CCIP-subsim
Posts: 695
Joined: 11/10/2015 Status: offline
|
I did a bit more digging around, this time for A-1 loadouts of the Vietnam war, and discovered quite a number - along with a few weapon types (some unique to the Skyraider, others relevat to other platforms) that are definitely worth introducing. Long post follows Weapons Already in database but not used on the A-1 currently: #1739 - M30 100lb GPB #1566 - M57 250lb GPB #1567 - M64 500lb GPB #339 - M117 750lb GPB #1668 - M47 500lb Napalm (NOTE: not sure if it currently makes a difference in the game, but this was in fact a white phosphorus weapon, not napalm per se) #319 - LAU-3A Hydra 70mm rocket NEW WEAPONS/TYPES: "Daisy Cutter" fuse extenders: It may be useful to include these as versions of standard GPBs (both the M series and the Mk8x series) with better reliability, blast radius, and damage to soft targets (and proportionally less effective on hard targets/not effective on bunker-type targets). M66 1000lb GPB (NOTE: there may be an error in the database now - #1569 is listed as 2000lb GPB and currently uses an Mk84 warhead. This is not correct as it should be a Mk83 equivalent instead.) M1A frag cluster bomb: "a pre-built cluster of six 20lb fragmentation bomblets banded together in a six-bomb cluster. The M1A was used throughout the [Vietnam] war by A-1s of both services." (Source - Osprey's USAF and VNAF A-1 Skyraider Units of the Vietnam War) These are literally bundles of 20lb bombs, with no outer casing or dispenser, mounted together on one station (3 in front, 3 behind per station). These disperse as they're dropped and are mostly used against personnel. The total weight of this weapon is about 150lb per station. Rocket pods: 2.75in LAU-59 and LAU-68: 7 x 2.75mm FFAR* LAU-19: 19 x 2.75mm FFAR* (equivalent to current LAU-3A pod, #319) * - the 2.75 rockets came in three varieties: HE (as currently in game), WP (white phosphorus, used primarily for target marking but also incendiary), HEAT (anti-tank), Flechette (anti-personnel, ~2500 stamped darts). "Normally, an entire pod would be loaded with a single type of warhead, rather than having them mixed." (Source - Osprey's USAF and VNAF A-1 Skyraider Units of the Vietnam War) - may be worth introducing these varieties as separate entries as well. CBUs: the A-1 had the SUU-14 dispenser designed specifically for it, which was comprised of six 2.75in tubes welded together - so it's often mistaken for a rocket launcher pod based on how it looks. It was used for several CBU types, all in the 250lb weight class. It was not itself dropped, but the tubes simply opened at the back to release the munitions at low (down to 100ft) altitudes. CBU variants using it: CBU-14/A - 250 lb, 132 x BLU-3/B 1.75 lb frag (HE) clusters, anti-personnel, 0.35 lb RDX explosive each. High failure rate, especially in forested environments (needed impact on relatively hard surface to detonate). Replaced by improved CBU-25 in the course of the Vietnam war. CBU-22/A - 250 lb, 72 x BLU-17/B 1.1 lb white phosphorus (WP) smoke/incendiary clusters. Used primarily for generating smoke screens rather than incendiary effects. CBU-25/A - 250 lb, 132 x BLU-24/B 1.6 lb frag (HE) clusters, anti-personnel, 0.26 lb Cyclotol explosive each. Designed for Vietnam, detonated between forest canopy and ground - much better reliability and anti-personnel effects than the CBU-14 which it replaced. THE preferred CBU of A-1 crews in Vietnam and carried most commonly. CBU-57/A - 250 lb, 132 x BLU-69/B 1.6 lb incendiary (WP/napalm?) clusters, anti-personnel/anti-materiel. Similar spherical bomblet to CBU-25, but with damage effects from fire on contact. Better effects than the frag bomblets against soft vehicles rather than personnel. Chemical (area denial) bomb: CBU-30 tear gas bomb - 750lb, 1280 x BLU-39/B CS Bomblets in 40 x CDU-12/B cluster adapters, carried in an SUU-13/A dispenser. Non-lethal weapon used for crowd control, and favoured in Vietnam on "Sandy" SAR escort missions to keep enemy personnel from reaching downed airmen in rescue areas. Not sure what the best way to model it with CMANO would be, but if it's possible to make it only affect personnel (and no other target types) that would be reasonable enough. Napalm: Overlapping with some of the above, but a few options here: BLU-1/B - 750 lb napalm bomb, incendiary BLU-10/B - 500 lb napalm bomb, incendiary BLU-27/B - 750 lb napalm-B, incendiary (improved version of BLU-1/B, filled with the heavier Napalm-B mixture) BLU-23/B - 500 lb napalm-B, incendiary (improved version of BLU-10/B, filled with the heavier Napalm-B mixture) PT1 cluster bombs: PT1 is a mixture of petroleum oil, magnesium waste, and isobutyl thickener - i.e. similar to napalm but designed to spread and burn through surfaces fast (rather than stick to surfaces and burn for longer, like napalm). Used as filler for incendiary cluster bomblets, and used primarily by low-level night bombing aircraft - these burned much more intensely, and when detonated sprayed out the burning magnesium-petroleum mixture from a "flute" on the side of the ball-shaped bomblet, which also propelled the bomblets themselves around and spread fire through the burst area. I did not find direct evidence that these were carried by A-1s in Vietnam, but this is plausible. They were definitely used extensively by night-operating A-26s, though were less popular than the even more destructive Thermite "funny bombs" (see below). (source: FM 3-8 Army Field Manual, 1971 - Chemical Reference Handbook) M31 - 500lb, 38 x M74 1.3 lb, 2.32 in spherical PT1 bomblets, incendiary M35 - 750lb, 57 x M74A1 1.3 lb PT1 bomblets (equivalent to M31's load), incendiary Thermite bombs: These were the so-called "Funny Bombs", widely used by various night-bombing units (including A-1s), particularly on the Ho Chi Minh trail. It was highly favoured by both A-1 and A-26 night bombers, though was available in relatively limited quantities compared to some of the other weapons. While not a CBU per se it functioned similarly to them; it was more famously used as a major weapon in the firebombing of Japanese cities in 1945. These were similar to the PT1 bomblets in their use, but even more volatile. The large, non-spinning canister of thermite grenades tended not to disperse them far before impact, but as they detonated on contact the grenades also tended to propel themselves around a wider area, setting fire to everything they came in contact with, and was effective for destroying all types of soft targets including trucks and wooden buildings. (source: FM 3-8 Army Field Manual, 1971 - Chemical Reference Handbook; TM-9-1325-200 - Bombs and Bomb Components) M32 - 500lb-class*, 108 x AN-M50A3 bomblets (grenades), 3.6 lb weight with 0.63lb TH3 (thermite) filler, incendiary M36 - 750lb-class*, 182 x M126 bomblets (grenades), 3.6 lb weight with 0.63 lb TH3 (thermite) filler, incendiary - this was the primary "funny bomb" used in Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia * - although classed as 500lb/750lb weapons, these munitions were in fact about 610 and 900lb in actual weight respectively. A-1 LOADOUTS These should be applicable to all versions of the A-1, though this is mainly geared to those used in Vietnam. (changes for existing loadouts) -change default attack altitude from 12000ft to 1000ft AGL (should be safe for all bombs up to 1000lb) - A-1s did not tend to go this high in their attack phase. TYPO: loadout #201 is lists first weapon as "Mk81 LDGP" but the loadout actually has 4x Mk82 LDGP. New Loadouts to Add No need to add all of these if they seem too much! But if needed, I can post up photo evidence for these configurations having been carried The A-1 was definitely very flexible loadout-wise, and was almost impossible to overload, while being able to carry virtually any ordnance on any station. The A-1 had 14 stations for ordnance on the wings, plus a centerline station for the 1200l fuel tank (not used for ordnance), and it was not uncommon to see all of them used up in a loadout. The centerline tank was considered optional if the mission was relatively short-range. The inboard 8 stations could all support weapons in the 750-1000lb range, while I have not seen pictures of anything larger than 500lb (and more typically 250lb) on the outer six stations. Loadouts below mainly based on photos found in (source: Osprey USAF and VNAF Skyraider Units of the Vietnam War). (note: I listed the release altitude default as 1000ft for nearly all of them, because for mixed loadouts with low-drag frag bombs, that's the minimum safe altitude to make sure that all weapons in that loadout can be used without the player having to fiddle around with altitudes. I am not sure how the AI actually decides the release altitudes; in actuality, these tended to be much lower for most of the weapons carried by the A-1s. For most napalm bombs, for example, 300-500ft was actually the maximum release altitude, since releasing them higher reduced the napalm 'footprint' on the ground and tended to burn through much of the fuel mix before it hit anything.) #### CAS/BAI (typical mix, early): M117 GPB, BLU-1/B napalm, CBU-14/A frag cluster 2x M117 750lb GPB, 4x BLU-1B 750lb napalm, 2x CBU-14/A 250lb frag cluster, 1200 liter drop tank Defaults: release alt 1000ft, Winchester #### CAS/BAI (early, heavy): BLU-1/B napalm, BLU-10/B napalm, M47 WP, CBU-14/A frag cluster 2x BLU-1/B 750lb napalm, 2x BLU-10/B 500lb napalm, 4x M47 500lb WP, 6x CBU-14/A 250lb frag cluster, 1200 liter drop tank Defaults: release alt 1000ft, Winchester #### CAS/BAI (light bombs, early) M57 GPB, M47 WP 10x M57 250lb GPB, 2x M47 500 lb WP, 1200 liter Drop Tank Defaults: release alt 1000ft, Winchester #### CAS/BAI (frag dispensers and napalm, early): CBU-14/A frag cluster, BLU-1/B napalm 10x CBU-14/A 250lb frag cluster, 2x BLU-1/B 750lb napalm bomb, 1200 liter Drop Tank Defaults: release alt 1000ft, Winchester #### CAS/BAI (improved variant of above): CBU-25/A frag cluster, BLU-27/B napalm 10x CBU-25/A 250lb frag cluster, 2x BLU-27/B 750lb napalm bomb, 1200 liter Drop Tank Defaults: release alt 1000ft, Winchester #### CAS/BAI (similar to above, but reversed roles for weapons stations): CBU-57/B incendiary cluster, M117 (Daisy Cutter) GPB 10x CBU-57/B 250lb incendiary cluster, 2x M117 (Daisy Cutter) 750lb GPB, 1200 liter Drop Tank Defaults: release alt 1000ft, Winchester #### CAS/BAI (late, heavy): BLU-27/B napalm, BLU-23/B napalm, LAU-3 WP rockets, CBU-25/A frag cluster 2x BLU-27/B 750lb napalm, 2x BLU-23/B 500lb napalm, 4x LAU-3 2.75in x 19 (WP) rockets, 6x CBU-25/A 250lb frag cluster, 1200 liter drop tank Defaults: release alt 1000ft, Winchester #### CAS/BAI (jungle clearing, early): M117 (Daisy Cutter) GPB, M57 (Daisy Cutter) GPB, M1A Frag Cluster 2x M117 (Daisy Cutter) 750lb GPB, 4x M57 (Daisy Cutter) 250LB GPB, 6x M1A Frag Cluster, 1200 liter Drop Tank Defaults: release alt 1000ft, Winchester #### CAS/BAI (jungle clearing, late): Mk-83 (Daisy Cutter) LDGP, Mk-82 LDGP, CBU-57/A incendiary cluster 2x Mk-83 (Daisy Cutter) 1000lb LDGP, 4x Mk-82 500lb LDGP, 2x CBU-57/A 250lb incendiary cluster, 1200 liter Drop Tank #### CAS/BAI (mixed weapons, soft targets): BLU-27/B napalm, LAU-19 2.75in rockets, M57 GPB 2x BLU-27/B 750lb napalm, 2x LAU-19 2.75in x 19 rockets (flechette), 10x M57 250lb GPB, 1200 liter Drop Tank (optional) Defaults: release alt 1000ft, Winchester #### CAS/BAI (mixed weapons, soft targets): BLU-27/B napalm, LAU-59 2.75in rockets, M1A frag cluster 4x BLU-27/B 750lb napalm, 4x LAU-59 2.75in x 7 rockets (flechette), 6x M1A frag clusters, 1200 liter Drop Tank (optional) Defaults: release alt 500ft, Winchester #### CAS/BAI (light - longer range?): BLU-27/B napalm, CBU-25A frag cluster, 7.62mm Guns 4x BLU-23/B 500lb napalm, 2x CBU-25/A 250lb frag cluster, 2x SUU-11/A 7.62mm Minigun Burst, 1200 liter Drop Tank (optional), Defaults: release alt 500ft, Winchester #### CAS/BAI (strafing): LAU-19 rockets, M47 WP, 7.62mm Guns 6x LAU-19 2.75in x 19 rockets (HE), 2x M47 500lb WP, 2x SUU-11/A 7.62mm Minigun Burst, 1200 liter Drop Tank (optional), #### CAS/BAI (all-Napalm): BLU-27/B napalm 8x BLU-27/B 750lb napalm bomb, 1200 liter Drop Tank (optional) Defaults: release alt 500ft, Winchester #### CAS/BAI (SAR escort, strafing): BLU-23/B napalm, CBU-57/A incendiary cluster, LAU-3 rockets, 7.62 mm Guns 2x BLU-23/B 500lb napalm bomb, 2x CBU-57/A 250lb incendiary cluster, 2x LAU-3 2.75in x19 (HE) rockets, 2x LAU-3 2.75in x19 (flechette) rockets, 2x SUU-11/A 7.62mm Minigun Burst, 1200 liter Drop Tank (optional) Defaults: release alt 1000ft, Winchester #### CAS/BAI (SAR escort, area denial): CBU-30 tear gas, M47 WP 2x CBU-30 750lb tear gas, 12x M47 500lb WP, 1200 liter Drop Tank Defaults: release alt 1000ft, Winchester #### CAS/BAI (night interdiction): M36 thermite bombs, BLU-23/B napalm, LAU-19 rockets, M1A frag cluster 2x M36 750lb thermite bomb, 2x BLU-23/B 500lb napalm, 2x LAU-19 (flechette) x19 2.75in rockets, 2x M1A frag cluster, 2x generic illumination flare, 1200 liter Drop Tank (optional) Defaults: release alt 1000ft, Winchester #### CAS/BAI (night interdiction, variant): M36 thermite bombs, BLU-23/B napalm, Mk-82 Daisy Cutter, CBU-57/A incendiary cluster 2x M36 750lb thermite bomb, 2x BLU-23/B 500lb napalm, 2x Mk-82 (Daisy Cutter) LDGP, 2x CBU-57/A 250lb incendiary cluster, 2x generic illumination flare, 1200 liter Drop Tank (optional) Defaults: release alt 1000ft, Winchester #### Land/Naval Strike: M117 GPB, M57 GPB 2x M117 1000lb GPB, 10x M57 250lb GPB, 1200 liter Drop Tank Defaults: release alt 1000ft, Winchester #### Land/Naval Strike (low-level, light): Mk-82 Snakeeyes, LAU-59 2.75in rockets 6x Mk-82 Snakeyes, 4x LAU-59 2.75in x 7 rockets (HE), 1200 liter Drop Tank (optional) Defaults: release alt 500ft, Winchester
< Message edited by CCIPsubsim -- 6/21/2017 10:16:29 PM >
|