Who has two thumbs and now ACLS and won't miss another wire. This guy!

[@311Gryphon]

I bet I can find a way to bolter or crash. LOL.

[@MattWagner]

Apologies, I misspoke regarding Mode 2. Rather disable the D/L you are simply never coupling. So: Mode 1: Coupled to recovery. Hands off until on the deck. Mode 1A: Coupled and then decoupled (Paddled). Generally, at the “ball” call. Mode 2: Never coupled. Manually flying with ACLS guidance. I also forgot the TILT message. You will receive this if you lose datalink for more than two seconds.

[@MattWagner]

@@kleist5083 Not sure what "new approach voices" you are referring to.

[@MattWagner]

@@kleist5083 The ATC will always instruct Mode 2, but you can go Mode 1 or Mode 1A if you wish.

[@olavnordstoga4774]

There is no scenario where only the ATC is coupled to Link 4, without the P/R autopilot, right? Thought I'd heard something to that effect in the Fighter Pilot Podcast, but I probably misunderstood.

[@olavnordstoga4774]

@Hornet Vids Roger

[@ahmetmuratyagc5587]

What will be happened if there is another plane or something on the landing deck on the carrier? Does it automatically cancelled landing procedure, or warn us on Link4 after LSO warning? Thanks

[@Kingjoffyjofa]

It never ceases to amaze me with aircraft that somebody (or a team in this case) actually designed and made this system. Same with the Tomcat's one although a little more primitive.

[@thomasmaier7053]

It never ceases to amaze me how promised features get paywalled behind the supercarrier

[@funkyschnitzel]

@@thomasmaier7053 dude, if you're flying a naval aircraft without the supercarrier, you're missing a really good experience. Put some money aside for an early Christmas present and do yourself a favour!

[@Desert_Spec]

@@thomasmaier7053 That's life when it comes to low volume, high fidelity simulators. Think about it this way, at least your money is going to someone who is passionate about their product and community.

[@thejokerguy244]

@@thomasmaier7053 dcs is not a poor man's sim sadly, but supercarrier is more than worth it. Also many features are also coming to the free carrier

[@poiujnbvcxdswq]

Whats really amazing is its a modification of the system used in the AVRO Vulcan in the 50`s.

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

This should keep some people happy, and we're looking forward to the ham sandwich making tutorial as part of the next open beta update.

[@TheDevildogGamer]

Awesome! Can't wait to try this with the new Carrier lighting!

[@trevorbodnar5495]

I'll be standing by for the livestream.

[@MattWagner]

Ping me on discord if you need any help.

[@Torichian]

The man, the myth, the legend , devilll wassup man

[@colemcintyre2169]

New SuperCarrier stuff. I love it. Very excited to see every little thing coming new to this module.

[@Deltarious]

Thanks for the video Wags! I'm one of the people who asked about link 4 way back when link 16 functionality was added and it's nice to see the team has finally implemented it. This will help greatly in my quest to be the most lazy hornet pilot possible

[@richjones859]

This will be fun, and now watching this after the patch I immediately noticed those new sun rises/sets, Hats off to the Team responsible looks great even in VR.

[@r.anderson6073]

Once I had an FAA inspector say to me "if your manual says you have ham sandwiches on Tuesday, and I show up on Tuesday and you're eating turkey sandwiches, we're going to have a problem!" Haha! Great work, ED! This sim is unbelievable.

[@ernestwinslow7316]

Super cool feature. Just love the Hornet and the Super Carrier. Brilliant work ED and I am looking forward to this and the Supercarrier new night carrier experience with the night wands, the new improved crew movements, and lighting. What a time to be doing combat flight sim. Thank you, ED

[@flightsimstuff5417]

Nice. Thanks to the team! Outside of combat I've had my best flight sim experiences - ever - in DCS VR. Thanks again.

[@chrismaverick9828]

I flew a Case III with the new patch, taking off (FINALLY THE WANDS!!!) and flown in pitch blackness, no NVG's. Started down on-time from the stack and pulled in an "Okay 3-Wire". Quite possibly my best nighttime manual landing ever. The tadpole certainly helps.

[@ematt6222]

I like how, even with the carrier driving all the way in, the LSO still won't give a good landing rating

[@Jasonmoofang]

Makes me feel better about my own cut passes :P

[@MattWagner]

Using ACLS hardly means you should expect an OK pass every time.

[@MisterMannIndy]

@@Jasonmoofang The old Cut Pass 3PTSIW EGIW grade. For some reason the AoA decreases dramatically when landing on the carrier. You can see it occur from 20' down to touchdown in Matt's video. This bug has been there for years, unfortunately.😞

[@pablerungo23]

@@MisterMannIndy I always thought it was due to ground effect, not a bug. idk

[@almightyIrie]

@@MisterMannIndy yup.. it was worse a while back, but it's still present.. not sure about ground effect when you drive the airplane down with -700fpm (actually increases to -800fpm shortly before touchdown here).. also there's the requirement for 8.1 AoA to make the hook catch properly.. constantly having your AoA decreased from set 8.1 during approach means constantly catching the wire with less than 8.1 AoA (VV leaving the E-bracket less) because of this.. something doesn't compute i think.

[@clericneokun]

Really looking forward to all the Carrier night ops updates. Great job as always.

[@jackjetpilot]

Wags could absolutely be a voice actor. One of the best voices I've ever heard.

[@scottmaytham3429]

For automatic pilot that's a lot of sequencing and command programs to remember and enter.Let a lone flying that jet fighter. Much Admiration Sir!

[@indianajon7980]

I love the ACLS in the Tomcat for the symbology if nothing else. Don't generally use the hands off but it does give me a little extra info on the line up.

[@PappyGunn]

Don't be ashamed, we've all done it.

[@mpsymonds1]

Great video ED and Wags. Been waiting for this and will enjoy. Especially with fog turned on ! Just a little advice for people who like me take a little time to digest this instruction to get this to work, that this instruction didn’t show or mention. You need to set up the Carrier up as normal, ie TACAN, ILS along with the Link 4 etc that Wags showed in Mission Editor. Also when executing, you need to be pretty close on the glide scope ie The needles at around 5.5 miles to be able to couple up. You don’t need to be spot on just there abouts. You do need to go through the various comms layers ie Commencing, check in etc to get the Data on the Link 4 page but you can fly straight to the last Data link ie 140 & 1200ft @ 6 miles out if you just are practicing and want to see it work.

[@roy8200]

When I call inbound I only have "Abort Inbound", "see you at 10", "Request Azimuth" as an option.

[@mpsymonds1]

@@roy8200 I have no clue on why you only have those options from the carrier. Try Google your issue or the Ed forums. I normally get the problem sorted there. Sorry I couldn’t help.

[@thermalnoise2976]

@@roy8200 I believe you only get that option during a Case 1, meaning weather is fine, visibilty is good. Try setting to night/morning, or bad weather. That should give u Case 2 or Case 3 comms.

[@carmo55511]

This was cited as coming soon in one of your F 18 carrier landing videos from 2018

[@TLTeo]

AIM-7P on the stores page! Good news for those of us who like Fox-1 scenarios.

[@notproplayer3649]

It'll be great fun to try that feature with a zero visibility heavy fog scenario

[@icecold9511]

About the only scenario I'd use it. I worked hard to almost never bolter. And that is a perishable skill. Think twice about this. All landings are hands on. Commander Adama's orders.

[@missingcat9293]

@@icecold9511 So say we all!

[@tonicarrera9647]

That was another first-class delivery from Waggs, and a long awaited, did not know it was coming, system on the F/A-18C. I might actually be able to complete a carrier based mission now with some certainty Thanks again Toni

[@kmcnelley1981]

This is so awesome Wags!!! Leaps and bounds, leaps and bounds!!!

[@RebelNine]

Thank you, I’m new to DCS, learnt a great deal from this video.

[@nickgrey4136]

Great video Wags. Superb delivery. Many thanks indeed. Kind regards Nick

[@ernestwinslow7316]

Sir thank you for providing us a platform through Eagle Dynamics to enjoy this combat aviation wonderland while we sit in our chairs at home.

[@nickgrey4136]

@@ernestwinslow7316 Dear Sir, many thanks for your warm words. Much appreciated. Kind regards Nick

[@johnnyringo3339]

Matt you keep doing you brotha, your tutorials are the best. Thanks for releasing another great module! You’ve rested enough get the f4 and f15 high fidelity modules out……please….I said please.

[@williamwinborne3253]

he has nothing to do with the development of either of those modules

[@johnnyringo3339]

@@williamwinborne3253 I do infect know this but thank you for watching over me.

[@docholliday1811]

Great video Wags, helps me immensely being that I am knew to this DCS flying.

[@_Jake.From.Statefarm_]

Solid work as always wags! Looking forward to the future updates as well..

[@pixy6655]

nice video wags! looking forward to these features. thanks for all these cool videos :)

[@SsgtHolland]

Hornet love! This must have been a large project, great to see it working so well! Guess it's almost time for champagne at HQ?

[@richskinns]

Brilliant stuff looking forward to some bad night weather landings

[@PredatorFly]

Thanks Matt for your work, please complement the F-18C with the Carrier package because it is something extraordinary. Make it as simulated as possible, because you have written history in military flight simulators. Always with you.

[@josefwitt9772]

Love seeing the incremental progress on the first 2 DCS modules I got, Hornet and Supercarrier. 2 years on I'm still not up to snuff but the toys keep getting better. Makes it all the more enjoyable to continue working toward some level of proficiency.

[@josefwitt9772]

Follow-up: I set up some practice at dusk in the islands. Looking good! I still need to learn procedure and get a lot of practice but carrier traps are a game within a hame.

[@Refuse2Lose33]

more Hornet updates! Yay!

[@Bloodrayne800]

While i can do case 3 landings the proper way most of the time, this is a nice added feature that gives more immersion since the real jet has it. Also after a long mission it would be nice to not have to worry about hitting the deck

[@icecold9511]

Don't over use it. Skills are perishable. But extreme weather or a crowded recovery....there is value.

[@brandonchappell1535]

Case 3 bolters are complete fukery !! aint nobody got time fo dat !! 😆

[@chrismaverick9828]

@@brandonchappell1535 That's what the bolter pattern is for, something ED needs to get to implementing into Case-3. I remember Jane's F/A-18 had it in there. "Climb and fly runway heading until established 1200ft, turn left downwind (heading)" and then they'd tell you to turn into the groove at about 2-3 miles.

[@brandonchappell1535]

@@chrismaverick9828 yeh i believe its gear up and half flaps an loop back, but still, a pain in butt in pitch black, or worse in low vis weather too

[@mazztothemax1888]

Ham sandwich nice choice haha. Keen to give this a try.. the ACLS landing that is :) Keep up the awesome work!

[@slyderace]

This looks awesome! I really need to relearn the Hornet!! :D

[@biggusdickus7648]

Literally followed step by step. The Carrier doesn't have Tacan by defualt so if you follow the video you won't have anything to follow to the ship. Even if you do everything step by step in the either of the carrier landing videos absolutely nothing happens. A+

[@Afty86]

And the supercarrier just keeps on getting better!

[@sloppydog4831]

Great stuff, Wags! Very easy indeed.

[@bwalker4194]

I’d love to see one of these on a heavily pitching deck!

[@lucaswoods1155]

I’ve been waiting for this super excited

[@JC-bf6fy]

This is a great feature for those of us that drink and fly

[@markpaynter9516]

Awesome video Wags!! Thanks!

[@fredm2052]

Thanks Matt for the video

[@sergiolamares]

Nice! great new addition to the bug! thanks for the vid

[@flex5002]

Nice, stil most exitide about Supercarrier is Commander tower spots and lower deck exploring, taxing from elevators and so on.

[@SDsc0rch]

you guys keep doing excellent work! : )

[@Templar7832]

Amazing Wags. Total genius! DCS is just the best thing to happen to gaming ever. 👌🏻👌🏻

[@mycorsi75]

great video, great new feature and great explanation, thank you Matt for your work!

[@AR_Parker]

Oh so cool I can’t wait. Maybe this will help with me lawndarting the island house 😝 super cool

[@charenton82]

C'est beau! Merci Matt!💯

[@lukew2031]

Nice one Wags. Thanks !

[@OzDeaDMeaT]

Very bloody cool. Thnx Matt.

[@xepa273]

I was just thinking about this recently!

[@sevans5714]

Great video! Any updates to carrier comms / frequency switching coming?

[@TeenTeenFpv]

Awesome Matt! Thanks!

[@JohnnyJiuJitsu]

This is amazing! Thank you!

[@sp00f64]

Awesome as usual! Go ED!

[@ematt6222]

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks ED!

[@grimreaper68600]

Hello Matt, Thanks a lot for all helpfull video you made. What is the difference between ICLS and ACLS? I've just tried the F18 supercarrier Case III mission but i have no datalink. Is it normal?

[@anthonysacco5010]

Am I the only one that hears "Marky Marks" on the first Marshall call in? All I can think of is Mark Walberg as the LSO.

[@Cat-107]

Very cool system PS LIGHTS ON DECK!

[@sheppardsheppard9497]

@Matt thank you for your video,how do you go from airborne to,dispatch processing??And How I ll go , from the mission>Supercarrier>Case III recovery ??Thank you for your time.

[@flyguy1237]

Thanks for sharing. Do any of the free form fields you used in the mission editor need to match? Or were they all given "GW" for convenience?

[@CJ-bo5zl]

Convenience. GW stands for George Washington :)

[@grodger7087]

Thanks Matt!

[@TrickerDCS]

Nice to see the hornet getting some ❤

[@Rhinozherous]

Very nice! One thing i dont like that much is fiddling that much around with the F-keys menu... would be nice to have the most used commands bindable to buttons or keys.

[@stackedup7114]

Use voice attack! It’s free and super handy. I set mine up to where F1-F12 are bound. I say “Check One”, “Check Two” since “F 5” and so on would get annoying considering the game we are playing.

[@Alain_Escher]

By the way, there is a key binding for "Hornet Ball" you can set ;-)

[@Alain_Escher]

Also key bindings available for "Salute" and "Ready Pre-Contact".

[@tonyspanu9680]

Nice work..thanks

[@ALPHARICCO875]

THANK YOU MATT 👍

[@IkeThe9th]

Matt, this absolutely fantastic. My congrats to you and the team that makes this the best naval aviation sim in the world. Q: I noticed in ME the ACLS net number was 336.0, but in the Bug you set 256.0 (I think). What is the relationship between the two and where does the 336.0 come in?

[@MattWagner]

336 is for a different carrier but this is used as the default. You just must check the kneeboard to make sure the correct one is entered.

[@djchemical]

@@MattWagner Quick question! I'm unable to use the Datalink on the SuperCarrier Case III mission. Is it disabled so you have to manually fly the approach for the mission? When I check the knee board, it only has - - for a value for the link.

[@trevorglasgow3120]

@@djchemical make sure you set up the link 4 for the carrier correctly, otherwise im not sure what ur problem might be

[@Tailspin07]

Cant wait for the new supercarrier improvements, will give the Apache a rest and get back into the Bug for a bit.

[@Stisse12]

Cool! Now I need to start play with F18 again..

[@bigrivercod]

Excellent video. But the question remains.......what kind of ham sandwich would you make? What kind of bread? Which condiments, and in what order would everything be assembled? Perhaps that could be the next Wags video?

[@-_Nuke_-]

Amazing stuff! :O

[@seevenup83]

you guys make so good tutorial-videos, why not put them ingame somehow?

[@2iwy4u]

17:58 I love the McDonalds chicken nugget machine noise so much I made it so when my phone reaches 50% charge it play that sound

[@ViperhastheLead]

Hi Wags!! Thanks for this video, im attempting the case 1 recover using acls as per this video, however i call mother and it goes straight to response of “see you at 10” and i get no other options for commencing etc. im on comm1 but im unsure if its a setting i have incorrect. Thanks!

[@jackh7514]

Good video

[@Headbreaker]

@Matt Wagner thx for the update! Will the Link 4 D/L Page be allways that way and if so where will be the Settings which are now at the D/L Page?

[@Golden5er]

Additional press of D/L should bring it up, in theory.

[@SnowTiger45]

Will any other Modules get Auto LS for Land Runways ? Do any other fighters even have that capability ?

[@RebelNine]

Thank you. Excuse my ignorance, However, when you setup your aircraft you setup ILS on Channel 11. Where did this come from? I didn’t see you config this in mission editor? Do we need to configure ILS as well as ACLS? I understand you may have excluded this setup for clarity of your demo but am I correct; we need to setup TACAN, ICLS, Link 4 and ACLS in mission editor for carrier??? And, does it make any difference what order these items are set up?? Also, when AP ‘coupling’ how does it know to couple ACLS rather than TACAN or a Waypoint?? Sorry for being so dim!

[@tsangarisjohn]

I had to land manually in the end. For some reason the CPL didn’t work and I never was asked to call the ball. Data link was good. Not sure where I went wrong. Either my comms with mother or I didn’t wait long enough at the holding point. Where do I find the clock? They asked me to wait and hold a few minutes. Will try again on my day off. I was happy take it down Cat III mission 👍🏻

[@JamesGoodwin1994]

Great tutorial and i cant wait to try this myself shortly! One question Wags, why is it around 6nm out the master caution intermittently goes on and off? Thanks!

[@JamesGoodwin1994]

Nevermind! JUST heard you mention the low fuel warning! Thanks so much for all your work it is a huge help!

[@jamesfaraci6975]

im sorry if this was asked already. I went into mission editor and created a mission to practice ACLS but for some reason i can never cpl on the acls. any idea of what im doing wrong? Maybe its the grunt in me coming out.

[@davidreiff5206]

Hey wags, can you tell me what weather presets you use to get that golden sunset?? I’ve been fiddling with it and I can never make it look that good

[@wiwa23]

This more related to time of day rather than weather. I suggest trying a sunset/sunrise situation.

[@GameDragonMedia]

Nice one!!!

[@guesswhoiscomingtodinner]

I tried using the mission editor. But have no clue how to create a Tacan and ICLS for the carrier.

[@floydkershner6591]

Wags I am new to DCS and just starting work on my Case 1 landings. I love what I see here! one comment - on the Hud the B is flashing but you have the altimeter on Radar. is this correct?

[@markg813]

It will convert to Radar altimeter once you are below a certain speed and altitude. I forget which numbers.

[@markg813]

oh and you can't exceed a certain bank angle too

[@airknight8307]

Yes!! Finally!!

[@N_ickoutwest]

Why do I have to pay for the SuperBarrier module to use a feature promised with the Hornet I purchased?

[@MattWagner]

Sorry, but I'm not sure what you mean. We've mentioned many times that carrier support for ACLS was being creating for SC and corresponding ACLS work for the Hornet. We've never said ACLS was coming to the old, free carrier. In fact, it would not even be possible given that it cannot support the comms or Link4 created for ACLS. Sorry for any confusion.

[@lvl89wrlk21]

@@MattWagner It was advertised as part of the Hornets feature list, years before SC was even announced. I understand the reasoning why but this is not a good look for ED.

[@MattWagner]

@@lvl89wrlk21 See pinned comment please.

[@tnfisherman90]

love it!

[@Kathlanus]

Aweseom Wags, thank you. One question. How do I switch between Link 4 for the carrier, and Link 16 for the awacs and other Hornets during the mission?

[@Stormrider-Flight]

Try to Double-Press DL Button

[@abrammankheli4528]

Hi, I need the advice on Supercarrier Link 4 datalink. I want to activate it on the advanced waypoint, but is missing on the advanced waypoint supercarrier

[@willm.n2178]

Hey wait a second, you didn't set up the carrier's heading and speed. Are we supposed to use this feature with the carrier at 0 kts and heading of 000? I'm not sure why but ALCS is not locking on. I've done everything you did in this video

[@clotogie1846]

I am so hyped

[@quavo1966]

So the aircraft landing on Acura can go into autopilot in the pilot can be in there just like a Tesla hands-free and I do nothing and get brought in?

[@kevykevTPA]

Since you have to fiddle with the mission editor to "turn this on", does that mean all existing missions and campaigns will not support it unless/until updated?

[@MattWagner]

They will be updated. In progress.