F-4E Bombing Tutorial - Laydown Mode

Laydown Mode in the F-4E Phantom II explained. Including how to WSO it.
Thanks to @HeatblurSimulations for providing a review copy. This review, though, is based on my own paid copy.
Music: Motorbike by Track Tribe
Discord: / discord

[@TrickerDCS]

Thanks for LAYING this down for me

[@Rogeroverandout61]

More please, your videos are so well presented and explained which makes them so understandable and easier to retain. Well done sir 🫡

[@Sidekick65]

There are more on the way. Stay tuned.

[@aries144]

Thank you again Iain. I really appreciate your examination into the "why" via what was clearly a fair amount of reading and experimentation. This was fantastic!

[@Sidekick65]

You are very welcome

[@sp00f64]

Thanks so much Iain! Your F-4E ground game videos have been lifesavers!

[@Sidekick65]

Glad to know they have been helpful

[@dcs-web-editor]

0:50 Kola trees: why you're lookin so grey today, Phantom?

[@rogeraylstock3641]

Yes! More please! I'm building myself a set of comprehensive notes of all the weapons and their deployments.

[@mateusfcl]

Great tutorial! Thanks for the easy to follow and quick class on Laydown mode!

[@Sidekick65]

Thank YOU for the feedback. It is always helpful to know what works

[@Coolhand101e]

Thank you for this. It took me 3 viewings to understand where all the numbers came from, but I think I get it now. I'll have to practice with different values and see if I can be accurate with it. I think this jet will be fun to try various ways to drop iron bombs!! (BTW, I also like to understand how and why things work in a certain way, so this is why I like how you explain how things work in your bombing videos)

[@thunderace4588]

Thank you Iain.

[@JoseGarcia-yk3dl]

thanks for your videos :)

[@yappydawg8985]

If people remember nothing else from this video, I hope they remember that you said, "The WSO position is essential." :) I am going to have to watch this again after I have had some coffee. If I can see the target, and I have a sight depression, what is all that other stuff for? I have been doing that sort of thing in the F-5E for years.

[@Sidekick65]

I think that's why "lay down" mode is not a Thing anymore. I get the feeling it was developed for using the CBU dispensers. But there are other ways of doing it.

[@joejkd82]

It's a timed release mode, not a direct mode. The sight depression is merely set so the pipper is over the target when you are over the IP, and has nothing to do with the ballistic path of the bombs. The bombs are automatically released when the computer is at the release range. You are "aiming" the bombs by pressing the pickle over the IP and flying the predetermined heading. Since the computer knows how far the IP is from the target, and it knows at what range the bombs should be released, it knows when to drop the bombs. It would be more obvious what this is doing if a larger IP to target range was used. The sight depression would be much less, and you would observe a much longer time from pickle to release. The mode is for when you're unsure you'll actually be able to see the target until after you should be releasing.

[@Sidekick65]

@@joejkd82 I think it was originally developed for situations in which it was possible to plan a pre-planned release point - literally picking a point from a map on the approach to a runway or a road junction. I would not be surprised if it was the WSO's job to time the pickle. He might even have done it using INS and just counting down the range to the IP. The pilot's job was to fly the needles - which is a full time job. As bombing computers and HUD technology evolved, it became less useful because the cue could be right in front of the pilot and a "timed release mode" really didn't make much sense any more. Even the Heatblur manual basically adopts this philosophy by suggesting that the IP be chosen to generate a particular sight depression rather than by using a timing point. @yappydawg8985 this would be a great multi-crew exercise. Just select a timing point and let WSO "call the shot" while the nosegunner just "flies the needles". Let's give it a try!

[@yappydawg8985]

@@joejkd82 Ah, that makes sense. Thanks!

[@marcranger4596]

Nice tutorial. Looking forward to hopefully a video on the ins/ radar offset attack at some point

[@Sidekick65]

I'll put it on the list

[@marcranger4596]

@Sidekick65 thanks. Sounds like an interesting tool for bad weather operations

[@ashlittle4545]

Now this is what I call a blue on blue release method!

[@GustavBass]

Excellent tutorial

[@Sidekick65]

Thanks. Glad you liked it.

[@ItsJustSteve]

I wish Jester would call out altitude and airspeed when bombing, I've read that being something GIBs did and it seems like something they could implement with the context button.

[@Sidekick65]

Time to get a human WSO ;-)

[@thejetfighter]

Nice! 😀

[@Mikkall]

Good to know. That said, I have more fun using High Drags and guestimating... gettin pretty dang good at it too. ;) Thanks

[@yogiparashara4016]

Great tutorial buddy 😊. It would be useful to get a tutorial on how to operate the autopilot please 🙏🏽

[@Sidekick65]

I will "put that in the queue" of things to do. Thanks for the suggestion

[@_ircghost]

Thanks for the useful video! One question though, you set the reticle to 95, but your distance was 5k. How does that work? Do you substract the distance from 100?

[@GabryelHdPerformance]

A question: the sigh depression, when it’s on the target, determine the IP? - A note in the manual laydown delivery chart suggest that : “An IP may be used to establish the target range IF the optical sigh is not used “ - In a condition of good visibility can I prioritise the sigh depression for determine the press and hold action?

[@chiefsheep5255]

Hi Iain. Quick question - you talk about setting the distance from the IP to the target in order to give you the reticle depression you want. How do you correlate the two, ie how did you know that the distance you set and the depression you chose would then produce an accurate visual drop cue? Thanks, and loving all the content.

[@Sidekick65]

For me it was a process of trial and error. The longer the distance between IP and target the smaller the sight depression. A depression of 95mils seemed to be a good choice in terms of a balance it was close enough to have identified the target and gotten ready for the pickle, but no so close that the sight was too far down the HUD that I would have to adjust my seat position to see it. It's a totally YMMV thing.

[@vincebagadonis8016]

Question: So the IP and the target would be set in your NAV computer? (the Nav comp can only store 2 waypoints, am I right?) Or can you just use the F10 map to determine the distance from IP to target? Either way you must enter this distance in the bombing table? Also, I imagine this method is not useful against moving ground targets? Otherwise thanks for explaining the more obscure bombing methods of the F4, as no one seems to be covering this and the manual is....well a bit too real life and historical rather than focusing on the actual methods one would be using in the sim. Please explain all of the other methods, as you're the man when it comes to old school bombing!

[@Sidekick65]

Jester will continually update your steering. He will replace teh current WP with the next one at a range of 2nm. That's why I don't recommend putting the IP in the computer because he will swap it out at an inconvenient time. Better to just run at the targert and know (from map recce) how far back along that line the iP is. With a good human WSO, I suspect that he could actually call the pickle from the INS distance reading and get you close - if you were aiming at a big target with a big load of bombs (which is really what this mode is for). It's not a mode for engaging point targets - moving or not. Doing that requires good visibility on the target - which is actually hard to come by. With our Balloon Goes Up project we are coming to realize the value of the A-10's low speed and loiter ability for just this purpose. I strongly suspect that the F-4E missions would more likely have been directed against pre-planned, pre-registered targets which would have benefited from a large bomb-load but not pinpoint precision. That's just a feeling I have Once PGMs really started to become common the game changes - a little - but in a truly SAM denied environment launching LGBs would have been.... "sporty" - again because you just would not have time to acquire the target and plan a good ingress and egress in real time - at 500kts and 50'. --- Soapbox Ends -----------

[@offentho]

Would be nice if you could make a video for dive laydown with MK20s - I‘m really struggling with that, they always fall way to short. Don‘t know the reason, as I fly it within the parameters I‘ve entered in the calculator

[@Westcoastsailorss]

Thanks for the video. I am trying to learn the WSO seat and there is not much information.

[@Sidekick65]

Glad it was helpful!

[@andyrudeseal6347]

Just got the F4E and have watched all of your content on it. Will you be doing videos on all the other methods of bombing?

[@Sidekick65]

I'm working my way through as I have time.

[@Cessna152ful]

Thank you for this I was having trouble understanding how it worked. Do you plan on doing the other modes other than dt direct and lay down?

[@Sidekick65]

Absolutely! That's the plan. Drop by my Discord and let me know if there is something in particular you would like to see. LOFT mode is up next.

[@Jacobruxo]

Finally a detailed tutorial on this method! The laydown is nice because it gives you a piper over target and reference point so you know your level bombing will hit the right spot

[@nyandyn]

The WRCS laydown mode does not give you the depression value. It's a manual calculation based on the parameters you enter into Heatblur's magic bombing table notebook. If you are not flying those parameters, your pipper placement will be off.

[@generalvikus2138]

You're right about the terminology - I feel like I'm missing something. Does this mode have anything to do with using laydown bombs, or are these completely separate terms?

[@Sidekick65]

The both the bombs and the mode probably have a common root but one dies not refer to the other. Does that make sense?

[@generalvikus2138]

@@Sidekick65 Yeah, that's what I figured. Great video, thanks for answering.

[@JNelson_]

I'd perhaps disagree, I think if you can't see the target OFFSET with a VIP is the way to go, OFFSET in VIP is just laydown with target steering. Of course Laydown can be flown with the sight method (as a method of ranging the IP->Target) or by just pickling over the ip, but if you are going to insert over the IP anyway OFFSET would be the way to go.

[@Kevinfromtradestaff]

I noticed that as you flew over the target you got an audible tone. Is that like a bomb release cue? If so that would mean you could bomb from higher and without visual aid

[@Sidekick65]

The audible tome starts when you pickle and ends with bomb release..

[@ThePizzaGoblin]

I definitely feel the "Ineed to know why if I want to remember," stuff. It really annoyed my teachers. Edit: also, napalm when?

[@Sidekick65]

Congratulations! And... don't know.

[@FJFuentesCO]

Like the format, show the what, then explain the why.

[@Sidekick65]

Glad you enjoyed it.