RPK10 and AFN2 beacons

[Archie]

Does anyone have any information on just how common use of these homing beacons were in Russia in the early days of the war, and what aircraft they were typically fitted to?
As they are an option for quite a few aircraft in game I guess the info must be out there somewhere!

[LukeFF]

They were typically found at the larger airfields - for instance, they were present at Gumrak, Pitomnik, Tatsinskaya, Basargino, and Morozovskaya for the Ju 52 airlift operations.

[klebor]

In case of Yaks radio beacon receivers were used only by Air Defense Forces (PVO Strany) together with landing light.

Tactical fighters didn't have this devices.

Edited August 14, 2018 by sereme1

[Sgt_Joch]

Navigation on the eastern front was more basic than in the west. However, the Russians had early warning radar systems around Leningrad and Moscow as early as 1941 and were already implementing Ground Control over Stalingrad in 1942 using radar and ground based observation posts. Bombers on both sides were using RDF and homing beacons from the beginning of the war though (where available). You will notice that LW bombers have RDF as standard equipment from 1941 even though it does not show up on 109s and 190s until 1943-44.

 

Slightly off topic, but it would be nice to know what the Devs have planned, if anything, as far as navigation improvements for Bodenplatte. The Spitfire IX does not have any RDF equipment, but obviously the pilots did not rely just on dead reckoning and landmarks to navigate. From my reading, it seems there was a lot of guidance from the ground, both about the location of potential "bogeys" and to direct flights to their home airfields.

 

Obviously none of that is in the game now, although I presume we can use the mission editor to provide "messages" to the player about the bearing/distance of AI enemy flights in SP missions? A basic "vector to home base" radio command, like in Il-2 1946 would also help navigating in the Spit IX.

Edited August 14, 2018 by Sgt_Joch

[joji]

I would love to see option for Spitfires to get bearing to home airfield via radio. In a heat of battle I sometimes get lost.

[PhilthySpud]

On 5/17/2021 at 6:31 AM, joji said:

I would love to see option for Spitfires to get bearing to home airfield via radio. In a heat of battle I sometimes get lost.

From Normandy head north: you can’t miss England ?

 

(Seriously, that was the rule of thumb back in the day...)

[Charon]

25 minutes ago, PhilthySpud said:

From Normandy head north: you can’t miss England ?

 

(Seriously, that was the rule of thumb back in the day...)

 

Oh, plenty of pilots did. F.T.K Bullmore's The Dark Haven is quite an interesting read. He lead (under-appreciated and under-funded) efforts to help damaged bombers and other planes find their way safely home. For instance, if the radar operators tracked a friendly? contact that seemed to be headed out the channel towards the Atlantic, they could give the signal to turn on lighthouses along the Cornish coast, so they would realize their error. And sometimes they had to turn on searchlights and runway lights to guide a plane in. But some planes still wound up lost over the Atlantic or the North sea. And in some cases those "friendly?" contacts turned out to be German intruders.

[Jeronimo83]

6 hours ago, Charon said:

 

Oh, plenty of pilots did. F.T.K Bullmore's The Dark Haven is quite an interesting read. He lead (under-appreciated and under-funded) efforts to help damaged bombers and other planes find their way safely home. For instance, if the radar operators tracked a friendly? contact that seemed to be headed out the channel towards the Atlantic, they could give the signal to turn on lighthouses along the Cornish coast, so they would realize their error. And sometimes they had to turn on searchlights and runway lights to guide a plane in. But some planes still wound up lost over the Atlantic or the North sea. And in some cases those "friendly?" contacts turned out to be German intruders.

What time period was this? As I am informed, the RAF radar system was extremely helpful in guiding planes to targets and back home. Hence all the night flights performed.

 

 

[PhilthySpud]

Bullmore began his work in 1940 as I recall. At that time there was a fairly sophisticated system for tracking aircraft but only for air defence purposes. Bullmore was a pioneer in realising that the system could also be exploited to provide assistance to aircraft in distress. BTW, I reviewed The Dark Haven in a recent issue of The Aviation Historian ?

[Jaegermeister]

On 8/14/2018 at 3:48 PM, Sgt_Joch said:

 

Slightly off topic, but it would be nice to know what the Devs have planned, if anything, as far as navigation improvements for Bodenplatte. The Spitfire IX does not have any RDF equipment, but obviously the pilots did not rely just on dead reckoning and landmarks to navigate. From my reading, it seems there was a lot of guidance from the ground, both about the location of potential "bogeys" and to direct flights to their home airfields.

 

Obviously none of that is in the game now, although I presume we can use the mission editor to provide "messages" to the player about the bearing/distance of AI enemy flights in SP missions? A basic "vector to home base" radio command, like in Il-2 1946 would also help navigating in the Spit IX.

The allied flights in Europe had ground controllers that kept track of them once they were airborne. The flights were warned of bogies in their areas with range and bearing vectors. If they were on offensive patrol, they would be directed towards suspected enemy flights. When the mission was complete, they were given a heading and distance to home base. Home base would take over once they were within visual range to direct them.

 

You can simulate this to a certain extent in single player missions by using a cover command with a spotter vehicle as a ground controller. It does have some idiosyncrasies though. The spotter vehicle will give radio calls and designate enemy vehicles or planes as targets.

 

I don’t know of any way to simulate the ground control home base vector except custom radio calls with a media player command in the mission, but that could be done. You could record media clips and play them when you want to give directions home. In a Scripted mission, you would know those location details for AI planes.

 

The new Marshal mode is being worked on which should include some features for controlling flights by in game communication, but I’m not sure of the details and how it will be implemented.

 

 

Edited May 25, 2021 by Jaegermeister

[BMA_FlyingShark]

On 5/16/2021 at 10:31 PM, joji said:

I would love to see option for Spitfires to get bearing to home airfield via radio.

Me too and for the other planes that have radio equipment too.

 

Have a nice day.

 

[Trooper117]

On 8/14/2018 at 8:48 PM, Sgt_Joch said:

A basic "vector to home base" radio command, like in Il-2 1946 would also help navigating

 

I can't understand why on earth the command system from the old IL2 wasn't implemented from the start... I know Jason and crew inherited a 'sticky wicket' from the original 'rebirth of IL2, BoS' from the former person in charge, but the command system has been asked for on a regular basis, and I think Jason at one stage said he would look at it as a possibility...

I live in hope ?

[RossMarBow]

P39 you have to change the channel as its the only plane that defaults to the wrong channel

On combat box I believe you can now get vector home via radio bot thing