Hey guys! Loads of new DCS World pilots ask me how to get their targeting pod onto a target, this tutorial goes over 6 different methods for acquiring a target to attack with your LITENING or ATFLIR pod in the DCS F/A-18C!

as a VR user, i like the hmd designation by far the most. especially if i play on large pvp servers without premade waypoints.

Spuds, this was the tutorial I've been waiting for... A lot of the stuff out there goes into way too much detail about shit I don't use or will ever use. Everything you went over is practical for a casual DCS pilot just wanting to slap warheads on foreheads. Great video man, keep up the great work.

The F18 is sooooo complicated....i have NEVER used the ground radar to lock a target. Love It, such a GREAT video. Thank you sir.

Hey Spudknocker! The issue why you are losing radar lock the FLIR needs to be on the right DDI. You need to switch from the A2G radar to the FLIR on the right DDI and you will maintain the radar lock. Doing a sensor control switch left undesignates the radar track.

Amazing tutorial, I was learning the hornet after a long time away from DCS, started with no Tpod weapons, and now moving to Ground radar and laser, this is the best tutorial on Tpod, Very very clear and showing several ways to add the SPI, its just great material. Thank you for the work put into it.

Important: If you put a waypoint on your target in your mission editor to designate in flight, don't forget to set the elevation to zero for the Hornet or the Warthog or you will be off. The Viper, however, does not need this step. Question: Is the "tgp looks behind the target thing" not fixable by laser distance measuring? It is in the Warthog, does it also work in the Hornet?

I've just discovered the world of realistic home flight sims and watching this tutorial has me extremely excited to build my own F/A-18C Hornet sim in the future. I just learned about DCS today! I've already found 90% of everything I'd need to build a pretty close replica and I'll definitely be using your videos as a training source once I'm ready to take flight.

This is one of the best training video's I have seen on this topic. Great Job! Passed it to all my flight buddies that are struggling to use the POD.

I am a new DCS pilot and like everyone struggling quite a bit during the beginning. I am an actual licensed pilot of real airplanes, but have not flown one in years causes sims are just more fun. Learning DCS is a quite bit more difficult for me than any other game or sim I have tried. Getting the throttle and stick buttons working properly has been crazy confusing for at least a week. I was getting pretty frustrated before finding your channel but your teaching style is perfect for me. I really appreciate you using actual key binding names as that makes it simple to follow on. Liked and subscribed. Thank you for the great content. ❤

Thank you for this vid. I just struggled for a few hours trying to find any targets,couldn't find any since I couldn't get the pod in the proper area. This was explained in a very easy way for me to understand.

I was off for some years and back into DCS since last year and by this time, you're my DCS tutor of choice for the Hornet. So, many thanks for your efforts, your work and keep up the good work.

I was struggling so bad learning this, thanks, good vid

I find it easier to put the FLIR pod targeting on the AMPCD, helps to differentiate stuff a little better when the monitor is capable of distinguishing more colors than solid green.

Fantastic and clear tutorial..!! been looking for one like this for a while now! it explains it all... thanks a lot man!! keep up the great work, we all appreciate it!

Great video Spud as always. Good to know all the different ways to acquire targets as they add more to the F/A-18C. And you take the viewer step-by-step and when to use for different ranges, which is also very helpful. Keep up the good work, the community appreciates you.

Amazing! Video! Thank you! I've been trying to find my targets on the radar but there is not enough detail for me to find it. Then i started slewing the flir around to try to find it but to no success. Using HMD while close is awsome! Thank you for showing that!

Man this couldn’t have come at a better time! Just starting to get into the air to ground and was having such a hard time, thank you.

Nice presentation. Very useful information... as always!

Verry nice tuto, Thx Spud.

Thanks for this video. All the great info, as usual, in 1 place. Thanks so much. I needed this video.

Thanks for this, Spud. "As always" very clear, informative and pleasing to watch.

Brilliant tutorial Thanks Spud

This is the video we all needed! And I am in no way a new DCS player ;)

Thank you for a great visualisation of all of these methods :)

Great video! Very informative and will be helpful as I move forward!

Fantastic video. Thank you.

just the video i've been looking for, thanks !

Great video man 👍🏻

Nicely done, very informative. Thanks

Learnt useful stuff. Thank you

Thanks. That was very very useful.

Very GooD tutorial Thank you!

Really good video. subscribed

thanks !! great tutorial

very helpful!!🤩

Any other beginners out there with a melted mind? This sim is incredible but learning everything is a long journey.

Awsome video, thanks!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you

It will be amazing when next gen avionics intersect with usability. Abstracting the minutia from the sensors and displays, making a simple human interface will be a game changer. I hear the F22 is a large step in this direction...but who knows.

Thanks, I needed that! I still need help with the F-16 also and the harrier. I find that finding the actual targets is the hardest thing in DCS besides AAR.

this was very usefull, please do a video on jdam setup and paveways

Hi there guys. I've been flying in dcs for a while now. I think I started around a year ago. I have become quite decent at flying the f16 and f18, i know all the systems and feel comfy in a wide range of singleplayer missions. I've been exclusively flying singleplayer though as I never had the courage to really join onto a server. I tried out the growling sidewinder server once, but I didnt really grasp what the rules were and how everything functioned. Furthermore i tried the "just dogfight" server, but i didnt even figure out how to spawn and get to the dogfighting part. I would really like to start playing on servers but I honestly feel totally lost. I started looking around on youtube and elsewhere for tutorials on multiplayer servers. But I really didn't find much besides tutorials on "how to join a server" Coming over from more casual games, where I can simply press play to participate and have fun, feels kinda overwhelming. Things that confuse me: - types of servers/ gamesmodes etc. - communication and how to do it properly and with what tools - I always worry that im doing something wrong - getting from joining a server to actually flying and doing the right thing I would really appreciate some tips on how to get started in multiplayer. And maybe some server recommendations. Thanks a lot in advance!!!

Thanks for the very good information as I am trying to learn the F-18. Any Idea on when we might see a working ground radar on the F-16? I miss not being able to track moving targets with my radar.

Oh wow, another great tutorial, as always! slaving TGP to HMD was the thing I always wished for! I have another extremely crucial question :) Is it possible to directly designate a point in SA/HSI page and find its coordinate? Let's say I see a SAM area in my SA page, and I would like to report its coordinate for other strike groups.

can you make a video on how to fly the airplane to avoid masking the TPOD. For example, after releasing a LGB how to maneuver to keep the target laser marked, especially at low altitude. Another example is how to conduct recon from afar without approaching the target area and setup your markpoints on the targets. The focus would be on how to maneuver the plane properly/optimally.

Hey There! What sensitivity / curve / deadzone settings do you personally use for your TDC in the hornet?

Hey, are you using trackir? Would you be willing to share your profile? I am VERY jealous how smooth your movements are. My settings are good, but I am still struggling with my zoom and Z-axis! If not, it's cool and I appreciate you taking the time to provide us all with another amazing tutorial!

Spud, can you share your TDC axis tune numbers?

In the A10c you could fire the laser at a target and create a mark point on your laser target. To avoid the drift or inaccurate parts that you described. No idea if it works in hornet.

Great tutorial, thanks Spudknocker. What I'd like to be able to do is use WayPoint Designate to mark a target (to say target a hangar as an example), but then move the target acquired diamond on the FLIR from the hangar to a new target structure nearby. However if the WayPoint Designate button stays boxed when I do this, the LGB I launch goes towards the hangar at the waypoint, not the new structure where the diamond is located on the FLIR. If I unbox the WayPoint Designate button then the FLIR camera doesn't stay on the location where I have moved the targetting diamond, it (I think) resets to look directly forward. Is there a way to have the FLIR camera stay on the new target when WayPoint designate is unboxed? I hope that makes sense.

Is there a useful keybind for zooming in and out with the pod? Clicking the buttons is a little tedious and you seem to have it mapped. And is that realistic, does the F18 have HOTAS switches for that, maybe in a multiple use way? Thanks for the great tutorial, really helped me getting into this stuff for my current campaign

Great Tutorial - aaas always! ;-) Is there a possibility to change the slew-speed of the target-designator? Keep on doing tutorials you sexy beast! ;-) Maybe a paveway- or glidebomb-tutorial...? btw: What fools are klicking "thumbs down"...?

Could you do a video on how to drop a JDAM with just the AG Radar on a small target like a static vehicle?

24:00 Lol, I can definitely not keep that still in TrackIR. Is that a parameter set for very small movements? Filter? I think I’ve got mine on max

Great video. Concise. Any one by chance know why when I press SCS depress. Nothing happens. I cannot seem to get the SPI.

When is ED going to fix the ocean, it looks really bad!

I've got the VPC CM3 also.. isn't it glorious?

Good stuff! Thanks! WARNING! Off topic request... Can you make a vid on how to change the default livery of the hornet? I can't find a way to do it that works for me. Very frustrating! Much appreciated!

6:27 - You said press SCS Depress to set a spee. You meant TDC depress, correct? :) Also Thx for the helpful video.

one day, I will figure out how to move the pod camera...one day..hope never dies.

would you recommend the F/A 18 stick grip? if so what should I buy with it?

Going to ask a pretty stupid question but I think I know the answer to. Can ground radar detect targets through clouds? Like if there was a clump of tanks on the ground and the cloud ceiling was low, could I lock a tank up, and switch to my targeting pod and fire a AGM 65 through the clouds?

i always struggle to find a target on normal ground (like on a open field next to a city)

I can’t find the Velocity Vector Slave Button. It isn’t there.

Whatare the Pods on the wingtips for?

When are the long missions coming back?

its all fun and games until its dark af and there are clouds in the way of the targeting pod.

9:45 in and I'm still lost.. GREAT JOB

in my , it doest move not possible slew

What format would be used in the waypoint designate method if I were to input the coordinates via the UFC? Edit: also what are those pods on the wingtips? never seen them before

First?

Actually, DCS is a abbreviation simulator 🙂

Bro. This is brutal. You need to practice and do more takes. I had to stop at 14 mins.

Too many words, too little useful info. Check the Grim Reapers tutorials. Takes them 5 minutes (instead of 30) to provide one with the same amount information.

Excellent tutorial. Very much appreaciated.