REALLY need help with rockets

[RAM]

Man, I suck with rockets...can anyone tell me HOW to fire them? from what distance, how many per salvo, and delay?

I only hit an ack yesterday with a zillion rockets!!!

[funked]

They seem to burn out (actually they just disappear) after 1500 yards or so.

I have my best luck either firing them from a high-speed dive (not pulling any gees) or firing them from a shallow dive at very close range.

However on the shallow close range attacks I have been killed 3 times by the main gun of a panzer....................... ............................. ...

[Wraith]

I think that when using AG ordenance you have to keep 2 things in mind:

Delay: .4 Salvo=1

You must keep the plane on a level dive during the JABO (trim elevator DOWN) and keep the plane steady during for 2 seconds before and after you release the bombs. Any bump during the release would throw the aim off.

For rockets, its best to fire them from a 90 degree dive and fire em all aiming 1 or 2 cm's above the target while the firing goes on, lower nose to target.. WALKING FIRE. One of them should hit.

A nice but no so effective way to bomb/rocket is a shallow dive attack... you still have to keep the plane level during the attack, but aim the rockets and bombs 3 or 4 cm above the target. You can use your machine guns to show you the path they will take  

[MANDOBLE]

I've tried almost everything with no results. It seems we need direct hits to knock anything and without a precisse gunsight I can't do anything but close and ineffective hits.
Seeing some videos with P38s attacking with rockets, it seems those weapons drops too early in AH and the warhead is too weak. One of those videos shows a 90 degrees attack to a troop transport train, that train seems very "small", so I think the distance is about 600 meters or more, the hits were very very precise and the explosions where "enormous".
My question is the next. Rokets are stabilized by little tail wings, and they have self-propulsion for several seconds, in fact they are much faster than the launching plane. The launching plane can go straight to the target without compensing with joy, so, if you dont break, your own plane should hit the target (at hi speeds and well trimmed) but the faster and lighter rockets drop just after fired, in most of the cases you'll lost them under your nose.

[Greg 'wmutt' Cook]

 

Originally posted by MANDOBLE:
but the faster and lighter rockets drop just after fired, in most of the cases you'll lost them under your nose.

The rockets are faster and lighter, but they produce almost no lift (having no wings). Today's missles are guided with moving fins or vectored thrust to overcome gravity, but ours are like arrows or bullets, and will begin to drop as soon as they leave the plane.



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Greg 'wmutt' Cook
332nd Flying Mongrels

[combat23]

Hi all, From what I'v read WWII rockets were wildly inacurate. They were best used in a salvo at groups of tanks or trucks or large targets such as trains.  I don't believe any WWII ground attack pilot would give you much chance to hit a single tank with one rocket in one pass. Historicaly a flight of rocket armed planes going after a single tank would blanket the target with lots of rockets hoping for a hit.

We should be able to hit an ack or tank but should need at least six rockets in the air at once to have a good chance(not 100%) of a hit.

I have read that most British ground attack pilots prefered bombs as they were more accurate than rockets.

see ya on line

[Fatty]

Take your time with a slight lead (about as you would firing guns), from there it's a matter of getting used to what hits and what doesn't.  Once used to them you should be getting at least 4 ack for every 5 rockets, or your aim is off.

I would start with near vertical or vertical dives to get the hang of aiming, and your plane MUST be trimmed out for dive speed or you'll never hit.

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Fatty
FAT DRUNK BASTARDS

[This message has been edited by Fatty (edited 04-14-2000).]

[Fishu]

When I use rockets, I use speed for accuracy..

about 20-40 degree dive angle to target with high speed, then raise nose just a bit above the target, then fire, pull up very slightly or not at all (depending on speed, you get all the time closer which eliminates need to raise nose).
If rockets just goes straight and doesnt do any other weird stuffs, you'll be hitting couple rockets  

[Fatty]

Both the trim and as Fishu mentioned speed will help accuracy.

Most of the misses I've seen are side to side, usually rudder and/or ailerons used to turn to face the target but the problem at that point is your trajectory and your heading are quite different.

The easiest practice is to target your own ack offline.  If you're missing side to side look at trim and a more stable approach, if you're only missing high or low you're pretty much there, you just need to adjust your release point.

[Hazed]

ok i cant hit a barn door with rockets ram but i can hit a tank with a 250 bomb...i use high speed dive 45 degrees and use the nose or prop as aiming point(prop hub not sight) it means i lose sight of target as i release but im having great success with this type of attack...beats the old 90degree dive  
HAZED JG2

[skippy]

Wonder if ww2 rocks carrying a/c had any convergence set up? I dont like laying down to "tracks" of rocks on either side of a target.

[Graywolf]

In the Typhoon I use a swallow dive from 5-6,000ft at 400-450mph with the salvo set to 4 and the default delay. If I release at about d1 with the tank just at the bottom of the gunsite and a /very/ gentle lift of the nose to spread the rockets a little I hit about 50% of the time.

To survive I usually pull up and start to evade as soon as the last rocket is gone, about d0.8. Flying straight over an M16 you've just missed with rockets is not the best way to ensure a long life.

Also if you are attacking a Panzer watch and see which direction it is  travelling in and always attempt to hit it from the rear.

I use a similar approach for connons but put the gunsite /on/ the target open fire at the same point and pull out a little later. As I very rarely use the Typhoon in the air-to-air role (only on targets of opportunity   I have the convergence wound all the way out to 650 otherwise the spread at long range is just unacceptable for ground attack.

BTW I have managed to get a couple of Panzer kills in a Spit V, by using very short but accurate bursts of cannon inot the sides rear and top. Seemed to take a dozen passes though =)

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Graywolfe <tim@flibble.org>

[CavemanJ]

Here's a film of jabo'ing ack in a P-38.  I get 3 (2 on first pass) then the ack at the motorpool gets both of my radiators.  I thought someone had said they had gotten that ack so I egressed from my 2nd pass in that direction (to focused on first pass to notice it up I guess).  Thought I'd post it for those trying jabo w/ rockets

 www.rivertown-computers.com/cmj/p38ackjabo.zip

78.5kb/115kb unzipped)