Kiowa/ Apache Pilot talks recon tactics; DCS KA-50 Black Shark

Viking and I jump into the dreaded Black Shark to demonstrate deliberate recon against an enemy security screen.
Video focus is on the concept of pre-mission analysis and identifying templated enemy locations, then using deliberate maneuver techniques to find and engage targets.
100 ways to skin this cat but this is one of the many ways rotary wing scout pilots hunt for targets in a high threat environment.

[@jsodjsod]

This kind of info is gold for us sim-pilots who want’s to know how it’s done for real.

[@timothywarr5688]

I flew the UH-1H and UH-60 for 16 years and even though I was a "beans and bullets" driver, we had to learn scout tactics. When I arrived at the 11th ACR, I used exaclty these tactics...great job with the video.

[@CasmoTV]

Thanks for the comments and thank you for your service! Sadly they Huey was phased out of flight school right before I would have flown it. I’m 6’5” so I was a shoe in for it during instruments phase. Mad respect for the UH-1!

[@farisshaikh1026]

i loved just listening to these guys talk. listening to real radio chatter makes the videos so much more immersive than the average grim reapers video.

[@bartacomuskidd775]

This is the reason i play DCS, this type of content.

[@willhartsell2283]

Coming from the fixed wing side of things, I find the kiowa’s (recon) mission very interesting. These videos are an oasis in the desert of DCS rotary wing ops/tactics

[@CasmoTV]

Thanks for watching and the feedback!

[@jameshewitt8828]

Loving this channel, former UK Apache technician so this is sweet. There's loads of channels covering fast jets but refreshing to find a military helicopter one especially from former aircrew. Suscribed 👍

[@CasmoTV]

Jet jockeys get too much love. It’s our time now! Lol thanks for watching.

[@tmting4942]

We missed your OH/AH operations TTPs, and all the whiteboard drawings, F10 Map explications.. emphasized with DCS visualization flights 😌.

[@letsseesomerandom167]

The Apache has been out long enough that I've been watching your tactics and manoeuvre videos so I can step up my game. When the Datalink drops for the Apache, I think there will be a big audience for tactics content, might be worth it to pump more of this stuff out!

[@jakubdabrowski3846]

Very interesting video, I have learned a lot from it. In my opinion, Ka-50's disadvantage is lack of IR camera, like in A-10. Sometimes it's hard to spot a vehicle on B&W TV screen. And, from my experience in DCS World, if you hit a vehicle that is part of a group, then all remaining vehicles move to different positions.

[@CasmoTV]

Yeah it’s not the most advanced gunship, that’s for sure. But love the one you’re with, I guess. Thanks for watching!

[@BTKCuk]

Great video showing the terrain masking and the patience required not to pull the pin on the first target you see! Looking forward to your future videos, especially in the OH-58D.

[@prichardgs]

Reminds me of threat templets in Battle Staff! Bravo!

[@Khazar01]

Great and very informative tutorial video, i thought most of the missions in DCS were just go in, shoot any enemy that you came across, and RTB, but this is actually looking more like a chess game, amazing.

[@CasmoTV]

It’s what you make of it for sure.

[@richardhockey8442]

It would be nice if there was a dynamic campaign engine that would integrate the results of human-flown or AI recon missions into the mission planning for the next phase/turn of the campaign - that would make the value of such recon missions significant

[@ShuRugal]

It's kinda freaky to watch you doing infantry-style buddy-pair bounding movements in an attack helicopter, but it makes sense. The way a lot of guys play DCS (myself included) tends to be a lot more of "I know where the baddies are, let's just go blow them up". seeing someone breakdown real world "this is how we deal with not being able to know where the baddies are" gives a whole new appreciation. Running a single mission in DCS is pretty slow by the standards of modern gaming, but even your average DCS op is way faster tempo than the real deal.

[@Happy-tp4jd]

Old school casmo whispering tactics in my ear.

[@metzger5925]

Great video! "Combat flite" is the proper tool for planning. It's a little slow and takes some time to get used to but It gives you lots of options including to draw the battlefield and import it into the abris.

[@CasmoTV]

I’ll take a look. Haven’t heard of that one. Thanks for watching!

[@ironsideeve2955]

Great to see some chop videos. Thank you.

[@jsodjsod]

I never though the OH-58 was an intresting helo... seam like I was way of. Now I think this is the most intresting helo on the DCS horizon.

[@CasmoTV]

It’s in the way that you use it! Thanks for watching.

[@craigmoran893]

Not more interesting than the Apache.

[@ChickentNug]

This is so cool for some reason

[@ShuRugal]

"we just keep looking until we find them. or until we get lit up" XD, recon by enemy tracers.

[@theonefrancis696]

I'm a fixed wing pilot (simulated), but the Ka-50 is the heli I would never dislike. A flying cannon.

[@CasmoTV]

Make the switch. Come to the dark side

[@theonefrancis696]

@@CasmoTV "we have candy" I'm planning to learn choppaz the proper way 😊😊

[@craigmoran893]

A Flying Armored Sniper

[@BIGNEWY]

Enjoyed, thanks

[@__Dusty_]

Hell yeah, great content mate! Subbed

[@CasmoTV]

Welcome aboard! Seat belt, shoulder harness, inertia reel; fasten and check!

[@welsh2266]

Very good video mate. Could you please let us know what topics you will cover? I hope you mainly show the shark, its my favourite helicopter

[@CasmoTV]

Yeah I actually only own the shark as far as RW modules except for my super-top-secret OH-58D test module with Polychop. I’m just kinda going over some basic tactics as best I can with the -50 as it mostly translates. Looking to do a video soon rehashing this subject with another streamer and add some flair to it. Thanks for watching!

[@welsh2266]

@@CasmoTV seeing the shark hunt in pairs was amazing. Maybe videos on the data link and videos showing off what the computer on the right is capable of in MP? Different tactics for fighting against MANPADS? How about proper use with a JTAC? And of course airport discipline? Thanks for uploading mate

[@CasmoTV]

Added to the list! I’ll admit beyond the data link and sharing targets I don’t know much myself about the systems on the ABRIS. need to get smart on them. Sharing targets is absolutely vital tho for this type of mission profile.

[@andresgarcia7757]

terrifying if you are on the receiving end.

[@Barundus]

At 10:50 Chalk 2 is skylighting nicely on the hill... Nice job though. Good to see the old school bounding overwatch tactics. What’s old is new again! And where’s the SPOTREP to higher??? And Fires! We need Fiiiiires!

[@CasmoTV]

@Barundus be gentle, he’s still learning. 🤣

[@Barundus]

@@CasmoTV Heeee! First words in the After-Action Review: No thin skins! (and be ready to eat HEAT rounds yourself, lol) Great job fellas. Look forward to participating in the next ones.

[@5113130]

Seems like a lot of hovering stationary for long periods of time. What’s to keep people from sneaking up on you and wacking you with an rpg or small arms fire?? Love the videos, very informative.

[@CasmoTV]

I mean... you have to clear your observation point/attack position. Put another way; would you pose the same question if that helicopter was a tank? The concept is the same.

[@5113130]

I guess the difference with a tank is that you would hopefully have somebody maintaining situational awareness. In the KA50 you’re either flying or using the camera. It seems very difficult to maintain sufficient awareness of your direct surroundings while trying to fly and look around with the camera. I wasn’t sure if that tended to be a non-issue in real life or if it was simply an accepted risk. Thanks for the reply!

[@CasmoTV]

Well to be fair I don’t think the KA-50 is a sustainable model of an attack helicopter and single crew being one of the reasons for that. Look at this more of a template example of how “real” gunships would operate. I say real cause the KA-50 was really more of an experiment

[@Power5]

Pretty sure Kamov realized the same thing which is why the Alligator was developed.

[@regwatson2017]

I don't pretend to know better than you but that other Black Shark looked like it was standing out a mile as it was hovering so high (if there were troops posted as lookouts) - and what about blade noise - how far does the sound travel ?

[@CasmoTV]

Yeah he was high. He’s still learning. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@CasmoTV]

As for blade noise and look outs… what’re they gonna do? If you can’t reach me, you can’t reach me. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@gerardheil8303]

I thought that most doctrine has changed from the hover in place and move up, as this puts attack and scout helicopters at severe risk from manpads and small arms fire espessially in heavily forested and urban environments? Now these choppers are constantly moving to not present a stationary target? Although this is maybe more in line with modern warfare against aysemmetrical opponents, where drones are used for preliminary scouting. Not in a cold war environment, with a near pear against conventional forces.

[@CasmoTV]

We never ever stop in the COIN fight. But knowing how to fly like this in a modern context against a near peer threat is certainly something of a lost art. I’m planning to show the differences and discuss the threat and how it affects your flight regime soon. Thanks for watching!

[@gerardheil8303]

@@CasmoTV ahhh yeah the role of the attack and scout helicopter has changed a bit. The idea of the deep strike attack, like on desert storm or going ahead and probing defensive armor formations, has moved to a more of a staying and covering troops and armor as airborne artillery and to provide close up eyes from above, that can react quickly. Not that i feel the former mission shouldn't be in the wheel house, but I understand how some operations caused that idea to go sour in some schools of thought.

[@CasmoTV]

Gerard Heil those old tricks are still in the books and starting to be practiced again.

[@gerardheil8303]

@@CasmoTV you looking forward to the Mi-24p? Kinda different doctorine, more of a hammer then a scalpel. I'm definetly excited for it and the updated Ka-50. Kiowa i'm on the fence. I like the scout chopper and it's roles, but the developers are the same as the ones who worked on that Gazelle, and made it a bit of a UFO.

[@CasmoTV]

Gerard Heil I’m working along side some other Kiowa pilots as consultants on the Polychop Kiowa. Trust me they are working hard to make it right. Check out my video about the Kiowa module as we discuss some of that and show some footage. The hind... yes and know. The Russians kinda use them more like flying artillery than anything else but it would be a hoot to fly!

[@pitpao]

So... in real life they wouldn't hear you? It's stuff like that that gets me confused about this whole thing. Or see you?

[@CasmoTV]

Probably wouldn’t hear you. Maybe see you, maybe not. If they did... what’re they gonna do?

[@iain8837]

In DCS if you are in line of sight and within range of the ground units weapons, they shoot at you! It’s very basic AI that has never been fixed since day 1.