US running out of dumb bombs?

[Marcello]

Originally Posted by Suhiir

Anyone else heard anything like this?
If true perhaps US aircraft in the OOBs should have their weapon loads adjusted...particularly in future units (say 2015+). Hard to drop bombs you don't have anymore.

From what I remember PGM in the game do not affect terrain, so you cannot use them to drop a bridge, for example. So you would miss a capability.

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by Marcello

From what I remember PGM in the game do not affect terrain, so you cannot use them to drop a bridge, for example. So you would miss a capability.

Use a plane with a large LGB, then. PGM do affect terrain, but only planes fire PGM. (You may be confusing PGM with cluster munitions?).

Cheers
Andy

[Marcello]

Originally Posted by Mobhack

Use a plane with a large LGB, then. PGM do affect terrain, but only planes fire PGM. (You may be confusing PGM with cluster munitions?).
Cheers
Andy

I have checked the issue to see if memory has started to play tricks, but it seems it has not.

I have taken a map with a river and three parallel bridges side by side (so near misses would still hit bridge hexes).
Then I created a test scenario set in the 2000s, USA vs North Korea using said map.
For the US I purchased
1)several FO vehicles
2) three flights composed by two unit. n.146 F-15E Eagle, each armed with two weapon n.213 2000lb Paveway, probably the most powerful guided bomb in the game.
3) For further check, one flight composed by two unit
n. 595 F-22 Raptor, each armed with two 1000 Ib JDAM
weapon n. 207

I then used the american FO to set up an opening bombardment of the central bridge at the start of the scenario, which I then ran for five times.
For five times I sat back watching the USAF hitting those bridges with a dozen of 2000 Ib LGBs and JDAMs. And for five times, after the smoke cleared, the bridges were standing there without a scratch.

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by Marcello

I have checked the issue to see if memory has started to play tricks, but it seems it has not.

I have taken a map with a river and three parallel bridges side by side (so near misses would still hit bridge hexes).
Then I created a test scenario set in the 2000s, USA vs North Korea using said map.
For the US I purchased
1)several FO vehicles
2) three flights composed by two unit. n.146 F-15E Eagle, each armed with two weapon n.213 2000lb Paveway, probably the most powerful guided bomb in the game.
3) For further check, one flight composed by two unit
n. 595 F-22 Raptor, each armed with two 1000 Ib JDAM
weapon n. 207

I then used the american FO to set up an opening bombardment of the central bridge at the start of the scenario, which I then ran for five times.
For five times I sat back watching the USAF hitting those bridges with a dozen of 2000 Ib LGBs and JDAMs. And for five times, after the smoke cleared, the bridges were standing there without a scratch.

That is because we changed the damage model so that shell holes, dropped buildings etc are no longer guaranteed, especially for smaller WH sizes. (In the old model, a 1000lb bomb hit or 8in shell (?) hit was absolutely guaranteed to drop a stone bridge). (Game Guide -> Release History -> WinSPMBT version 5.0 Upgrade patch -> bullet No. 18).

So arty bombardments now cause less of a "lunar landscape" effect (craters on the ground or smashed up towns) unless you pound the ground for several turns with 122mm+ shells.

Same goes for bridges - unless it gets a "cratering" effect, the bomb (or shell) will be doing no structural damage to the bridge terrain. Bridges are tough targets (normally needing a day or so of engineer preparation to prepare a demolition) and you will have to work at dropping them now - multiple hits will likely be needed, unless the bomb rolls a good die roll. No more instant elimination of the bridge hex and the 10 tanks the AI has parked on it now !

AFAIR - the demolition unit class (if large enough warhead), if set on a bridge hex, is reasonably reliable as a bridge demolition method.

Cheers
Andy

[Imp]

IEDs or fougasse cant rember which think IED seem to have a good chance if I remember takes 2 on average to drop a stone bridge but no guarantee. Sounds about right they are very hard to destroy & even engineers muck it up