The Bunny Fighter
- 8 years ago
The Mig-21 I am sim flying is the DCS Mig-21bis, by Leatherneck Studios. This module is surely one of the best in DCS and a personal favorite of mine. First flown in 1972 and once used as a front line Interceptor, the Mig-21bis is a museum piece in some countries. Yet, the Mig-21bis continues to serve in a number of nations, even performing in combat. In the Syrian Civil War, the Mig-21bis continues to fly missions, as a recon and also attacking ground targets.
Syrian pilots fly antique planes over a battlefield littered with state of the art manpads. It takes fifteen minutes to master firing a manpad. A person can practically learn how to shoot down a Mig-21bis with a manpad and do so, while a Mig-21bis is loitering overhead to hit a target. Where there are manpads, in any hands, such weapons are a tremendous threat to the Mig-21bis. And, believe it or not, Syrian pilots had to make due with planes less capable than the Mig-21, including the Aero L39ZA Albatros, which is truly at a pronounced disadvantage against manpads.
To compound the problems facing Syrian Mig pilots, they must often hit targets with hastily constructed bombs, without any manner of automated technology to calculate the impact point of their bombs. The Mig-21 will only make predictions about the ballistic impact point of forward firing rockets, not free falling bombs. This means that Syrian Mig-21bis pilots must use tables, make some calculations in the head, and fly a particularly precise and predictable path to a target, in order to hit with any precision.
To hope to drop a bomb from a Mig-21bis, or L39ZA, with any precision, a Syrian pilot must establish the correct gun sight deflector angle, given a particular dive angle, establish the correct ingress point dive altitude, establish the correct ingress point dive speed, establish the release altitude & release speed, consider the correct bombing distance, establish the target size and come up with a fictitious target base. Making any manner of error, with any of these parameters, can throw off the delivery of a bomb. Then the Syrian pilot must fly according to these parameters, without deviation. All the while, Syrian pilots must contend with state of the art manpads and other anti aircraft weapons, as they do their best to accurately hit terrorists, while avoiding civilians.
Syrian pilots will fly four or five times over a target, just to ensure they hit the target, while minimizing injury to non combatants. All the while, they are under threat of being hit, without warning, from manpads and other weapons. The job of a Syrian Mig-21bis pilot is very challenging and extremely dangerous.
Syrian pilots fly antique planes over a battlefield littered with state of the art manpads. It takes fifteen minutes to master firing a manpad. A person can practically learn how to shoot down a Mig-21bis with a manpad and do so, while a Mig-21bis is loitering overhead to hit a target. Where there are manpads, in any hands, such weapons are a tremendous threat to the Mig-21bis. And, believe it or not, Syrian pilots had to make due with planes less capable than the Mig-21, including the Aero L39ZA Albatros, which is truly at a pronounced disadvantage against manpads.
To compound the problems facing Syrian Mig pilots, they must often hit targets with hastily constructed bombs, without any manner of automated technology to calculate the impact point of their bombs. The Mig-21 will only make predictions about the ballistic impact point of forward firing rockets, not free falling bombs. This means that Syrian Mig-21bis pilots must use tables, make some calculations in the head, and fly a particularly precise and predictable path to a target, in order to hit with any precision.
To hope to drop a bomb from a Mig-21bis, or L39ZA, with any precision, a Syrian pilot must establish the correct gun sight deflector angle, given a particular dive angle, establish the correct ingress point dive altitude, establish the correct ingress point dive speed, establish the release altitude & release speed, consider the correct bombing distance, establish the target size and come up with a fictitious target base. Making any manner of error, with any of these parameters, can throw off the delivery of a bomb. Then the Syrian pilot must fly according to these parameters, without deviation. All the while, Syrian pilots must contend with state of the art manpads and other anti aircraft weapons, as they do their best to accurately hit terrorists, while avoiding civilians.
Syrian pilots will fly four or five times over a target, just to ensure they hit the target, while minimizing injury to non combatants. All the while, they are under threat of being hit, without warning, from manpads and other weapons. The job of a Syrian Mig-21bis pilot is very challenging and extremely dangerous.