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For this journal entry, I will talk about some of Lock On's features in a narrative, story format. I think this format will convey a lot of detail about the title as well as being more interesting than a dry laundry list of features. So, let me begin with a typical F-15C sweep mission from the current build.
The mission starts at the crack of dawn and the sun is just peeking over the horizon through scattered clouds. As I settle into my jet, there's still a light layer of fog hugging the ground but visibility at altitude looks pretty good. My briefing gave me moderate winds at three altitude bands as well as forewarning me of moderate to severe turbulence at low and high altitude. Joy. After I bring the canopy down, I start up the jet and listen to the engines spool up to life. After confirming all systems are performing normally, I retard the throttles a bit and release the brakes shortly after tower gives me permission to taxi runway 21. My four ship of Enfield flight is assigned a fighter sweep over the FEBA. All three of my wingmen affirm their taxi as they call rolling, and I see the clamshell doors of their shelters slide apart as each Eagles rolls out. As the first of the flight to reach the runway threshold, tower gives me permission to take off on runway 21. I set the flaps to half-flap and stand on the brakes as I gradually increase the throttles to full military. I then release the brakes and advance the throttles to full afterburner. The sensation of speed down the runway is breathtaking, and before I know it, I've rotated and gently pitch up. After cleaning up the jet, tower informs me of nearby traffic as I steer towards my first INS steerpoint. As I climb, I hear my flight calling their takeoff rolls and gear up calls to tower. Everyone gets in the air safely.
Leveling off at 25k AGL, I activate my APG-63 radar and set it to a 60-degree azimuth sweep, at 4-bar scan, at 80 nm search range, with the elevation scan set to level. The rest of my flight has joined up at this point and I instructed my wingman (Enfield 1-2) into a line abreast spread and I set the second element (Enfield 1-3 and Enfield 1-4) in trail. I then have Enfield 1-2 also active his radar, but I keep -3 and -4 silent behind us. Checking in with Olympus (E-3A AWACS) for bogy dope, Olympus gives us bandit vectors bearing 95 for 150, medium, flanking. Meaning the bandit group is at a bearing of 95 degrees, are 150 miles away, are at medium altitude, and are a flying a perpendicular course to my own. I then swing the flight to 95 and increase altitude to 30k and bring us just below supersonic.
My first indication of the bandit group appears on my tactical electronic warfare system (TEWS) scope with a 27-search strobe at 12 o'clock. What was one then grows to two and they are both on a constant bearing-coming at us or directly away. Punching the throttles up, I put the jet through the sound barrier and give Enfield 1-2 weapons free orders. Enfield 1-2 calls a contact consistent to the Olympus calls and soon after he calls that that he's offensive. At this time I get the first hits on my radar at 75 nautical miles (nm) using range while search (RWS) mode and it appears to be a two ship on an intercept vector. Pushing to 40 nm (and still approximately 20 nm to go to reach RMAX for an AIM-120B shot) the 27 (Su-27 Flanker B) strobe transitions to a steady in-ring strobe and I get a tone alert that indicates a single-track target (STT) lock on. Not a moment later, the strobe begins to blink and the TEWS is calling a missile launch. Apparently the Flankers have AA-10C "Bigstick" long-burn Alamos which out-range our AMRAAMs. Like me, my wingmen is also forced defensive and we both notch out and force the Flankers into a lookdown Doppler notch. Lighting up the ECM and releasing pre-emptive chaff, I trash the Alamo and the Flanker's lock soon after the shot was taken. My wingman was equally successful. At this point we're down to 15k feet AGL.
As Enfield 1-2 and I cranked out defensive, I put -3 and -4 into the fight by taking their radars off standby and telling them to pince vertically. With the Flankers are looking for us to pop out of the notch down low, it's my hope that -3 and -4 will be well above the Flanker's search volume. I've still got the two 27 strobes on the TEWS, but they are now in the outer ring (search mode). I toggle the radar to track-while-scan (TWS) mode and cycle the active weapon to the AIM-120B AMRAAM. Cranking back into the threats hard, I reduce my scan volume now that I have a good idea of their bearing and I increase the elevation scan setting because I'm fairly sure I'm now in a look-up situation. I quickly get a radar tally on the targets, and two additional contacts in a deep-trail. Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) has no squawk and classifies them as hostile. Using the target designation cursor (TDC) I slew it on top of the left leading bandit at 22 nm. I designate this target and it's now my primary designated target (PDT). I then slew the TDC to the right leading bandit and designate it as my secondary designated target. At this point I have launch data and cues for my PDT including fly-out time, range, closure, angle off tail, speed, altitude, and bearing. Being as I'm not in STT, I still have no non-cooperative target recognition (NTCR) information. At 18 nm I fox my first AMRAAM and the system automatically gives me a steering dot and allowable steering error (ASE) circle for the SDT. When the SDT reaches 17 nm, I fox a second time. At this point I retard the throttles and check left in order to maximize my f-pole. With a missile inbound on the PDT, I have a time to active (TTA) readout on the heads up display (HUD) and vertical situation display (VSD). When the TTA reaches zero, I know that the AMRAAM has turned on its own radar and I no long need to support the missile with my own radar. The counter now changes to a time to impact (TTI), which will indicate the estimated time for the AMRAAM to destroy the bandit. Once both missiles have reached TTA, I crank away a second time and deploy addition chaff and flares.
At around the time of my PDT's TTA, Enfield 1-2 calls out a good kill. One down. Soon afterwards, Enfield 1-2 calls fox again and -3 and 4 announce they are engaging bandits. Slewing my view to the right, I notice two specs just above treetop level and heading towards -3 and -4. I crank the jet around to the right and set my scan volume down to zero feet. I quickly switch to radar bore sight and cycle to AIM-7M Sparrow. For a moment I get a brief lock on the lead bandit, but the lock is quickly trashed when they activate their jammers. At this point I've got to angle on jam (AOJ) strobes running the length of the VSD. Using the TDC, I designate the right strobe and command a home on jam (HOJ) Sparrow lock. I get a good HOJ lock and fire a single Sparrow. The missile flies true and blows the left wing off the lead Flanker.
During this engagement I rapidly close with the other low-flyer only to see him pitch up into a zoom climb directly below -3 and -4. Before I can intervene, the Flanker launches two AA-11 Archer missiles and they remove -3's tail assembly. -4 does a maximum break with flares but the Flanker follows, just outside his elbow. Now within visual range (WVR), I switch to AIM-9M Sidewinder and place the radar in vertical auto-acquisition mode. Climbing up to the fight, I see the Flanker win the angles fight and launch two Archers into -4's Eagle. -4 punches out a few moments later. Now rapidly merging with the Flanker, Olympus calls out merged and I get a good lock radar and heater lock with good tone. I uncage the 'winder seeker and I get a good track on the target. I let two 'winders go from near-RMIN range and remove this third Flanker from the fight.
During this part of the flight, Enfield 1-2 had been calling fox shots and tally calls, but I suppose I was a bit preoccupied. Calling Olympus, I get a good vector to the southeast and I wheel around. Only a half dozen miles from me are Enfield 1-2 and the remaining flanker is a circle fight, Not wanted to risk morting my own wingman I drop into the fight vertically and position myself in the Flanker's elbow. Even with an original energy advantage, I'm already losing angles on the Flanker. Bringing up my remaining 'winder, I place the reticule over the Flanker and get a solid town. After uncaging, the seeker is clued to the Flanker and I fox. Seeing the incoming heater, the Flanker pours out the flares and manages to trash the missile. With just a single Sparrow left, I switch to Flood mode for a Sparrow shot. Placing the bandit in the continuous wave (CW) Flood illumination footprint, I launch my last missile only to see it fall behind the target because it couldn't cut the corner with the available G.
Switching to guns, I over-perform the jet and get the nose around enough to get an auto-gun lock. While I'm able to get the lead computing optical sight (LCOS) on the Flanker for a fleeting snap shot, my rounds go wide and I find myself with no energy. Knowing the Flanker will make quick work on me in a slow-speed, high-alpha fight, I bury my nose and attempt to get some speed back on the jet. Rolling inverted and pulling down, the Flanker moves in for the kill when I hear fox from 2 from Enfield 1-2! Without room to run or time to react, the Flanker goes down in smoke and flames.
Forming back up with Enfield 1-2 and tucking him in close echelon formation, we exit the sweep area and head back towards home via Olympus's directions. About 30 miles from home we contact approach control, which gives us routing and then hands us off to tower. In turn, tower provides me permission to land and the required runway heading. Upon landing I open the canopy and taxi to the ramp as tower instructs. Once full stopped on the ramp, I shut the engines down and thank the heavens I made it back in one piece.
Matt Wagner
Producer
Ubi Soft Entertainment
Iceman jak to wyglada w twoich oczach?
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2003-07-18, 16:51 LOMAC...
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