Problems with air launched weapons.

[MacGalin]

I've got some doubts about cluster bombs. I mean, are they really so ineffective? For example, 2 of my F-16's dropped 4 AP Cluster bombs directly on enemy tank group, moving in flat, clear area (9 tanks stacked in three hexes) Results? One effective hit + two not penetrating. I've reloaded and tried again - and archived only one(ineffective)hit. Well, i'm no expert, but i think that cluster bombing should generate far more hits than it does now. Is there any way to do it?

Also, i find most aircraft fired misssiles not as accurate as they should be. (During desert storm,IIRC, Mavericks had about 80-90% hit rate. In game, if i'm lucky , its 30-50%.) Strange, considering that helo launched missiles are as accurate as they should be.

Am i the only one with that problem?

[PlasmaKrab]

Also, i find most aircraft fired misssiles not as accurate as they should be. (During desert storm,IIRC, Mavericks had about 80-90% hit rate. In game, if i'm lucky , its 30-50%.)

Consider that the figure you quote about ODS probably includes a LOT of large non-moving targets such as bunkers, roadworks, radars...

About cluster bombs, well, I admit I have seen my share of ineffective airstrikes, but I have also seen infantry companies wiped off by one MLRS salvo...
And MLRS CM rockets have just the same parameters as the AP cluster bombs.

A detailed relation of the effects of cluster bombs following HE pen and HEK would be fine to have, though I understand it could get quite cryptic. HE pen looks clear enough, but does the HEK stands for the ability to kill infantry? And what about the APK, which incidentally is 0 for most cluster weapons?

[loktarr]

AP cluster are not effective against MBTs and other heavy tanks, but try it again BMPs, no one will survive... The most kill I have seen was a B-52 that killed with one of his 32 AP cluster bombs 6 BMPs...

[kevin]

Loktarr is right. Cluster bombs and MLRS are most effective against unarmored targets. IRL MLRS is used against artillery, especially towed tubes.

Plasma makes a good point about the Maverick, but I think it ought to be more accurate against AFVs. Perhaps 75%-80%

[MacGalin]

I agree, clusters work great against soft targets. But even against lightly armoured vehicles... i don't complain about lack of kills - (that i would understand), but about lack of hits. IE, dropping single AP bomb on tank group described in my first post should generate at least 3 - 4 hits (But i agree, that most of that hist should be " Not penetrating" against modern MBT's).

[JaM]

Give all aircraft armed with guided bombs or ATGM rangefinder rating 14-15, same as helicopters have.It will improve accuracy of them to 60-70% with more succesfull hits.

[loktarr]

don't complain about lack of kills - (that i would understand), but about lack of hits

that's right, it's a problem I encountered but not every time...

[Weasel]

I have seen the exact same thing. Missiles of all types have very low % hit chance. Cluster munitions have always been useless in MBT, the dreaded MLRS isn't so dreaded in this game. I for one won't waste money on them.

Have you ever seen movie clips of cluster munitions on THE MILITARY CHANNEL? Man those puppies lay waste to anything they come near!

[Wonder]

In my experience the most useful form of fire support is 155mm artillery that also has cluster munitions. I once was playing as Swedish defenders against a Russian advance. I saw a delicious bottleneck in form of a bridge, so I mined my end of it and had infantry to make sure nothing got through.

The infantry units came under heavy fire from the T80s and T72s parked on the bridge a couple of hexes away from them, so I called an artillery strike using CM on them. I usually use my FO to direct artillery for faster delivery even if they don't have LOS, but this time I knew accuracy would count more. Besides, my friendly infantry that was under fire was too close, so I used it to direct fire instead.

The result was devastating! The first single hit took out 4 T80s and 1 T72 parked in the same hex in addition to 2 more T72s parked in adjacent hexes! The remaining rounds didn't have much else other than their crews to take out!

Then again of course, the conditions were ideal; My spotter had LOS on the target, and the tanks were stationary and bunched up in a single hex on the bridge with no cover available.

[Thexder]

I think this changed with some patch (either 2.00 or 2.51) that made the artillery considerably more effective. I've been having fun with the Finnish 155mm off-map arty with AP-ammunition. I once destroyed 3 T-80's and 3 BMP-2's during one single strike! And that was against a human opponent that has usually beaten me. You can imagine my reaction when I watched the replay.