Third party DCS World developer Heatblur is known for their attention to detail when it comes to aircraft systems and we’re getting a taste of that with a new developer update released earlier today talking about the radar and terrain clearance mode for the DCS: A-6 Intruder. Let’s have a look!

Reading the terrain ahead

I’m taking it as a good sign that Heatblur are starting to talk about the systems of the DCS: A-6. In this first update of the year, we’re looking at some of the symbology and details behind the attack jet’s Terrain Clearance (TC) mode.

With TC mode selected, the pilots ADI displays a 53 degree horizontal and 26 degree vertical pictorial representation of terrain ahead. Here’s more detail from the update:

During normal flight, the Pilot’s ADI is almost identical to the similar display in the F-14 Tomcat, the VDI, however when TC mode is selected, it displays a 53° (horizontal) x 26° (vertical) pictorial representation of the terrain ahead of the aircraft based on the data supplied by the radar.

On the ADI we see the black Horizon Line and Fiducial Markers that help mark our pitch and bank attitude. In the center are the Steering Symbol and Flight Path Lines, currently locked to the aircraft heading. Behind this symbology are displayed ten discreet bands, each representing a range contour, from ~0.25nm out to 8.5nm. Bands 1 and 7 are permanently coded with range coding bars for identification, while bands 3-6 may be selected for coding – that is to display the vertical black bars – based on Pilot input. In the example below, band 4 is selected for coding by the Pilot.

The Pilot maintains clearance over the terrain by flying the aircraft so that the Offset Impact Bar (black and green, fixed near bottom of screen) is situated above one of the coded bands 3-6 – the selected band determines the clearance height and smoothness of the ride.

Heatblur remind us that what we’re seeing is still a work in progress. Some symbology needs to be added and tweaked.

The included images help give us an indication how things will work but the video presented to us on their Facebook page is even better at showing how the different bands rise and fall according to the terrain ahead.