In this DCS: F-16C Viper video, we’ll review the new features coming the Viper. These include Laser Spot Search, or LSS, and Laser Spot Track, or LST functionality for the targeting pod, or TGP; the Control page for the targeting pod, the Freeze function for the Horizontal Situation Display, or HSD, page; and the addition of new Viper weapons; and changes to AIM-9 functionality. Let’s get started.

NOTE 1. Apologies for the audible breathing. I have a cold and am congested, but I believe better to create a video to explain these new features.

NOTE 2: As always, these videos provide a preview of an upcoming feature to assist you in understanding a new feature. Later, it is quite possible that the feature will change, and the feature functionality has changed. As much as I’d like to, I lack the time re-record these videos.

First, let’s look at Laser Spot Search, or LSS, and Laser Spot Track, or LST. As you might imagine, we’ll be using this to allow the targeting pod to search for specific laser Pulse Repetition Frequency, or PRF, and then be able to track it. The laser designation source could be a JTAC or another aircraft. Why would you want to use this method? Primarily if you require very specific targeting that only an external source can provide, for example, like having eyes on.

From the Instrument Control Panel, or ICP, select the LIST button, then zero for miscellaneous on the keypad, and then 5 for Laser.

On the laser page, we see the laser PRF that our targeting pod will lase with, and the laser PRF code that it will search for. It defaults to 1688 and we’ll use that. Note that a laser code must be an octal, meaning, only digits 0 to 8.

Because we’ll be using an external laser-designation source, we’ll contact the JTAC and ask for laser designation of the target.

At waypoint 2 is a target array, where the target is located. Let’s enable the TGP by bringing up on the left MPD and make it our SOI, this should be old hat by now. Note that at the top of the left side we see our LSS code of 1688. To start the LSS operation, press the Cage/Uncage button your throttle or press the LSS OSB.

Once the laser code is detected, the Laser Spot Track, or LST, is transitioned from an LSS. We can now Target Management Switch forward to designate that location as our Senor Point of Interest and now conduct a standard CCRP laser-guided bombing attack.

While we are here on the targeting pod page, we can now select the CNTL OSB to display the Control page. From the control page, we can elect to display the gray scale to calibrate the TGP display, and we can enable or disable coordinates, north arrow, and yard stick distance by pressing the N/M OSB.

For this update, we’ve also added the Freeze (FZ) function to the Horizontal Situation Display, or HSD. It behaves differently if the HSD is SOI or not.

If SOI, indicated by the box around the periphery of the display, pressing the freeze OSB sets the HSD to the centered format and ground stabilizes the HSD cursor at its location.

If the HSD is not the SOI and freeze is selected, it will again center the HSD but instead ground stabilize on the ownship’s current location on the HSD. When in freeze mode, expand is disabled and steerpoints 1 to 99 are frozen.

In this update, we’ve also added some new weapons. These include the LAU-68 and LAU-131 rocket pods for Hyra unguided rockets and AIM-9P, AIM-9P3 and AIM-9P5 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.

Speaking of the AIM-9, we’ve also updated some of its logic. First, when radar-locking a target, the AIM-9 seeker will now be auto-slaved to the target. You will no longer need to uncage. Also, if you already have a radar lock, moving the Dogfight switch to the outboard position will maintain the lock and not re-lock the target.

00:00 Introduction
00:32 Targeting Pod Additions and Changes
08:04 HSD Freeze Function
09:14 New Weapons
09:46 AIM-9 Functional Changes