One of the main reasons people are interested in the A-10 in sims is the gun. The GAU-8 is a gun with a plane built around it. However it’s a bit tricky to shoot for beginners. I had a bit of trouble figuring out what to hit and then getting enough rounds on target to actually kill it. Here’s a tip: use snap views to focus right in to the HUD
The problem usually is either in the setup to a gun run or in visibility.
To setup a good run follow these guidelines amongst others:
- Edit your snap view according to this post. You want to fix the field of view for the HUD snap view. (Thanks GregP for posting this)
- Make sure the gun is armed and PAC is enabled (if appropriate). PAC will make the gun deadly accurate on a point so it’s great for armored vehicles.
- Attack from a high angle, this way, if you miss the rounds will be close. If running in on tanks attack from high and to their rear.
- Start a run from at a least a few miles away unless you’re pretty pro. If you’re still learning then you might want to leave it even longer.
- Setup your counter measures to drop flares periodically if you think Mapads may be present
- TRIM! When your making a dive your aircraft will need trimming to match the increased speed. Otherwise it will fight you when you try to keep the gun sight on the target. It doesnt have to be perfect trim, just good enough.
When making your run:
- Press Right Ctrl + Numpad 0 to toggle on the snap views, then press numpad 5 to switch to the HUD.
- Use the snap views to zoom right in on the HUD. This enables you to see the target really well. If you can’t see it, you can’t hit it.
- When you get the sight over your target depress the trigger to the first stage to enable PAC. I liken this to locking on to the target. If you don’t have a 2 stage trigger joystick use a key command as it’s pretty important.
- When the target is about .9 of a mile away depress the gun trigger to the second stage to fire the GAU-8. Fire for about 3 seconds to destroy a tank. Soft targets won’t need more than about a half second burst if you are accurate.
- Break away from the target at about .5 of a mile. On egress break left and right to avoid ground fire, depending on the threat.
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