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Thread: CombatFlite -- a flight planning tool

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    476 vFG Founder Snoopy's Avatar
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    CombatFlite -- a flight planning tool

    https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=195724

    Quote Originally Posted by Viper39 View Post
    Hello!

    I would like to introduce a project I have been working on. CombatFlite is a flight planning tool for easy package-oriented mission planning, rehearsal and pre-flight preparation. Among many other features, it allows you to plan routes for multiple flights of a package, generate a mission data card and a customized route map, that you can print, save or export to your kneeboard as a .png file. One of the main planned features is the ability to create a data cartridge with flight route, aircraft loadout and aircraft systems settings (for appropriate aircraft types only -- the focus is obviously on A-10C, AJS-37, AV-8B, F/A-18C, but subject to practical feasibility to implement this feature).

    The overall goal of CombatFlite is to enhance the combat flight simulation experience by enabling realistic package-oriented flight planning.

    Attachment 171824

    Attachment 171825

    Attachment 171826

    Attachment 171827

    Attachment 171828

    Key features:
    - Creation of holding and refueling orbits, CAPs, SEAD CAPs, reference points, polygons and bullseyes
    - Easy flight route creation; snapping waypoints to created reference points, nav points, orbits, CAPs, airfields etc.
    - When moving a snap-to point (CAP, reference point, AAR orbit, etc.), all waypoints snapped to it automatically move with it
    - Nav point and airfield database
    - Automated loadout selection according to task
    - Cloning of flights for fast strike package building
    - Mission rehearsal (playback) via a timeline control with highlighted events (vul times, TOTs etc.)
    - Ability to create and export snapshots of critical phases of the mission
    -
    Customizable mission data card, route map and individual route leg maps with navigation info, TCN beacon fix, altitude as AMSL/QFE/AGL
    - Option to export the kneeboard, save it as a PNG, or print it
    - Data cartridge creation, including flight route, aircraft systems settings and configuration (subject to DCS/module support)
    - Basic .miz file import/export capability

    Extra features:
    - Weapons delivery tool (detailed delivery planning for selected air-to-ground munitions, printable/exportable delivery diagrams)
    - Visibility plot (360° line-of-sight visibility determination from a given point for a given aircraft height)
    - Color terrain visualization and highest peak depiction based on SRTM data
    - Ability to switch between different raster maps
    - Ability to add custom overlays (bitmap imagery)
    - Mission overview (total distances, flight durations, average speeds and altitudes of all flights)
    - Unit of measure selection to better suit your aircraft
    - QFE support
    - Fuel/performance calculation
    - Different visual themes (including High-Vis and WWII)

    Development status:
    All the abovementioned features are in various phases of development, many of which are complete. However, it is very much a WIP.

    Any input is highly appreciated!

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    476 vFG Founder Snoopy's Avatar
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    PMs between the dev and I. Any other suggestions let me know and I’ll relay.

    Quote Originally Posted by Viper39
    Thanks for the info. I have already developed a weapon delivery tool, which generates sled diagrams (based on open source data). Fuel planning, however, is one of the things I still have to implement. I have figured out quite a good math model, but have not implemented it yet. Open source (DCS) fuel consumption data for combinations of speed/alt/drag/weight would come in handy. Maybe Kimi could point me in the right direction?

    As far as the suggestions go:
    - terrain masking calculations are already done (i.e. the visibility plot tool), though they need to be tuned a bit (Earth curvature not accounted for)
    - SAM rings can be added to the map, as the ability to add labeled circles (of custom colors, filled/not filled) already exists but it might be a good idea to have a drop-down list with SAMs in the UI to automatically fill-in the radius of the ring based on the selected SAM
    - waypoint timings are already done
    - fuel requirements (fuel remaining on waypoints, min fuel needed etc.) still remain to be implemented
    - pop up attack planning is done, as it is an integral part of the weapons delivery tool (which generates sled diagrams among other things)

    Thanks for the inputs, and if you have any more ideas feel free to shoot me a message.

    Cheers,

    Viper

    Quote Originally Posted by Snoopy
    Specific to the A-10C creating a DTC doesn’t work because of some changes needed. One of our members (Noodle) was building a tool when I was still an ED tester and requested some fixes to work with his tool but ED basically ignored the feature request and they never made the changes. He also build an in-house tool to plan bombing sleds for the A-10C. I’ll reach out to him to see if he is willing to share that data. Another tool one of our members made was a fuel planner, Kimi said he’d be happy to share his data with you.

    A few suggestions from eddie (and I’ll send more if the pop up) are:
    -functions to calculate terrain masking
    -add SAM threat rings to the map
    -calculate fuel requirements and waypoint timings
    -Pop up attack planning


    Quote Originally Posted by Viper39
    Hi Snoopy!

    Thank you for you support regarding CombatFlite, the flight planning tool. I'm TDY at the moment, and will get back to working on it in a few weeks. In the meantime, if you have any ideas as to what features would really be useful, I'm all ears!

    One of the things I'm trying to do is to make it possible to make a sort of datacartridge for the A-10C with radio settings, MFCD, TAD, IFFCC, CDU settings etc. inside the tool and export it. The only way I see it can be done right now is to make the settings.lua files and place them into folders inside the DCS mission .miz file (as I figured you guys are already doing). If you guys have any ideas/inputs in this area, I'd be happy to hear them as well

    Cheers,

    Viper

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    I'm really curious to know what his open source references are that lead him to his sleds.


    A mission’s execution often reflects the quality, discipline, and tone set in the briefing. - Chris “Kimos” Haave

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    Founders Eddie's Avatar
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    If it’s useful we can give him the threat guide data on SAM/AAA to add threat ring presets. Im not too far from having it in a state where is was going to release a public version anyway.

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    I take it you haven't added data to the analysis I've made earlier so if he's just interested in data, not in the text that goes along with it, he can have my tables right away.


    A mission’s execution often reflects the quality, discipline, and tone set in the briefing. - Chris “Kimos” Haave

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    GOMER 2 Noodle's Avatar
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    Looks fantastic. It's a much better interface and more full-featured than AWE was planned to be.

    Some thoughts:

    I also wonder from where the sleds are sourced. Maybe the Battle Book which was leaked some time ago? Depending on how satisfied he is with his solution, I can provide him with some additional info and planning factors (ones i still had planned for future versions of DAPS).

    The infrastructure for doing DTCs is 95% there, and I suspect Oleg will fix/implement the remainder as part of Hornet development. Again, depending on how satisfied he is with his implementation, I can provide some details on the real world AWE used to generate the cartridges.

    A few suggestions:

    Visibility Plot - Add support for radar coverage splats. May require using basic RF refraction rules of thumb. May require scraping max scope range or max detection range values for each radar from DCS files. May require antenna height data. May require scraping target RCS values from DCS files.

    Threat rings - Automatically calculate Rmax and MRIR of factor threats based on planned aircraft altitude and RCS. May require scraping relevant data from DCS files or empirical data from 476th threat testing. May be dependent on ROE behavior.

    Attack planner - Include attack templates for visual depiction on the map, i.e. medium altitude wedge/bombs, low altitude wedge/guns/bombs, etc.

    Attack planner - Include visual depiction of collateral damage circles at preplanned DMPIs for the selected weapon based on PI tables. Also show max frag travel for deconfliction planning.

    Attack planner - Include visual depiction of weapon footprint based on planned delivery parameters, i.e. CBU pattern size shape and density, GATOR minefield size, etc.

    Flight planner - 3d map as a stretch goal? Great for attack planning and rehearsal.

    Attack planner - Visual depiction of IAM LAR centered on aircraft. May require empirical testing to determine kinematics. May need updating once AFM for IAMs is implemented.

    Attack planner - Support for air-launched standoff weapon planning, i.e. MALD/TALD, JSOW, JASSM, ALCM routes and profiles. Pending support for these items associated with Hornet development. May require empirical testing.

    Edit:

    Generate a diagram depicting vertical airspace deconfliction for all players in the scenario. I dont know the correct name for this diagram, maybe Tex can chime in. Basically it shows assigned altitude blocks for strikers, CAP, tankers, ISR, etc.
    Last edited by Noodle; 16Nov17 at 02:11.

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    Depending how open he is to our feature list and input he may want to create a forum account here. I feel if we post things on ED a shit ton of people are going to chime in and form opinions on what is posted etc. etc.


    A mission’s execution often reflects the quality, discipline, and tone set in the briefing. - Chris “Kimos” Haave

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    Senior Member Gliptal's Avatar
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    He might also be interested in my cartridger (generate CMSC, MFCD, TAD, and IFFCC settings) and Taser (generate Tacview .xml files to visualize SLED attack wires).

    https://www.476vfightergroup.com/sho...stom-cartridge
    https://www.476vfightergroup.com/sho...SlEds-Renderer

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    476 vFG Founder Snoopy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oliver View Post
    Depending how open he is to our feature list and input he may want to create a forum account here. I feel if we post things on ED a shit ton of people are going to chime in and form opinions on what is posted etc. etc.
    Please welcome (and be nice) ViperCF to the forums.
    Last edited by Snoopy; 16Nov17 at 19:58.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Oliver View Post
    I'm really curious to know what his open source references are that lead him to his sleds.
    Hello!

    The dimensions, weights and drag coefficients for let's say a Mk82 can be found for instance here:

    - Krishnamoorthy L.V., Kirk D.R., Glass R. An Aerodynamic Database for the Mk 82 General Purpose Low Drag Bomb. DSTO Aeronautical and Maritime Research Laboratory, 1997. Approved for public release.

    Besides, DCS has its own file with aero drag data.

    The rest is basically a math model (motion equations solved iteratively) and an atmosphere model (a standard ISA).

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