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Obtaining a radar lock is not always immediate: clutter, terrain masking, lookdown, and electronic and conventional countermeasures can affect the achievability and reliability of a lockon.
Somewhat similar to the Boresight mode already discussed, Manual mode allows the crew to take over certain aspects of the tracking from the avionics to compensate for adverse situations. A typical DCS scenario where Manual mode can be applied is the engagement of jamming targets beyond the burn-through range.
Radar Controls
The Track Switch, a 3-way latched switch located next to the Display knob in the Radar Set Control Panel, defines how the avionics should respond to a target: angle tracking for jamming targets can be disabled, tracking can be set to automatic mode, or the WSO can take over and compute the necessary parameters manually.
If Manual is selected, the WSO provides the range rate to the avionics by means of the “Man VC” knob. This control defines the closure rate and allows several options: clockwise, from 0 to 9, each position represents 100 kts. Vice versa, counterclockwise, two positions can be found, following the same logic, but this time indicating an Opening rate; ergo, the target is increasing the separation.
Manual Mode in the real F-4E
Studying this functionality, I immediately wondered why the maximum closure rate option was so low and how Manual mode was used in real life. I checked again with the brilliant Vulture, a former F-4E WSO and SME, and his answer confirmed that this functionality was quite theoretical and not trained in-depth in the F-4E, as the Phantom was not the primary “anti-bomber” interceptor at that time, a task taken over by the F-106 instead.
That being said, if the target is jamming, even Home-on-jam may not work and at that point, only Manual tracking or boresight are the remaining options.
Usage in DCS
Manual mode is a surprisingly flexible means of operating the radar in DCS, assisting the WSO with partial range tracking and angle tracking, depending on the circumstances. The presence of jamming targets, in fact, automatically causes the avionics to provide angle tracking, and the WSO is left responsible for the selection of the appropriate range rate via the Manual VC knob. On the contrary, if no jamming signals are detected, the WSO has full control of the angles.
Using Manual mode is quite simple: once the appropriate position is selected in the Track Switch, the WSO can use the Antenna Hand Control to bracket the target, then half-action followed by full-action. The range strobe is then automatically placed depending on whether the target is using its ECM equipment or not. This flexibility, and in particular the different behaviour depending on the presence of jamming signals, are what make Manual tracking both useful and extremely complex to employ.
Selecting the range rate
Since range rate information is provided by the crew, VC should be manually determined. The task is much simpler than the calculations required to assess the speedgates used by Boresight mode. Although the WSO can follow the same modus operandi, using the dedicated kneeboard page to eyeball the range rate, it is much simpler for the crew to adjust the value selected via the Manual VC knob as required. The symbology, in fact, should remain at a fixed distance or superimpose the contact. An incorrect value of VC will see the two elements slowly or quickly drift apart depending on how far the selected value of Manual VC is from the correct rate.
Example I: Jamming target
The first example uses the same scenario discussed in the Boresight video to better show how different tools can be used to achieve the same goal. In that video, the target activated their jamming equipment every time the Phantom’s WSO tried to lock it. Boresight circumvented the issue by not locking the target in the first place.
In this scenario instead, the target is constantly Jamming. As the range decreases, The target’s echo becomes visible on the radar display. The WSO can now opt to switch to Manual mode and engage with an AIM-7F Sparrow.
After positioning the Track Switch to Manual, the contact can be bracketed, half-action depressed, followed by full-action. The blinking datum displayed on the radar screen reads 0000, and the contact and the acquisition symbol quickly depart. The cause is the wrong value of the range rate selected via the Manual Vc knob.
Trying again with 900, which is close to the value determined in the Boresight video, makes the situation much more manageable, and the two indicators travel much closely. The datum is also updated, blinking and showing 0900.
At a distance of about 13 nm, FOX-1 and, a few seconds later, impact.
Simplifying and from a very “RPG perspective”, manual mode is a sort of hard counter to DCS ECMs. As described in the video about jamming effects on the APQ-120, in fact, electronic countermeasures all try to prevent range determination but allow solid angle tracking. By feeding manual closure rate information to the avionics, the WSO de facto bypasses the problem.
Example II: AI default ECM behaviour
This example is similar to the previous one but uses the default AI behaviour. The target is clearly visible on the scope, and when the WSO attempts a lock, it activates its jamming devices. Now, the WSO can switch to manual tracking and carry on as seen in the previous example.
Example III: Non-jamming target
The tricky part of manual tracking is the absence of automated angle tracking when the target is not jamming. Personally, I have not found a straightforward way to make this work, but truth be told, if the target is not jamming, then a standard STT lock is vastly more reliable and effective.
I suppose it would work against conventional countermeasures to prevent massive usage of Chaff from attracting the radar’s attention and finely selecting the target in the clutter. However, as discussed in the dedicated video about Chaff effects and APQ-120, this scenario is not a possibility in DCS at the moment.
Example IV: “Breaking” DCS
In a video game, there are no limits to how a module is used. So, from the first moment I fiddled with manual tracking, I wondered whether I could benefit from the automatic angle-tracking plus manual VC to splash jamming targets well beyond the burn-through range. Something similar to what I did with the Tomcat a couple of years ago.
In this example, I splashed a Tupolev 22M at almost 30 nautical miles.
Conclusions
Manual Tracking is a niche application of a fundamentally unused feature that requires good situational awareness and a bit of luck to be used successfully. Compared to Boresight, it requires partial lockon but enables manual loft.
That being said, DCS is a game, thus it allows free access to all the tools available in an aircraft. Given this perspective, it is important to learn all the tricks in the Phantom’s bag because proficiency, ingenuity, and the ability to think outside the box can give the F-4E crew an edge when facing all sorts of situations, threats and opponents.
FlyAndWire 