JSF – Windows Manual – English

EPILEPSY WARNING

PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE DURING USE

Please read before using this video game
system or allowing your children to use it.
Some people are susceptible to epileptic
seizures or loss of consciousness when
exposed to certain flashing lights or light
patterns in everyday life. Such people may
have a seizure while watching certain
television images or playing certain video
games. This may happen even if the
person has no medical history of epilepsy
or has never had any epileptic seizures. If
you or anyone in your family has ever had
symptoms related to epilepsy (seizures or
loss of consciousness) when exposed to
flashing lights,consult your doctor prior to
playing. We advise that parents should
monitor the use of video games by their
children. If you or your child experience
any of the following symptoms: dizziness,
blurred vision, eye or muscle twitches,
loss of consciousness, disorientation, any
involuntary movement or convulsion,
while playing a video game, IMMEDIATELY
discontinue use and consult your doctor.

• Do not stand too close to the screen. Sit
a good distance away from the
television screen, as far away as the
length of the cable allows.
• Preferably play the game on a small
television screen.
• Avoid playing if you are tired or have not
had much sleep.
• Make sure that the room in which you
are playing is well lit.
• Rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes per
hour while playing a video game.

CONTENTS
PREFACE
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
HEY I WANNA SHOOT SOMETHING

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SECTION ONE
INSTALLING/UNINSTALLING JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
INSTALLING JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER
UNINSTALLING JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER

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SECTION TWO
BACKGROUND OF THE
JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER PROGRAMME

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SECTION THREE
NAVIGATING THE MENUS
MAIN MENU
Dogfight Menu
Campaign Menu
Multiplayer Menu
Quit
Select Pilot
Options
SELECT PILOT MENU
Creating a New Pilot
Selecting a Pilot
Deleting a Pilot
Viewing Pilot History
Resetting Pilot History
View Information Movies
OPTIONS MENU
GAME CONFIGURATION SCREEN
GRAPHICS CONFIGURATION SCREEN
SOUND CONFIGURATION SCREEN

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SECTION 4
DOGFIGHT: GETTING STARTED FAST
Time of Day
Weather
Guns Only
Scenario
Playing
Statistics

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SECTION 5
FLYING A CAMPAIGN
Starting a Campaign
MISSION PLANNER
MISSION PLANNER MAP
Icons
Waypoints
MISSION PLANNER WINDOWS
PLANNER MANAGER WINDOW
EDIT MODE
Suggest
Terrain Following
Clear
Statistics Window
Target Info Mode
MAP MODE
Object Category
Target Class
MAP SETTINGS
SAM MEZ

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NAMES
GRID
TIME SKIP WINDOW
WINGMEN WINDOW
ARM PLANE WINDOW
DRAG AND DROP WEAPON SELECTION
CHANGING THE DEFAULT WEAPONS
Configuration
CAMPAIGN STATISTICS WINDOW
MISSION PLANNER USAGE
Planning a Mission
Selecting a Target
Getting Information on Enemy Targets
PLANNING A ROUTE TO THE TARGET
GENERATING WAYPOINTS TO THE TARGET
The Suggest Option
MANUALLY EDITING WAYPOINTS
Usage
ZOOMING
Usage
FLYING A MISSION
HOW TO TAXI AND TAKE OFF
GETTING TO THE TARGET
Autopilot
Manual Approach
Attacking Ground Targets
Remember the Hatch
ENDING THE MISSION
THE MISSION DEBRIEFING
THE MISSION DEBRIEFING MAP
FLIGHT PATH
THE MISSION DEBRIEFING WINDOWS
MISSION DEBRIEFING
USING THE DEBRIEF MANAGER WINDOW
CONTINUING A CAMPAIGN

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SECTION 6
MULTIPLAYER DOGFIGHT
Starting Your Own Game
Joining an Existing Game
RULES OF PLAY
Team Score
Duration of Game
Replenishing Fuel and Ammo
GAME LOBBY
STATISTICS
Simple Statistics
Full Statistics

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SECTION 7
THE IN-FLIGHT MENUS
DOGFIGHT
DIFFICULTY
ENABLE MESSAGES
CONTROLS
MODE
GRAPHICS
FEATURES
SOUND
HELP
CREDITS

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SECTION 8
FLYING THE PLANE
Flight Handling
Taxiing on the Ground
Takeoff

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In-Flight Operations Hatch
Airbrake
Flaps
Gear
Jettison
Eject
Landing
FLIGHT ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS
Autopilot
Terrain Avoidance System
Terrain Following Box
Level Function
AVIONICS
Active Radar
VIEW MODES
Forward Looking Infra-Red
Global Positioning Systems
Anti-Radiation Targeting Systems
In-Flight Data Link
Satellite Landing Systems
Altimeter
AUTOMATED DEFENCE SYSTEMS
Decoys
Radar Decoys
Infra-Red Decoys
Radar Warning Receiver
Infra-Red Warning Receiver
Identification Friend or Foe
Electronic Counter Measure
Defence Subsystem
COCKPIT ENVIRONMENT - MULTI FUNCTION DISPLAYS
Control MFD
Status MFD
Information MFD
Attack MFD
Strategic MFD
Offensive MFD
MFD FUNCTIONS
MFD COLOUR CODES
HEAD MOUNTED DISPLAY (HMD)
TAPES AND SYMBOLS
MODES OF OPERATION
WEAPON SIGHTS
Aspect Angle Indicator
Hatch Closed Indicator
Cannon Sight
Missile Sight
Bomb Sight
SYNTHETIC OVERLAYS
VOCOM
RADIO COMMUNICATIONS
AWACS
ORDERING WINGMEN TO ATTACK TARGETS
ORDERING WINGMEN TO RETURN TO FORMATION

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SECTION 9
PLANE PHYSICS
Gravity
Drag
Lift
Thrust

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SECTION 10
AERIAL MANOUVRES
Dogfighting Introduction
Manouvres
Terrain Masking
Wing Co-Operation

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2

Formation Layout
Formation Separation

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APPENDIX 1
KEYBOARD QUICK REFERENCE
Basic Flight Controls
Engine
Emergency Controls
Camera Views
Radio Communication
Weapons Control
Defence Controls
MFD Controls
HMD
Dropdown Menu
Radar
Auto Pilot
Miscellaneous

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APPENDIX 2
JOYSTICK AND GAMEPAD BUTTONS
INPUT DEVICE CONFIGURATION
Configuring the Keyboard
Configuring the Mouse
Default Button Mappings

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APPENDIX 3
MULTIPLAYER DETAILS
CHOOSINGTHERIGHTPRO TOCOL
Serial Connection
Modem Connection
IPX Connection
TCP/IP Connection
CONFIGURING THE CHOSEN PROTOCOL
Serial Connection
Modem Connection
IPX Connection
TCP/IP Connection
PLAYING JSF ON THEW MPLAYER™ INTERNET GAMING SERVICE

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APPENDIX 4
RADIO COMMUNICATIONS
RADIO MENU
MESSAGES

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APPENDIX 5
WEAPONS OVERVIEW

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APPENDIX 6
UNITS/PLANE INFORMATION
ENEMY AIRCRAFT
FRIENDLY AIRCRAFT
GROUND TARGETS
Armoured Fighting Vehicles
Air Defence Vehicles
Transport Vehicles
Enemy Naval Vessels
PICTORIAL OVERVIEW (AIRCRAFT/VEHICLES/VESSELS/STRATEGIC TARGETS)

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APPENDIX 7
TROUBLE SHOOTING

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CREDITS

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CUSTOMER HELPLINE / TECHNICAL SUPPORT

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GLOSSARY

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PREFACE

HOW TO USE THIS
MANUAL

Thank you for purchasing Joint Strike
Fighter (JSF). The software you now hold in
your hands came about as a result of
thousands of hours of design, programming, graphic artistry, and just plain hard
work by a great many people. We believe
that we’ve captured the essence of these
truly remarkable aircraft.

The purpose of this manual is to familiarise
you (the player) with key commands, userinterface and gameplay features of Joint
Strike Fighter. Reading this manual will not
make you an expert pilot,- only playing the
game will do that. But after browsing
through this manual, especially sections
pertaining to Dogfight : Getting Started
Fast, you’ll be able to jump right in with
confidence. You’ll be planning and
executing combat missions in no time.

The Joint Strike Fighter can fly NOE (Nap Of
the Earth) at supersonic speeds by virtue of
its sophisticated Terrain Following Radar
(TFR) and is nearly invisible to enemy radar
due to its stealth technology. As a fighter, it
carries a variety of air-to-air ordnance
including both heat-seeking and radar
guided missiles. As a strike aircraft, the JSF
carries a wide array of ground attack
ordnance including rocket pods and antitank cluster munitions.

This manual is geared toward use of the
keyboard commands, especially the inflight portions of the directions. Players with
joysticks and flight systems should refer to
Appendix 2: Joystick and GamePad Buttons,
for complete button mappings for GamePads,
Joysticks and Rudder systems.

HEY I WANNA SHOOT
SOMETHING

Joint Strike Fighter gives you an
opportunity to experience all the unique
features of these high-tech, sophisticated
a i rc r aft in both single p la yer and
multiplayer modes. It comes complete
with a Dogfight : Getting Started Fast
environment and four different campaign
theatres representing potential hot-spots
around the globe. Regardless of where you
wind up, the action is fast and furious.
You’ll be facing some of the most modern
threat aircraft in existence, including the
deadly Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker and MikoyanGurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum. Enjoy.

We’ve also set up the structure of the
manual to allow you to get flying fast and
check out the flight simulator portion of the
game. Read Section 4 (Dogfight : Getting
Started Fast) first to get right into the action.
Tip: There are many player view
commands not covered in detail in this
manual. We recommend you keep the
Keyboard Layout Card handy or refer to
Appendix 1: Keyboard Commands section
the first time you fly a Dogfight mission
and check them all out. If you get lost or
confused about what viewpoint you’re in,

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SECTION ONE
Installing/Uninstalling Joint Strike Fighter

4

pressing the F1 key in flight will always
return you to the forward cockpit view.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

2. Joint Strike Fighter will prepare the
InstallShield® Wizard. Read the
instructions on the Welcome screen;
when you’re ready to proceed, click
Next.

Minimum Configuration:
Pentium 90 processor, Windows 95 or
Windows NT operating systems (Windows
NT version requires DirectX 5.0 or newer),
16Mb of RAM, 16bit graphics card, 60Mb
Hard Drive space, Double-speed (2x)
CD-ROM drive (4x in order to view movies
smoothly), keyboard and mouse.

3. Using the mouse, select one of three
install options:
• Small: Copies approximately 50 meg.
of files to your hard drive. Sacrifices
some game performance in favour of
saving hard drive space;
• Medium: Copies about 70 meg. to your
hard drive; balances disk space and
performance;
• Large: Copies about 150 meg. to the
drive; optimum game performance at
the expense of hard disk space.

Recommended Configuration:
Pentium 133 or faster processor, Windows
95 or Windows NT operating systems
(Windows NT version requires DirectX 5.0
or newer), 32Mb of RAM, joystick, 16bit
graphics card, 160 Mb Hard Drive space,
Quadruple-speed (4x) or faster CD-ROM
drive, any Windows supported sound card.
Satori State Configuration:
Recommended Configuration, plus: 3DFx
G raphics A c c e l e ration Card , t h r o t t l e
system, rudder pedals.

4. The installer automatically defaults the
installation folder location to
C:\Program Files\Eidos Interactive\
Joint Strike Fighter. Click Next if this is
OK or Browse if you wish to select a
different drive or folder. Joint Strike
Fighter will now install the program
files to your hard disk drive.

Installing Joint Strike Fighter
1. Insert the Joint Strike Fighter CD in
your CD-ROM drive. If you have
Windows Autoplay enabled, the Joint
Strike Fighter Launch Program is
invoked automatically. If Autoplay is
not enabled, you can start the
installation by double-clicking Setup
on the CD’s root directory. Once the
program has started, press the Install
Joint Strike Fighter button.

5. JSF requires DirectX version 5.0 or
newer. If this is not already installed on
your computer, select Install DirectX
5.0 in the Joint Strike Fighter Launch
Program. This automatically invokes
the DirectX 5.0 setup which updates

5

your hardware drivers.
6. If you have a 3DFx based card, JSF will
automatically detect this and load the
appropriate drivers. If you have a
newer Voodoo Rush acceleration card
installed in you computer, select Install
3DFx Drivers in the Joint Strike
Fighter Launch Program. This will
enable Joint Strike Fighter to
take full advantage of your Voodoo
Rush 3D hardware.
7. To run Joint Strike Fighter, press Run
Joint Strike Fighter in the Joint Strike
Fighter Launch Program. Alternatively,
c l i c k the W i n d ows® 95 Start
button and go to Programs>Eidos
Interactive>Joint Strike Fighter>Play
Joint Strike Fighter.
Uninstalling Joint Strike Fighter
In order to uninstall the game, p re s s
Uninstall Joint Strike Fighter in the
Joint Strike Fighter Launch Program.
Alternatively, click the Windows® 95 Start
button and go to Program Files>Eidos
Interactive>Joint Strike Fighter>Uninstall
Joint Strike Fighter. Note that this removes
Joint Strike Fighter completely from your
computer, including all saved games.

6

SECTION TWO
BACKGROUND OF THE
JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER PROGRAM

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versions:
• STOVL version for the US Marine Corps
(642 air c raft) and Royal Navy
(60 aircraft).
• Long-range, stealthy attack aircraft for
the US Navy (300 aircraft).
• Low-cost F-16 replacement for the
USAF (2036 aircraft).

Background Story
The Pentagon’s Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)
was launched in 1993 as the Joint
A d vanced Strike Te chnology (JAST)
program. This followed the cancellation of
two projects in the Clinton Administration
defence review of 1993:the A/F-X,a heavy
attack aircraft for the USAF and Navy, and
the Multi-Role Fighter (MRF), which was
intended to replace the F-16 with the
USAF.

It is also likely that the JSF will replace
many of the 3,000-plus F-16s and F-18s
which have been exported since 1978.
In November, the Pentagon kicked off the
most competitive phase of the JSF
competition by awarding Concept Demonstration contracts to Lockheed Martin and
Boeing; the latter scored an upset victory
over McDonnell Douglas, the third
contender for the two contracts. This
stage will take four years. A single winner
will be chosen in 2001 to start engineering
& manufacturing development, and the
fighter is expected to enter service
in 2008.

JAST was originally planned as a
technology program, intended to develop
features which could be incorporated in
future aircraft. However, this emphasis
changed during 1994-95, for a number of
reasons. One was that JAST took over a
Defence Advanced Research Agency
(DARPA) project, under way since 1991, to
develop an advanced short-take-off,
vertical landing (STOVL) fighter for the US
Marine Corps and Royal Navy. Another
reason was that planners realised that
there would not be enough money in the
foreseeable future for more than one new
fighter program, and that the technology
existed to meet a very wide range of
post-Cold War needs in a single design.

Lockheed Martin and Boeing will each fly
two prototypes in the current phase, with
tests starting in 1998. The prototypes will
be designated X-32 and X-35 (probably in
alphabetical order with Boeing’s design
being X-32). Out of each pair of aircraft,
one will be designed to land and take off
from a conventional aircraft carrier and
the other will be a STOVL variant: one of
each pair will also be tested in the Air
Force configuration. The two teams will

JAST accordingly morphed into JSF (the
name was changed officially in early
1996), an ambitious project to develop a
single design to replace some 3000
aircraft. The plans call for three basic

8

also conduct extensive demonstrations of
systems and avionics.
The idea of JSF is to produce a largely
common aircraft, in different versions that
meet the services requirements where
they differ. Common requirements include:

weapons and reserve fuel. RN version
m ust fit Harrie r-sized elevator s on
Invincible-class carriers. Podded gun.
Internal weapons:AMRAAMs and two 450
kg class bombs.
US Navy: Stronger structure and landing
gear for carrier landings. Lower approach
speed and low-speed handling and
visibility requirements set by carrierlanding requirements. Spot factor (the
space the aircraft occupies on a
d e ck) same as F-18. No gun. Intern a l
weapons: AMRAAMs and two 900 kg
class bombs.

• Longer range than the aircraft they
replace (an 800-1000 km radius of
action for the Marines, more for the
other services).
• Subsonic cruising speed and supersonic dash (about Mach 1.5).
• Air combat manoeuvrability at least as
good as the F/A-18 or F-16, and
preferably better.
• Stealth characteristics similar to the
F-117 or B-2.
• The ability to carry two precisionguided bombs and two AIM-120
AMRAAM missiles intern a l l y, for
first-day missions where stealth is
p a ra m o u n t , and to carr y mo re
weapons on pylons later in the war, as
the defences are beaten down.
• Comprehensive avionics (multi-mode
r a d a r, F L I R , l a s e r, self-defenc e
s y s t e m s ) , p e r manently installed
i n t e rn a l l y, in a stealthy manner.
• Technology to reduce the cost of
designing, building, operating and
upgrading the fighter.

U S A F : Minimum co st. R efuel ling
receptacle for Flying Boom. Permanent
internal gun. Internal weapons: AMRAAMs
and two 450 kg class bombs.
Boeing X-32
Boeing has been working on a tri-service
fighter since 1992, convinced that this is
the only way to achieve low costs.
The most important feature of the Boeing
JSF design is that it has a single common
engine with no extra powered-lift devices.
The largest available engines are modified
versions of the Pratt & Whitney F119,
being built for the F-22, and the General
Electric YF120,which was the F119’s rival.
The thrust of these engines, fitted with a
new fan, limits the landing weight of the
Marine version, which in turn limits its
empty weight to about 10t.

Service Requirements:
USMC/Royal Navy: Take off without
a catapult from a short deck and to land
vertically aboard ship, carrying unused

9

larger wing flaps and bigger outer wing
panels (providing more wing area) and
larger horizontal tails. The USMC/RN
version has a thrust-vectoring nozzle on
the engine, which can tilt down through
100 deg for vertical landings. To provide
more vertical thrust, however, it has a lift
fan behind the cockpit. This resembles the
fan section of a jet engine, but is actually
driven by a gearbox and shaft of the
main engine.

To keep the empty weight down while
providing enough fuel volume to meet the
Navy’s range requirement, Boeing has
chosen a thick-section delta wing with no
separate horizontal tail. Because it is
difficult to design a fold joint in the thick
wing, Boeing has eliminated the wing fold.
Instead, the designers have kept the
fighter short, so that the spot factor is still
small. (The Marine/RN version has clipped
wingtips to reduce its size still further.)
The restriction on internal length has
forced the designers to a radical chin
engine inlet.

JSF Deployment
The JSF will be expected to take on a wide
spectrum of missions for its various
operators. For the US Marine Corps and
Royal Navy, it will be the sole combat
aircraft available. It will be used for air
defence of the fleet (replacing the
Marines’ F-18s), strike against land and
sea targets,and even close air support.

In the USMC/RN version, the engine
exhaust is ducted forwards, for landing
and take-off, to a pair of retractable
nozzles located on the centre of gravity. In
the other versions, the ducts and nozzles
are removed and some of the space is
used for a larger internal weapons bay.

Typical weapons will include Joint Direct
Attack Munition (JDAM), a bomb with
inertial & GPS guidance which will replace
many of today’s laser-guided bombs, and
the BLU-108 smart anti-armour weapon.
In the air-to-air role, it will probably carry
up to six AMRAAMs,or four AMRAAMs and
two AIM-9X close-range missiles.

Lockheed Martin X-35
Lockheed Martin’s JSF design is very
reminiscent of the F-22, with a clippeddelta wing and aft tail surfaces. This was
deliberately done to reduce risk: the
aerodynamics, structural and stealth
technology of the JSF is drawn from
the F-22.

The US Navy will use JSF for deep-strike
missions, going ‘downtown’ against its
most critical targets (such as headquarters, command centres and air
bases), using heavy precision-guided
weapons such as the 2000lbs JDAM and

Externally, the three versions are identical
out to the wing box. Compared with the
Marine version, the Navy/AF aircraft have

10

short-range stand-off weapons such as
the JSOW glide bomb. In this case, the
AMRAAMs will be used primarily for selfdefence against a look-down, shoot-down
fighter that is close enough to represent a
threat. (The F/A-18E Super Hornet will
continue to be the Navy’s primary
air-defence fighter, and will also be used
for defence suppression and stand-off
attack.)

operating areas for carriers are distant (as
was the case in Desert Storm).
The USMC/RN version will be able
to operate almost anywhere. For example,
STOVL fighters could operate from a
land base with a restricted runway
(supported by C-17s), something which
might be useful if an adversary could
attack land bases with missiles.
Sea platforms could include converted
merchant ships, and the Navy has looked
at very large, austere off-shore platforms
that could support C-130s and STOVL
fighters, and would be pre-positioned in
possible conflict zones.

USAF JSFs will be used as F-16s are
used today. In the first days of the
campaign,they will be used with AMRAAM
and AIM-9X to destroy the adversary’s air
force in the air by day, and (given their
stealthy qualities) will also take part in the
nocturnal attacks on air bases and air
defence systems. Once air supremacy has
been established, they will become the
asset of choice against many mobile
targets (missile launchers and ground
forces) with weapons such as BLU-108.
The JSF is also the most likely candidate
to take on the suppression of enemy air
defence (SEAD) mission, using JDAM,
JSOW and HARM. In operations other than
war, JSF would be the most likely aircraft
to protect airlifters from SAMs and ground
forces from missile or artillery attack.
The JSF will be unusually flexible in terms
of basing. The US Navy version will be able
to share bases with the USAF, because the
two versions are almost identical in terms
of support requirements. This will be
useful if land bases are available but

11

SECTION THREE
NAVIGATING THE MENUS

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Section 5 for more detailed information on
the workings of the campaign mode of JSF.
The Multiplayer Menu
On the multiplayer menu you can team up
with up to 8 other human players over
various network protocols. Use the
M u l t i p l a ye r > C reate Game menu to
configure your own multiplayer game or
choose an existing game from the
Multiplayer menu. Decide your team colour
and teammates in the Game Lobby and
play the game in any of the 4 war theatres
available in JSF. Please refer to Section 6
for the complete description on how to
configure your multiplayer games.

Main Menu
General
After the intro and the title screen, the first
s c reen presented when you run Joint
Strike Fighter is the Main Menu, shown in
the screen below.

Quit
This selection will quit the game and return
to Windows. Choosing this will save all
settings and player data.

The Main Menu

The Dogfight Menu
The Dogfight menu allows you to set up and
fly a combat mission in any of the war
theatres included in the Campaign version
of Joint Strike Fighter. If this is your first
time playing the game, we recommend
you use Dogfight to learn how the planes
handle in combat and to become familiar
with the in-flight game commands. Refer to
section 4 for details on how to jump into the
cockpit and plunge directly into the action.

Select Pilot
This option allows you to create new pilots
or select previously created ones for
play. It also displays the cumulative career
score for each pilot, allowing you to judge
your progress in the campaigns. This is
discussed in detail overleaf.
Options
The Options command provides access to
the game control and viewing options. A
detailed description of these options are
given below.

The Campaign Menu
Accessing the Campaign menu enables you
to start playing on the war theatres. Here all
your missions are planned using the
secretly acquired intelligence data and the
line between success and failure is drawn.
Experience in Dogfighting is preferred
before starting on the campaigns. Refer to

Select Pilot Menu
General
By pressing Select Pilot on the main menu, you
are taken to the Select Pilot Menu. This menu

13

allows you to create, modify or delete pilots.

plane, all pilots have a history where all
achievements are recorded. This is accessed
by selecting Stats on the pilot screen. Use
the arrow buttons to cycle through the
different scenarios to see how the pilot has
performed on the different campaigns.
Resetting Pilot History
If a campaign has turned from bad to worse,
and disaster seems certain, you might feel
like starting over. This can be done by
pressing Stats in the pilot screen, and then
clicking on Reset Scenario. You’ll be asked
to confirm that you really want to reset the
scenario - click Yes to perform the reset or
No to return to the Select Pilot screen
without clearing the history.

The select Pilot screen has been clic ked
and the Edit Pilot screen is shown

Creating A New Pilot
Press New on the pilot screen to create a
new pilot. Click on the Name box to
change your name, and the Call Sign box
to change your call sign. Assign the pilot
an aircraft, either the Boeing X-32 or the
Lockheed Martin X-35.

View Information Movies
Details on the JSF program, the weapons
systems and the selected aircraft are
available in FMV format. These movies can
be played by clicking on one of the three
film icons in the lower right of the screen.

Selecting A Pilot
Click on a call sign on the Duty Roster to
select a pilot. That call sign is highlighted in
yellow and is now considered the active pilot.

The Options Menu
General
The options menu really consists of three
different screens: the game menu, the
graphics menu and the sound menu. From
these three menus,you can use the mouse
to activate or deactiva t e, adjust or
reconfigure various settings of Joint Strike
Fighter. Most elements are also available
from the in-game menus. Each of the
screens are described below.
Tip : Players using slower computers are
encouraged to adjust terrain, object and

Deleting A Pilot
In order to delete a pilot, first select your
choice by clicking on the Duty Roster. After
the selection is made, click the Delete
button at the lower left of the screen.
You will be asked to confirm the deletion;
click on Yes to complete the deletion or No
to return to the Select Pilot menu without
deleting the pilot.
Viewing Pilot History
In addition to name, callsign and preferred

14

graphical details features of the game to
achieve optimal performance during flight.
The Game Configuration Screen
General

benefit of learning new skills and
maneuvers from the more experienced
pilots. As they advance through the skill
levels, they learn more maneuvers, develop
better gunnery and bombing skills and
become more willing to use both in combat.
Aces are wily, c rafty opponents, t h e
survivors and victors of many aerial
combat missions; they should not be
u n d e r estimated. T hey know all the
standard air combat maneuvers and aren’t
afraid to use them at any time, and have
also developed excellent gunnery skills.

The Options menu with the Game tab selected

The Game Screen is where you are able to
configure how the game behaves during
play. The following items are a vailable:

Remember, you may be a match for the
Aces in the game, but your wingmen may
not be so skilled. Think carefully before
selecting the Ace opponent skill, or you
may find yourself going through
wingmen by the bushel. Commanding
officers have been known to take a dim
view of flight leaders who continually
come home as the sole survivor of a
mission. Besides, who wants to write a lot
of letters that begin with the sentence,
“We regret to inform you…”?

Input Device
This item simply lets you select whether to
play using keyboard, mouse or joystick.
Further configuration must be done from
the in-game menu, or alternatively (for
basic hardware installation) in the Windows
Control Panel.
Enemy Skill
This option sets the skill rating of the pilots
you and your wingmen will be flying
against. Select one of five (5) settings:
Rookie, Novice, Average, Veteran and Ace.
The default setting is Average, with
Rookie the easiest type of enemy pilot to
fight against and Ace the hardest.
Rookies know only basic flight skills;
they’ve been rushed to the front straight
from training school. They haven’t had the

Start On Runway
This allows you to start the mission with
your aircraft ready on the runway, without
the need for taxiing.
Easy Aiming
This is a toggle-option. When selected,
your plane’s cannon lead sight will be in
Easy Aiming mode.
You won’t have to think much about

15

leading the locked target; the cannon
rounds will actually lead themselves and
try to ‘chase’ the target. This is not a
guaranteed, automatic hit; however, the
closer the locked target is to the centre of
your aiming sight,the better the chance of
a hit with this option selected.

Most pilots would look at you like you
were from another planet if you used
anything else than feet and knots to
m e a s u r e d is t an ce s an d s p ee d s
respectively. Check this box, however, if
you are a novice and find the metric
system easier to get the hang of.

When not selected, cannon rounds will
behave using the normal laws of physics.
This will result in a wonderful aerial
display of tracer lights but far fewer
gunnery kills.

Network Protocol
This option allows you to select which
network protocol to use. The most common
protocols are IPX and TCP/IP, but the game
will take advantage of the Mplayer system
and any protocol supported by Direct Play.
Refer to Appendix 3 for details.

Easy Landings
When toggled on, your undercarriage can
take more of a beating, making it
significantly easier to land.

The Graphics Configuration Screen
General

No Wind
Though not obvious when cruising at high
altitudes, a strong wind may prove
problematic during landings and takeoffs.
When this option is checked,your plane is
not affected by wind and weather.
No Fadeouts
When this option is selected, pilots won’t
experience red-outs or black-outs when
pulling extreme G-forces in combat due to
tight turns, dives or climbs.

The Options menu
with the Graphics tab selected

This screen allows you to configure how
the game looks during play. Configuring
these options can dramatically change the
performance of the game, so you are
strongly encouraged to play around with
different settings until you determine what
is right for you. The following items
are available:

No Turbulence
Even with no wind, hugging the terrain at
low altitudes makes for a bumpy ride.
Checking this box will disable low-level
turbulence.
Measurement System

16

Screen Resolution
This option allows the player click left or
right to select screen resolution from the
list available on the computer. The
available modes may vary between
different machines, from as low as
320x200 pixels (lo-res) to super-hi-res
(1280x1024 or higher) and everything
in-between. How e v e r, p l a yers using
computers with slower processors may
experience some jerkiness when game
graphics are set at the higher resolutions.
We recommend experimenting with the
lower resolutions until you find the one
that performs best for you.

Screen Pageflip
(This is one for those familiar with the
inner workings of their PC. You may need
to play around with this option in order to
get the best possible results.)
Internally, the game is able to render both
to System Ram or (if enough memory is
available) to Video Ram. Enabling Page
Flipping may increase your frame rate on
computers with relatively fast graphics
cards; on the other hand, performance
may suffer if your graphics card is
relatively slow.
Object Detail
This slider adjusts the relative amount of
polygons used for rendering the 3D
objects in the game. Moving the slider to
the right increases detail, but possibly at
the expense of performance.

Big Pixels
If you want to run the game in lowresolution modes, and your graphics
card/driver does not support this, JSF can
emulate low-resolution by redrawing
using big pixels. This means that the game
is redrawn in low-resolution internally, and
then doubled to fit the physical screen
resolution. This option is not available in
modes less that 640x400.

Terrain Detail
This slider works in a similar way as the
object detail slider, only this adjusts the
detail level on the terrain. Moving the
slider to the right will increase the
definition of the landscape and increase
the number of ground objects, but again at
the expense of refresh rate. Keeping this
value around the centre is recommended.

Black Lines
If the Big Pixels option is enabled, the
Black Lines option lets you select how the
scaling of the screen is performed. When
checked, every other line is not redrawn,
but left black. This is slightly faster than
the alternative, when all lines are drawn.

Transparent Smoke
When checked, this option improves the
appearance of the smoke-trails in the

17

game by using transparency. Performance
may suffer on slower computers.
Transparent Shadows
When this box is checked, shadows are
projected onto the ground with transparency, rather than as single colour
silhouettes.

The Sound Configuration Screen

Transparent Explosions
Using transparent explosions will improve
realism, but can be a serious performance
hi t. Keep this in mind if you a re
experiencing slowdown when viewing
large explosions.

The Options menu with the Sound tab selected

Sound Effects
Most actions performed in flight, such as
firing a weapon and raising the landing
gear, have sound effects that play when
the action is performed. This box enables
such sound effects.

Lensflares
Lensflares emulate the optical effect
created by a camera when exposed to
strong light sources, for instance from the
sun or a rocket blast. When checked,these
effects are enabled. Disabling the effects
will, however, improve performance.

Sound Volume
When sound effects are enabled, t h i s
slider adjusts the volume of the sound
effects.

Particles
When enabled, a particle system is used
for rendering weather effects like wind
and rain. This may reduce performance on
slower computers.

Music
JSF features several original music tracks
that play during flight. This check-box
determines whether music is played.

3Dfx
Hardware rendering is enabled by
checking this box. By default, 3Dfx
acceleration is enabled if a 3Dfx card is
detected in the computer. If no card is
detected,this item is inactive.

Music Volume
If music is enabled in the item above, the
music volume can be adjusted here using
the slider.

18

Speech
In-game speech is enabled by default, as
this is one of your primary sources of
information. It can, however, be disabled
by unchecking this box. Note that this
makes you totally rely on text messages
for such things as radio communication
and flight computer messages.
Speech Volume
When speech is enabled, this slider
determines the volume of the speech.
Reverse Stereo
On some computers, the placement of the
loudspeakers are exchanged. Checking
this box reverses this.
Mute
When checked, all sound (sound effects,
music and speech) are turned off.

19

SECTION FOUR
DOGFIGHT: GETTING STARTED FAST

20

By clicking on this item, you’ll be able to
select in which weather condition you
wish the fight to take place. Different
regions on the globe have different
weather types, which means that the
available options will vary from scenario
to scenario.

General
Selecting Main Menu>Dogfight takes you
to the Dogfight Settings menu. The
Dogfight option allows you to hone your
skill in the noble art of dogfighting,
something which will come in handy as
you progress through the campaigns.
You’ll be able to challenge increasingly
more difficult enemies in the different
scenarios in a variety of different settings.
These parameters are described below.

Guns Only
This option disables Air to Air missiles in
the Dogfight session. Though not strictly
realistic, it makes for some interesting
aerial duels in the true spirit of the great
aces of WWI and WWII.
Scenario
Here you set the theatre in which the dogfight
takes place. Not only do the enemy aircraft
become increasingly more capable on the
later scenarios, the enemy pilots are also
more skillful, aggressive and lethal.
Playing
When you start the Dogfight session, you
start out against a wave containing just
one single enemy plane. If you destroy this
first plane, your weapons are replenished
and a new wave appears.

The Dogfight Menu

In order to customise the Dogfight session
you have a set of four options which
determine the combat conditions:
Time Of Day
This option lets you decide at what time
during the day the dogfight will take place.
While the enemy may be easily seen at
day-time, you may have to resort to
systems like night vision and the synthetic
object overlay when battling it out at night.

For every wave destroyed another plane is
added, thereby giving an increasing
difficulty level. This is further enhanced by
the fact that, as time progresses, the
enemy planes also are of increasingly
better types. The dogfight session ends
when you eventually are killed or when
you decide to leave the session.

Weather

21

Statistics
When the Dogfight session is over, a
statistics screen appears that lets you
compare your dogfight performance to
your previous merits and your own
personal best. By comparing with old
records, you’ll soon see progress as you
develop the dogfighting skills needed to
succeed when taking on the campaign
game.

Dogfight Statistics

22

SECTION FIVE
Flying a Campaign

23

General
While an individual mission has specific
tactical goals (the destruction of a convoy
or interdicting airspace over an enemy
target, for example), a campaign is a
series of individual missions designed to
achieve one or more long-term or
strategic goals. Take the air battle in the
Gulf War, for instance: One of the major
strategic goals of the campaign was to
hurt Iraq’s air and ground forces badly,
making it easier to drive Iraq’s army out of
Kuwait and, in the process, save Allied
Force’s lives. To this end, thousands of
individual air missions were launched to
bomb ground units, shoot Iraq’s air force
out of the sky and destroy command and
communications links.
In a JSF campaign, you are given similar
strategic goals, based on one of the four
hypothetical campaign scenarios included
with the game. As a wing commander,
your job is to plan and execute a series of
tactical missions to help achieve the
campaign’s strategic goals. You accomplish these goals by destroying all the
primary targets indicated in the mission
planner. The object category is determined
by a higher command.

The Campaign menu.
Select your campaign to start or re-enter

Starting A Campaign
1. To begin a new campaign or enter one in
progress, select Campaign from the
Main Menu. The War Theatre selection
screen will appear. At any time you may
select the Back button at the bottom
right of each screen to return to the one
previously displayed.
2. Highlight either one of the four
scenarios using the mouse or the
keyboard. In the box at the bottom of the
screen a brief background story and a
mission summary will appear, relevant
for your current selection. Activate the
scenario by clicking the mouse or hitting
enter.
3. The first time you activate a scenario the
complete mission text will be printed to
the screen. You may speedup the text by
hitting enter, space or by clicking the
mouse. After loading, the Mission
Planner will appear.

24

form a mission by creating waypoints and
selecting targets. Map mode allows you to
manipulate the map information displayed
in the mission planner, this is detailed in
the section entitled Mission Planner Usage
below.

The Mission Planner
General
As a wing commander your main objective
is to plan the best possible campaign for
you and your wingmen so the main
strategic goal can be reached with a
minimum of casualties. This means you
will have to plan your missions carefully
before getting airborne. All planning is
done prior to take-off in the Mission
Planner, which loads automatically when
you select a scenario.

Mission Planner Map
General
The Mission Planner map is a topographical map displaying the current
situation in the activated scenario.
All enemy targets and friendly installations
are displayed using several different icons
and colour codes. The position of each
icon is altered according to the movement
of the unit as the game progresses. If the
unit is destroyed you will be notified and
the icon will be removed from the mission
planner.
Together with the icons marking the
targets you will also see the waypoints
and flight path displayed on the map. A
waypoint is a position used by the flight
computer for navigation placed in the
mission planner prior to take-off. For more
information on how to manipulate
waypoints, refer to the section below
entitled Mission Planner Usage.

The main Mission Planner screen

The Mission Planner is essentially a
topographical map indicating the position
of anything essential and important for
planning a mission. This includes cities,
factories, airports and roads (in grey), but
most importantly all friendly installations
and enemy targets indicated by the
coloured icons. The icons pinpoint all
enemy, friendly and civilian/non-combat
ground and air units in your area of
operations.
The planner operates in two different
modes: Edit and Map mode. In Editing
mode you can manually or automatically

Icons
Each icon on the map marks an enemy
unit. This means an icon usually
symbolises more then one target. The icon
position is the centre position of all the
objects included in that particular group.
Each icon is colour coded, indicating the

25

object category. On the mission map you
may find icons with the following colours:
red, green and blue. Any red icon is an
enemy target and should be considered as
a potential threat. Both the green (neutral)
and the blue (allied) symbolise friendly
icons. Destroying these will have a
negative impact on your statistics.
When you look on the mission map you
may notice a red circle centred on some of
the icons. The red border is a Surface-toAir Missile Engagement Zone (SAM MEZ).
When flying within this zone, you and your
wingmen are subject to being detected
a n d f ire d up o n by en e my SA M
installations.

Oil platform
Warship
Cargo Vessel
Submarine
Transport
Infantry Vehicle
SAM/AA Vehicle.
Waypoints
Waypoints are fixed three dimensional
positions (longitude, latitude and altitude)
used by the flight computer for navigation.
They are easily created with the mouse or
automatically with the Suggest option
when in editing mode. Read more about
waypoints and the their usage under the
section Mission Planner Usage.

Fighter/Bomber
Helicopter
Air Transport
AWAC Aircraft

Mission Planner Windows
General
The Mission Planner Windows contains all
the text, buttons and bars displayed in the
mission planner. They may be hidden by
selecting the button in the upper right
corner labelled Mission Planner or by
tapping the spacebar. Use this when
planning a mission if any icons are
concealed by the mission planner
information text and the buttons.
Note: While any pop-up window is activated
the Mission Planner Windows will be
disabled and the buttons, bars and text-

Airport
Military Base
Military Camp
Factory
Nuclear Facility
Harbour
Radar Installation
SAM/AA Installation

26

boxes will be changed in intensity. to get
focus back to the windows you have to
close the active window.

Terrain following
If you enable the Terrain following option
the suggested waypoints will be forced to
the minimum height for low-level contour
flying, keeping the fighter below radar. If
no waypoint path or target have been
previously suggested, enabling or disabling
this option will automatically select a
target and suggest a path.

Planner Manager Window
General
The Planner Manager is the window in the
upper right corner, below the Mission
Planner caption or button. The manager has
two tab dialogs which decides which state
or mode the planner currently has active.

Clear
Selecting Clear will delete all waypoints
and target selections from the mission
planner.

Edit Mode
General
To get in Edit Mode you select the Edit tab
dialog from the Manager Window. When
you are in editing mode you can create
and alter your waypoint path by changing
the position and height of your waypoints.
The waypoints are uploaded to the onboard computer upon takeoff and used for
navigation by the autopilot.

Statistics Window
From the Edit menu selecting Statistics
will display the current scenario statistics.
Select the Done button to close the
Statistics Window.
Target Info Mode
When you click on this option the Mission
Planner enters Target Info Mode. The
change of state is indicated with a
question mark in the lower right of the
mouse pointer. In addition all the icons
with target information visible in the
Mission Planner Map are highlighted.
Selecting a highlighted icon from the map
will display the relevant target information
with the corresponding photos and images
made available by Mission Control. You
may close the window by selecting Done
at the bottom right corner of the window.
At any time you can return to normal
planner operation by clicking the right

Suggest
The Suggest option will automatically
suggest the closest visible primary target.
If no primary icons are displayed the
nearest secondary target will be selected.
If you are not content with the target
selected you may cycle all targets with the
arrows left and right of the Suggest label.
In Map Mode you may select which icons
will appear on screen by checking the
corresponding options, refer to the Map
Mode section below for details.

27

mouse button or just by selecting any
function from the Mission Planner
Windows.

Map Settings
General
The Map Settings are useful feature s
when planning a mission. Both the SAM
MEZ and the names option are checked by
default.

Tip: When in editing mode, pressing and
holding the CTRL key will activate the
Target Info Mode. It will remain active until
the key is released or you exit Target Info
Mode as mentioned above.

SAM MEZ
If the SAM MEZ is checked the missile
engagement zone will be displayed. Use
the MEZ to avoid unnecessary contact
with SAM sites on your way to the
designated target.

Map Mode
General
To get in Map Mode you select the Map tab
on the Manager Window. When this is
selected you will see on the Map menu a
list of options divided into three groups:
Object category, target class and map
settings. Checking any of these settings
will influence the information that appears
on the Mission Map.

Names
When the names option is checked the city
and area names will be plotted on the
Mission Map.
Grid
The grid is useful for calculating distances
when planning a mission, but maybe most
importantly for easier tracking of the
enemies movements. The grid scale is
5400 NM.

Object category
Only the targets that match any of the
checked priorities will be displayed. This
means if you only check the primary
option, only the primary targets will be
displayed.

Time Skip Window
In the upper left corner is the Time Skip
bar indicating which scenario has been
activated,the current day and the scenario
time. When selecting this bar a dialog box
will be displayed, giving you the
opportunity to skip a maximum of eight
hours at once to avoid bad weather and/or
night flying conditions.

Target Class
There are three different target classes
and only the icons containing objects of
the selected class will be displayed.
When you plan a mission you might want
to focus only on airborne targets. To do
this, you would only check the air option
and leave the ground and mobile blank.

28

Maximise Stealth reduces the payload,but
makes it much harder for the aircraft to be
detected.
When you’re finished, click the Done
button.
Now you’re ready to check the aircraft
payload and, if you wish, change the
weapons your aircraft will carry into
battle.

Wingmen Window
In addition to the two JSF contenders, the
F-22 Raptor is also scheduled to be in
active service at the time when the action
in Joint Strike Fighter takes place. Your
wingmen will always have the option to fly
any of the three aircraft,at your discretion.
You’ll need to select which plane your
wingmen will be flying, and whether to
optimize the payload for stealth or mission
effectiveness. This is done from the
Wingmen Menu.

The Arm Plane Window

Arm Plane Window
Beside the cannon, there are a variety of
Air-To-Air (A2A) and Air-To-Ground (A2G)
missiles and bombs that can be carried by
the JSF. Choosing the right payload to
complete the mission is vital; cluster
bombs are effective against mobile units,
but JDAM are more effective against fixed
targets.
The game will automatically select a
payload configuration that includes both
A2A and A2G weapons. However, you may
have your own preferences on what
weapon best completes the mission; the
Arm Plane menu allows you to check and
alter this configuration before flight to suit
your needs and preferences.

The Wingmen Window

To activate and use the menu:Click on the
Wingmen option in the box at the lower
right hand corner of your screen. The
Wingman menu will be activated.
Click on the arrows next to each wingman
to set his aircraft. Click on the Force Same
Aircraft box if you want all three wingmen
to use the same aircraft at all times.
Under the Weapons Load section,click the
radio button next to either Maximise
Stealth or Maximise Payload. If you choose
Maximise Payload,every hard point on the
aircraft will carry either a bomb or missile.
However, this will make it easier for enemy
radar to detect the aircraft. Selecting

29

In the previous screen, you can see the
Arm Plane Window with the current
weapon configuration shown on the
graphical representation of the fighter.
There are eight hard points on the JSF;
four of which are internal attach points.
Except for the rocket pod, which may only
be fitted on the wings, most weapons
available can be fixed to any hardpoint on
the aircraft.
The weapons are shown to the right,
divided into Missiles and Bombs. To see a
description of the weapon and its
capabilities, simply move the mouse
pointer over the weapon; the description
will appear in the text box at the bottom of
the screen. See also Appendix 5:Weapons,
for full descriptions.

Changing The Default Weapons
Configuration
You may carry any or all of the weapons
in the game, limited only by the carrying
capacity of the aircraft and its number
of hard points.
To add a weapon to an empty hard point
or swap out the current weapon for a
new one, do one of the following:
• Move the mouse pointer over one of the
weapon icons in the right-hand list;
• Left-click and hold down the mouse
button;
• Drag the weapon to the desired
hard point;
• Release the left mouse button. The
weapon is now loaded onto the hard
point.
To add or subtract fuel from the aircraft:
Locate the Fuel load gauge, located
under the aircraft silhouette;
• Click on the black arrow icons to the left
and right of the gauge to subtract or add
fuel to the aircraft.
• Removing fuel from the aircraft will not
allow you to put more ordnance on the
aircraft. It will, however, make the
aircraft more agile in flight, giving it an
advantage in combat.
• The selected configuration will be
automatically saved for future use. You
can go back to the default configuration
by clicking on the Default button at the
bottom left of the screen.
When you’re ready to jump in the
cockpit and fly the mission, click Done.

Drag-and-drop Weapon Selection
The Arm Plane Window functions as a drag
and drop editing box. To arm the plane
with a missile, simply select the weapon
with the pointer before draging it and
place it on any of the hardpoint on the
image to the left.
When you drag a weapon to a hardpoint
already holding a weapon, the new
selection will replace the former. If you
drop a weapon anywhere other than a
hardpoint, the selection will be discarded.

30

Selecting A Target
To plan a mission,first locate your take-off
position. Your plane is indicated on the
map by a blue plane icon surrounded by a
green circle. The green circle indicates the
Base or waypoint 0 and cannot be
removed. After you have successfully
located your fighter it’s time to select a
target.
Though the primary targets should be your
first concern, any enemy unit should be
considered a threat. All red icons are
hostile, so selecting any of these are fine
for a mission. But if you want to focus on
campaign progress you might want to
select only primary targets. This is easily
done by clicking Suggest from the Edit
menu. Alternatively, check the primary
object category checkbox from the Map
menu. This allows you to locate and
identify just the primary targets for better
mission planning.
When selecting targets you should
consider the target composition. If the
target is only lightly protected, you might
want to leave some wingmen behind.

Campaign Statistics Window
To view your overall campaign statistics
from the Mission Planner, click on the
Statistics button. When you’re finished
examining the stats,click Done to return to
the Mission Planner.

The Mission Planner Statistics screen

Mission Planner Usage
Planning A MIssion
Planning missions is quick and easy. It
involves a five step process:
1.Decide on one or more targets;
2.Plan and select flight waypoints;
3. Choose which aircraft your wing will fly;
4.Arm the aircraft;
5.Fly the mission.

Getting Information On Enemy Targets
While you may plan a mission to any target
in the Mission Planner, Headquarters will
have designated priority targets that they
wish attacked. You cannot complete the
Campaign until you’ve destroyed all of
primary targets.
With the CTRL key held down or while
selecting Target Info from the Edit menu,
certain targets will be highlighted on the

There are four clickable windows to assist
you in these tasks, accessed from the
Planner Manager Window on the righthand side of the screen. Detailed
information about both these windows
and their functions are given in the section
above entitled Mission Planner Windows.

31

Mission Map. Intelligence information
about these targets, including information
on the weapons and installations in the
target area is available by clicking on it’s
icon. This information can be crucial in
planning what payload to carry on an
attack mission. Rarely, if ever, will
intelligence information be available on
non-priority targets.

Once you have decided which target you’ll
be attacking for the mission, it’s time to
plan a route to it.
Planning A Route To The Target
General
It’s important to remember that the JSF is
designed to be stealthy. Not only is it built
using stealth technology (which gives it a
greater reduced radar signature), it is
designed to be able to sneak into a target
at very low altitudes, using terrain
features to help hide the aircraft from
enemy radar. To this end, it has a new
version of the terrain-following radar/
autopilot electronics package. When the
aircraft is placed on autopilot, it uses the
onboard Terrain Following Radar to
maintain a low altitude and steer itself
around terrain obstacles.
Your objective as a wing commander
should be to plan a route to the target that
takes advantage of the surrounding terrain
as much as possible.

Target Info screen showing
information on a priority target

To see the intelligence information about a
priority target:
1. Click on Target Info, on the Edit Menu;
2. Left click on one of the priority targets
on the Map;
3. The Info screen will appear. When
you’re finished,click on the Done button
to return to the Mission Planner.
4. You may also right-click when no Info
screen is displayed to cancel the Target
Info command and return to the Mission
Planner.

The Suggest button has been clic ked

32

Usage
To create your own waypoint, just move
the mouse pointer to the point on the map
where you want the waypoint to appear,
then left-click. You can use this method to
plan your own route to a target, without
using the Suggest option.

Generating Waypoints To The Target:
The Suggest Option
The Mission Planner has an option to help
you plan a route to priority targets. Here is
how you take advantage of this option:
On the Edit Menu,find the Suggest option.
There are black arrows to the left and right
of the Suggest button. Click on them to
scroll forward and back through the
current list of priority targets.
As you click to scroll through the targets,
the Mission Planner suggests a route both
to the target and back to your Base. These
routes are denoted with a bright green
line, interspersed with bright green boxes.
The boxes are the actual waypoints which
the plane will fly towards. Each waypoint
includes altitude information. If you want
them to be terrain following you check this
option, if not the altitude will be set to
32000 ft. All targets which have been
selected will be surrounded by a green
circle, in the same way as your own plane.
To get information about each waypoint
move the pointer over it, and the text will
appear in the text box on the right-side of
the screen.
If you wish to accept this route, you need
do nothing else; move on to the Arming
The Fighter and Wingmen sections below.

Note: All waypoint editing features will
work for both your own created waypoints
and those created by the Suggest option.
If you wish to delete a waypoint,centre the
mouse pointer on the waypoint box and
right-click. The waypoint will disappear
and the Mission Planner will fill in the
route line.
If you wish to move a waypoint,centre the
mouse pointer on a waypoint, then click
and hold down the left mouse button. Now
move the mouse; the waypoint and route
line will move with the pointer. Move the
waypoint to your desired location and
release the left mouse button.
If you wish to alter the height of a
waypoint, just left-click on the waypoint
box to toggle through a range of preset
waypoint altitudes. The height will be
displayed in the textbox.
All waypoints currently on the map can be
cleared by clicking on the Clear menu
option, on the Edit Menu.

Manually Editing Waypoints
General
As a general rule you always add waypoints
with the left mouse button and delete with
the right mouse button. you can not edit
waypoints in Map Mode.

Tip: If you press and hold the ALT key,
left-clicking on a waypoint will shift the
altitude between terrain following and the
maximum height.

33

Zooming: Getting A More
Detailed Look At The Map
General
If you wish to get a more detailed look at
the map this can easily be done with the
mouse. Select Map mode and left-click to
zoom. The map will be centred around the
mouse pointer. If you want to continue
editing waypoints when the map is
zoomed, you just have to switch back to
Edit mode.

The Mission Planner with the Map tab selected

Flying A Mission
When you’re satisfied with your route and
waypoints, weapons load and the
wingmen’s aircraft,it’s time to load up and
fly the mission.
To do this,simply click the Take Off button
in the lower right hand corner of your
screen. The flight simulator will load and
you’ll be in the cockpit of your aircraft,
ready to take off.

Usage
The first thing you need to do is to select
the Map tab dialog in the upper right
corner of the screen. This will activate
Map mode enabling you to manipulate the
Mission Planner Map. When you are in
Map Mode the mouse pointer will change
to a magnifying glass until you go back to
waypoint editing. Move the cursor to the
point on the map you want to examine and
left-click. The map will zoom in for a
closer look.
To return to the larger map, left-click
again. Repeat the procedure for each spot
on the map you wish to examine in more
detail.
When you’re finished, click on the Edit
button to return to Edit Mode for creating
and editing waypoints.

Ready for Takeoff!

34

• To add power to your aircraft and
increase speed,press the 1-9 keys.
• To steer your aircraft, use the rudder
keys, the ‘,’ (comma) key to steer left
and the ‘.’ (period) key to steer right;
• To brake your aircraft and slow down,
use the B key;

General
The very first time you start a campaign
and click on Take Off in the Mission
Planner, your aircraft will not be on the
runway, but nearby on a taxiway. You’ll
need to start your engines, add some
power, brake while on the ground and
steer the aircraft to and turn onto the
runway to takeoff. refer to section 8:Flying
the Plane for details.:

Tip: Press F11 for satellite view, using
PageUp and PageDown to zoom in/out.
Steer your aircraft forward and turn onto
the runway, using the brake as needed,
and coming as close to facing down the
centreline stripe as possible. Then use the
rudder keys to turn left or right, facing
down the runway, with the centreline
down the middle of your screen.
Press the CTRL + 0 (zero) key to engage
afterburners. When the speed indicator on
the HMD is at 150 mph or greater, lift back
on the joystick to pitch the nose of the
aircraft up and take off.

1.Request takeoff permission.
2. Turn on engine and increase to taxi
speed (approx. 15 knots).
3. Taxi to the runway.
4.Extend flaps and go into afterburners.
5.Pull the stick back and when airborne
retract the your gear.
How to taxi and take off
Whenever you start a mission there are
several things you may do to facilitate your
takeoff.
One of the first things you should do is to
radio the tower and ask for takeoff
permission. Doing this the tower will
normally grant you permission to takeoff
and turn on the runway lights. This makes
taxing easier as also the taxiway will
be lit. For more information on how the
radio works, see Appendix 4: Radio
communication.
When you have located the correct
taxiway you are ready to increase the
thrust and accelerate to taxing speed and
manoeuvre to the runway:

Tip: To save the time and trouble of taxiing
out onto the runway each time you fly a
campaign mission, use the ESC key to
activate the in-flight menu while in the
cockpit, then press the Right Arrow key
until the Game menu is highlighted and
press Enter. Then use the Down Arrow key
to highlight Start On Runway and press
Enter again. From now on, all campaign
missions will start on the runway, ready to
start engines and fly without the need to
taxi onto the strip. Press ESC again to
return to the cockpit.

35

Manual Approach
When you are airborne you can easily
follow the waypoints manually, but for this
to be feasible make sure the HMD is
turned on. Press the Del key on the
numeric keypad to toggle the HMD on /off.
You will be manoeuvring using the
heading tape on the top of the HMD
screen. The bearing (compass direction) of
the currently selected waypoint will be
indicated on the tape by the waypoint
carat pointing in the direction you need to
turn. You should direct the nose directly
towards the carat, which means keeping
the carat at the middle of the screen.
When you have reached the waypoint you
will be notified by the on-board computer,
and you need to activate the next waypoint
by pressing the W.
There are three types of waypoints, which
waypoint you are following can be seen in
the lower right corner of the screen,if you
are heading towards a Engage waypoint it
means you are flying towards a selected
target.
When you have reached your target select
the appropriate weapon and attack.

Getting To The Target
General
The general idea is to manoeuvre your
fighter according to the plan you laid
out in the Mission Planner. This can be
done either manually or by activating the
autopilot.
Autopilot
Once in the air, getting to the target is
pretty easy, if you follow these steps:
1.Gain at least 1000 feet of altitude;
2. Press the A key to activate the Autopilot.
The HMD will display the word WAY
above the altimeter tape; when the
autopilot is set to follow waypoints and
it is activated you can read the word
WAY on the upper left side of the HMD.
3. With the Autopilot activated, the aircraft
will automatically move from waypoint
to waypoint.
4. If you wish to bypass a waypoint, press
the W key to instruct the autopilot to
take you to the next one in the route.
Use the CTRL + W key combination to
cycle backwards to a previous waypoint.
5. When you reach the target, press the A
key to deactivate the autopilot and make
your attack.

Note: To see the waypoint information you
have to be in navigation mode; press the N
key to activate Nav mode.
To cycle backwards between the waypoints
press CTRL + W.

NOTE: Your autopilot will never turn itself
off, even if you are bounced by enemy
aircraft. If you are bounced by the enemy,
you need to manually deactivate the
autopilot if you wish to turn and fight.

36

Attacking Ground Targets
1.Deactivate the autopilot;
2. Use the Backspace key (or the proper
button on your joystick, see Appendix B)
to cycle through your A2G weapons,
until the one you want shows as active
on the HMD.
3. Using the radar and arrow information
on your HMD, manoeuvre your aircraft to
line up on the target.
4. When the target reticle is over the
target or you achieve a target lock,
press the Spacebar to drop the bomb.

Go Home!
To return to your base:
1. Activate the autopilot by pressing the
A key;
2. The autopilot will follow the waypoints
to your home base. If you haven’t
planned a return waypoint path,activate
waypoint 0 (zero) to get back to base.
3. When you have reached the base
de-activate the Autopilot by pressing A
again;
4.Land the plane on the runway.
The Mission Debriefing
General
When you have finished a mission select
Quit & Save from the in-game menu. You
will exit the game and automatically enter
the Mission Debriefing.
The Mission Debriefing screen will give
you a summary of your mission’s success
or failure. It will include the area map,
with points of action during the mission
shown as small explosion-icons.

Remember The Hatch
When you are ready to attack your target,
you have to prepare your weapon. If an
external weapon have been selected, you
need do nothing more. But if the weapon is
carried inside the fuselage, you will need
to open the hatch.
Remember opening the hatch increases
your radar signature, and should therefore
be done as late as possible during the
attack.

Mission Debriefing Map
General
This is the same map as you have seen in
the Mission Planner. This includes all the
icons and additional information displayed
on the Mission Map. The only addition is a
explosion-icon pinpointing the position of
any destroyed objects and a blue line that
shows that path you have flown.

Ending The Mission
General
When you have completed your mission
and returned to your airbase, you are
ready to end your mission. When you have
parked on the tarmac it is time to Quit &
Save.

37

your flight path or waypoints, you select
the corresponding checkbox.

Flight path
When you are in the mission debriefing
you have the option of displaying your
flight path. If you check the option in the
Manager Window you will see a blue line.
This is the distance covered by your
fighter during your mission.

Statistics Window
To get the overall statistics of the mission,
click the Statistics button. This window
lists several details regarding your last
mission; such as flying time, the number of
allied and enemy object destroyed and
weapons in percentage.
When you are done reading the statistics
you close the window by selecting the
Done button in the lower right corner of
the statistics screen.

Mission Debriefing Windows
General
Note: While any window is activated the
debriefer will be disabled and the buttons,
bars and textboxes will be changed in
intensity. To get focus back to the
debriefer you have to close the Statistics
window,
Scenario Bar
The scenario bar indicates the scenario
progress. If everything is the way it should
be, and your game is progressing normally
the only text printed in the scenario bar
will be Scenario Progress. If you on the
other hand have for some reason failed,
and the scenario is lost you will be notified
in the scenario bar – in addition to the
information screen that will be displayed
when you exit the Mission Debriefing.

The Mission Debriefing Statistics window

Progress Bar
The progress bar is located in the bottom
left corner of the screen. This is where the
game status will be printed. If you have
failed completing the scenario or you have
successfully finished the campaign the
text will change accordingly.
If everything is normal and no special
cases have occurred the text will read
“Scenario Progress”.

Debrief Manager Window
In the Debreif Manager Window you may
select the information you want displayed
on the Mission Map.
The options are similar to the Map menu,
refer to the Mission Planner Windows
paragraph above, except for the additional
options: Flight Path and Waypoints. To see

38

Mission Debriefing - General
Move the mouse pointer over any of the
explosion icons to see a brief action description of what was destroyed and when
it occurred.
Using The Debrief Manager Window
Exiting Mission Debriefing
After ending a mission the debreifing is
automatically loaded. On the mission map
you will be presented with a mission
summary. When you are done studying it
and you are ready to move on, the mission
planner will be loaded and your plane
prepared for your next mission.
To exit the mission debriefing click the
Mission Planner button in the lower right
corner.
Continuing a Campaign
When you exit the Mission Debriefing your
plane will be prepared and the game
p r o gress saved. The campaign will
automatically continue from where you
left off.
Note:The game progress does not include
waypoints or target selections, which
means all waypoints will be lost when you
quit the Mission Planner.

39

SECTION SIX
Multiplayer Dogfight

40

3. The Multiplayer>Create Game menu
contains five options that allows you to
modify the default multiplayer game:
• Time Of Day: Allows you to change the
hour at which the multiplayer game
takes place. Using the late hours of the
day decreases the possibility of visual
detection, which will force players to
fly and track using instruments instead.
• Weather: Switches between the different weather conditions. Note that the
different theatres have different types
of weather e.g.:Snow, rain and clear.
• Number Of Kills: This options selects
the duration of the game. You can
choose from a list of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25,
30 or UNLIMITED. If UNLIMITED is
selected, the game will last until the
last player leaves the game. Otherwise
the game will continue until a player or
a team has reached the selected
number of kills.
• Guns Only: Enabling Guns Only will
remove the Air to Air missiles from the
multiplayer game.
• Theatre: Lets you choose the theatre
to use for your multiplayer game.
Choosing between the different
scenarios also changes the weather,
thus increasing the difficulty of flying
on scenarios with demanding weather
conditions.

General
The JSF Multiplayer Dogfight option allows
you to go head to head with up to eight
players at the same time. In this section
you’ll find out how to start or join a
network game and how the game behaves
when started. A closer description of the
individual network protocols can be found
in Section 3.
Starting your own game
The following steps need to be undertaken
in order to start your own multi-player
game:
1. Choose the protocol you wish to use on
the Options>Game menu, and then
continue to the Multiplayer menu by
selecting the Multiplayer item on the
Main Menu.

Multiplayer Menu

2. On the Multiplayer menu select the
Create item. This activates the Create
Game menu.
Multiplayer Create Game Menu

41

4. After adjusting the multiplayer game to
your needs, select Start to create the
multiplayer game and proceed to the
Game Lobby.

Team Score
The score of a team is counted as the
average of kills achieved by each team
member. This means that playing in a big
team is not necessarily an advantage, as
players who do not contribute significantly
will lower the team average.

Joining an existing game
1. Choose the protocol you wish to use on
the Options>Game menu, and then
continue to the multiplayer menu by
selecting the Multiplayer item on the
Main Menu.
2. On the Multiplayer menu select the
Refresh item, this will, after a while
display a list of active games in the
Games in progress window. Each
game has its own title (e.g. “JSF Game created by Snapper”) and also
displays the number of free slots for
new players. For more information on
a multiplayer game, highlight a
specific game. This will make a more
specific description (including a
theatre, weather and time of day)
appear in the Game information
window.
3. Now just select the active game you
want to join,and you will automatically
proceed to the Game Lobby menu.

Duration Of The Game
Depending on the settings selected by the
host of a network game, the play may
continue indefinitely (when unlimited kills
are selected) or until one team has
achieved the selected number of kills. At
this time, the game freezes, and the
statistics screen (described below) is
shown.
Replenishing Fuel And Ammo
When blasting away at your opponents,
you’ll soon find your fuel and ammo
running low. There are two ways to
replenish these:
Fly through a reset point: In each theatre
there is an object suspended in the air
close to your starting position. Flying
through it gives you fuel and weapons,
but leaves you vulnerable while
approaching.
Land at a nearby airbase: Close to the area
where the multiplayer game takes place,
there is an airbase which can be used for
replenishing your plane. This also leaves
you extremely vulnerable while approaching the landing strip, so it should be

Rules of play
General
When you’re spawned in the game, you
start of with a set amount of weapons and
about two minutes of fuel (at 90% thrust).
The rules of the game are described below.

42

attempted only as a last resort when you
are out of fuel.

player has died.

• Status: This indicates the players’
states in the game (i.e. Playing, Dead
or Loading).

The Game Lobby

Just below the Players Window is a status
bar which displays your status in the
multiplayer game. There are three
different states, as follows:
Multiplayer Lobby

• Waiting for server response: This
means that you haven’t been accepted
in the game yet. Don’t worry if this
takes a while - if for instance the
GameServer is busy loading, no
players will be accepted until it’s
finished loading.
• Ready to go: The GameServer has
accepted you as a participant of the
game, and you can now select Go to
start playing.
• Game over: This means that a team or
a player has reached the number of
kills set by the game host. All you can
do is to leave the game and find
another game to join.

When you enter the Game Lobby you’ll
see a window that displays the active
players in the multiplayer game. The
window shows all the information about
you, the highlighted player, and the other
players. The player information is split
into five groups:
• Team: Each player is initially given
their own team displayed as a colourbar in the team colour. Selecting your
own colour-bar will result in a team
change, whereas selecting another
player’s colour-bar will join the team
of that player. NOTE: The player who’s
team you joined,might change his own
team. So you’ll have to re-select his
colour-bar to rejoin his team.
• P l a ye r : Displays the call-sign
identifying the player.
• K i l l s : Displ ays the kil l coun t of
the player.
• Deaths: Tells how many times the

After attaining Ready To Go and having
selected your team colour, simply select
Go to start the game.

43

same as on the Game Lobby (i.e. Playing,
Dead and Loading).To toggle between the
statistics modes press the CAPS LOCK key.

Statistics
General
When playing you are able to view the
advancement of the players by using the
statistics screen. JSF has two different
statistics screens that can be used during
a multiplayer game:

Multiplayer Statistics

Simple Statistics
If enabled,this displays a horizontal list of
the different team colours. The team
values are listed so that the team with the
highest average of kills is shown first.
Full Statistics
When using the advanced statistics, the
horizontal list from the simple statistics is
moved to middle of the screen. Below the
list is a spreadsheet containing a list of
players. The players are listed so that the
player from the team with the highest
average is first. Within the team, players
are listed so that the player with most kills
and least deaths are first. Each player
listing show the player name, the player
kills, the player deaths and the status of
the player. The status of the player is the

44

SECTION SEVEN
THE IN-FLIGHT MENUS

45

The seven submenu sections of the
Dogfight in-flight menu are:

General
The in-flight menus are accessible at the
top of the screen at all times while you are
flying. It allows you to change, adjust or
reconfigure basic game options, including
resolution mode, sound volumes, graphic
detail of the terrain, buildings and other
aircraft, enemy skill and more. Most of
these options are also available from
Options on the Main Menu, though the inflight menu also includes a few other
features, such as the ability to accelerate
time to reduce Time to Target.

Mission
Allows you to restart the mission, quit the
mission or save your prog ress.
Dogfight
Allows you to restart or quit the game
Network
Allows you to quit the network game
Game
Set up time compression, Gameplay and
menu options.

To access the drop-down menu bar, press
the ESC key, located in the upper left-hand
corner of your keyboard. The menu bar will
appear across the top of your game
screen. The game default is set to pause
flight while the In-Flight menus are active.
The menu is navigated using the arrow
keys, and features can be selected by
pressing Enter. To close the in-flight menu
and re t u rn to active flight, p ress ESC
again.

Cheats
Allows you to cheat by simplifying certain
aspects of the game.
Difficulty
Allows you to select the skill level of
your opponents
View
Camera and External view options.
Controls
Select plane flight control methods and
alter/adjust options for them.
Mode
Select graphics modes and resolution
options.

Campaign In-Flight Menu bar

46

mission planner. If you’re flying a campaign and select Quit, you’ll have to plan
your mission again from the start.
Quit & Save
You may select Quit & Save at anytime
from the in-game menu; when you do, you
will enter the Mission Debriefing screen.
When you exit the mission debriefing
screen, one hour will be added for
preparing the aircraft for the next mission.
If the mission is a success and you return
to a friendly base with your aircraft, no
additional penalties of any kind will occur.

Graphics
Change terrain and transparency details.
Sound
Volume and stereo options.
Help
Display keyboard commands and game credits.
Please note that some of these sub-menus
are only available in certain play modes
(dogfight, campaign or network dogfight).
This is described in g reater detail below.

This is not the case if you quit and save
before reaching a friendly base. In this
case, you’ll lose an aircraft and,unless you
eject and return to a friendly base on foot,
you will lose a pilot, as well. In other
words,try to get as close to a friendly base
as possible before bailing out, in order to
reduce the distance you’ll have to cover on
foot and the chances of losing a pilot.

Mission
This sub-menu is only available when
playing a campaign. When you select the
Mission menu, you have access to three
options: Restart, Quit and Quit & Save.
Restart
This option cancels the current mission
and reloads it from scratch: your mission
is restarted as if you had just left the
mission planner. All of your mission
waypoints are uploaded to the flight
computer and the scenario time is rolled
back to your current mission’s initial time.

Mission In-Flight Menu

Dogfight
This menu is only available when you are
playing dogfight. It gives you access to
items: Restart and Quit.

When you select Restart, no penalties of
any kind are imposed, even if you have
crashed or been killed; you will lose
neither a fighter nor a pilot. It also means
that any targets destroyed during your
current flight will be not be scored.

Dogfight In-Flight Menu

Restart
This option quits and restarts a new
dogfight game with your current settings.

Quit
Selecting Quit takes you back to the

47

setting. This means that everything
happens at twice its normal speed.

Quit
Selecting Quit takes you back to the
Dogfight main menu screen. You’ll be able
to alter the Dogfight settings and relaunch
into a new set of attack waves.

Normal x3
Triple the compression of the Normal
setting, thereby making everything happen
at three times normal speed.
Normal x4
Sets four times the compression of the
Normal setting, effectively making
everything happen at four times normal
speed.

Network
The network menu is only available when
you are playing multiplayer dogfight.
There’s only one item:

Network In-Flight Menu

Normally, time compression is only
desired in campaign mode. Please note
that due to the complexity of the
simulation, the processor may not always
be able to run the game internally at the
requested time factor. This may result in a
lower framerate and jerky g raphics.

Quit
This selection quits the network game and
returns you to the lobby.
Game
There are three sub-menus you can alter in
this menu,Time Factor, Gameplay and Menus.

Time Factor
This allows you to use time compression to
speed up the action. There are four selections:

Gameplay
There is one option under Gameplay, Start
On Runway. This toggle option is only used
in the Campaign games, though it can be
turned on and off at any time. When
checked, all campaign missions start with
the aircraft out on the runway instead of in
a taxi area. This saves you the time and
trouble of taxing to the runway before
each Campaign mission.

Normal
The default, which means that there is no
time compression.
Normal x2
Double the time scale of the normal

Menus
There is one option under Menus, Pause
Game. When selected, pressing ESC to
activate the in-flight menus will also
pause the game. When not selected, your

Game In-Flight Menu.

48

aircraft continues in flight,even when you
are checking the in-flight menus.

problematic during landings and takeoffs.
When this option is checked,your plane is
not affected by wind and weather.
No Turbulence
Even with no wind, hugging the terrain at
low altitudes makes for a bumpy ride.
Checking this box will disable low-level
turbulence.
Cannon
This section determines the behaviour of
your gunshots. It has just one item:

Cheats
These options are intended to make
missions easier to fly and increase your
chances of survival. They are divided into
the following categories:

Easy Aiming
This is a toggle-option. When selected,
your plane’s cannon lead sight will be in
Easy Aiming mode. You won’t have to think
much about leading the locked target; the
cannon rounds will actually lead
themselves and try to ‘chase’ the target.
This is not a guaranteed automatic hit
however, the closer the locked target is to
the centre of your aiming sight, the better
the chance of a hit with this option
selected.
When not selected, cannon rounds will
conform to the normal laws of physics.
This will result in a wonderful aerial
display of tracer lights but far fewer
gunnery kills.

Cheats In-Flight Menu

View
This has just one customizable item:
No Fadeouts
When selected, pilots won’t experience
red- or blackouts of the field of view when
pulling extreme G-forces in combat due to
tight turns, dives or climbs.
Physics
Here you are able to simplify a few options
w h i ch affect the way physics are
simulated in the game:
Easy Landings
When the checkbox is toggled on, the
undercarriage can take more of a beating,
making it significantly easier to land.

Damage Level
This section determines which amount of
damage applied to your plane. There are
two selections possible in this menu,
Realistic and Invulnerable. When Realistic
is checked, your aircraft can take only a
certain amount of damage and survive;
modern warfare being what it is,that ain’t

No Wind
Though not obvious when cruising at high
altitudes, a strong wind may prove

49

much.

benefit of learning new skills and
manoeuvres from the more experienced
pilots. As they advance through the skill
levels, they learn more manoeuvres,
develop better gunnery and bombing skills
and become more willing to use both in
combat.
Aces are wily, crafty opponents, the
survivors and victors of many aerial
combat missions; they should not be
underestimated. They know all the
standard air combat maneuvers and aren’t
afraid to use them at any time, and have
also developed excellent gunnery skills.

Note: Selecting ‘Invulnerable’ disables
your ability to save your progress in the
campaigns.
Supplies
This section consist of a single item:
Unlimited Ammo
When this option is selected, you’ll never
run out of missiles, bombs or cannon
rounds.
Note : Unlimited Ammo also disables your
ability to save your prog ress.

View
This menu is designed to allow the player
to customize certain view options and has
two sections: Camera and View.

Difficulty
Enemy Skill
This menu is only available in campaign
play. It allows you to set the skill rating of
the pilots you and your wingmen will be
flying against. Select one of five settings:
Rookie, Novice, Average, Veteran and Ace.
The default setting is Average, with Rookie
the easiest type of enemy pilot to fight
against and Ace the hardest.

View In-Flight Menu

Camera
There are two options deciding how the
camera in the game behaves:
No Shaking
Normally, the camera shakes slightly at
high velocities and during tight G-turns.
When checked, this options turns such
shaking off.

Difficulty In-Flight Menu

Rookies know only basic flight skills;
they’ve been rushed to the front straight
from training school. They haven’t had the

No Head Tilting
When this option is checked, the camera
won’t show the pilot’s head experiencing

50

tilts due to G-forces during maneuvers.

aircraft controls are to your keyboard input.

View
This sub-menu allows you to configure
whether or not flight information is superimposed on the screen. It has three sections:
Controls In-Flight Menu with keyboard input device selected

HMD Radars
When checked, the active and passive radar
displays from the MFDs are superimposed
on the lower corners of the HMD.

Mouse
When playing with a mouse, the controls
menu contains the following items:

External HMD
When selected,portions of the HMD will be
available to certain external views.
Enable Messages
When selected, this displays te x t
messages that complement the computer
and radio messages into the cockpit.
Examples of such messages are “Enemy
Lock-On” and “Shoot”

Controls In-Flight Menu with mouse input device selected

Pitch Sensitivity
This slider adjusts how responsive the
aircraft controls are to movement along
the y-axis.

Controls
This sub-menu is used for configuring the
input to the game. In addition to the basic
choice of whether to use keyboard,mouse
or joystick, it also presents a contextsensitive section that allows you to
configure each device:

Roll Sensitivity
As above, but this slider adjusts the
responsiveness along the x-axis.
Inertia
This slider determines how much inertia
there is in the mouse controls.

Keyboard
When keyboard is selected, the controls
menu also shows the following item:

Button Remapping
Here you have two displays. The upper line
shows which button to edit (left, right or -

Keyboard Sensitivity
This slider adjusts how responsive the

51

if playing with a three button mouse - the
centre button). The lower line shows what
function is currently assigned to that
button. Selecting the upper line and
pressing Enter changes which button to
edit, doing the same on the lower line
changes the function. Using CTRL toggles
the opposite direction.

to raise it.

Rudder Sensitivity
Works in the same manner as XY
Sensitivity above, with the aircraft rudder
becoming more or less sensitive
to commands.
To alter this setting, highlight the Rudder
Sensitivity option and press the ENTER
key. Then use the left arrow key to lower
the sensitivity and the right arrow key to
raise it.

Joystick
When keyboard is selected, the controls
menu also shows the following items:

Slack
On many joysticks, the input is never
completely zero, even when the
joystick seems to be in the centre position.
Normally, this could cause the aircraft to
pitch and roll slightly, even when no force
is used on the joystick. The slack slider
can be used to define how much tolerance
is to be used around the neutral position.
To alter this setting, highlight the Slack
option and press the ENTER key. Then use
the left arrow key to lower the slack and
the right arrow key to add to it.

Controls In-Flight Menu with joystick input device selected

Centre
When selected and the ENTER key
pressed, this option pulls the joystick and
reassigns the centre vector for the stick’s
current position.
XY Sensitivity
This is a gradient bar that raises or lowers
the XY coordinate sensitivity to flight
manoeuvre commands. The higher the sensitivity, the quicker the aircraft will respond
to XY coordinate changes during flight.

Force Feedback
If you have a Force Feedback joystick
attached to your computer, this option
allows you to select whether or not it
should be enabled. Check the box to turn
Force Feedback on.

To alter this setting, highlight the XY
Sensitivity option and press the ENTER
key. Then use the left arrow key to lower
the sensitivity and the right arrow ke y

If no Force Feedback joystick is selected in
the Windows Control Panel, this option is

52

greyed out.

However, players using computers with
slower processors may experience some
jerkiness when game graphics are set at the
higher resolutions. We recommend experimenting with the lower resolutions until
you find the one that performs best for you.

Button Mapping
This works exactly like the mouse button
mapping described above, only here you
are able to select the function of each
button on your joystick. The upper line
shows which button to edit (Fire 1, Fire
2, etc.). The lower line shows what
function is currently assigned to that
button. Selecting the upper line and
pressing Enter changes which button to
edit, doing the same on the lower line
changes the function. Using CTRL toggles
the opposite direction.

Lo-Res Emulation
This is short for Low Resolution Emulation,
and features two options:
Big Pixels
If you want to run the game in lowresolution modes, and your graphics
card/driver does not support this, JSF can
emulate low-resolution by redrawing
using big pixels. This means that the game
is redrawn in low-resolution internally, and
then doubled to fit the physical screen
resolution. This option is not available in
modes less that 640x400.

Mode
This menu allows you to select which
screen resolution to use when playing the
game. It contains three items:

Black lines
If the Big Pixels option is enabled, the
Black Lines option lets you select how the
scaling of the screen is performed. When
checked, every other line is not redrawn,
but left black. This is slightly faster than
the alternative, when all lines are drawn.

Mode In-Flight Menu

Screen Resolution
This option allows the player to select
screen resolution from the list available on
the computer. This may vary between
different machines, from as low as
320x200 pixels (lo-res) to super-hi-res
(1280x1024 or higher) and everything in
between. To select a new screen resolution, use the Up/Down arrows to
highlight the desired resolution,then press
the ENTER key.

Graphics
This menu offers submenus which allow
you to change object and terrain complexity

Graphics In-Flight Menu

53

contains a number of effects and features
which enhance the graphics, yet are not
vital to the gameplay. These can be
enabled or disabled in this and the
following sub-menu.

to enhance performance, select certain
graphics features in the game and add or
remove some transparency effects during
flight. Note that subtracting detail and
features will enhance performance at the
expense of visual appearance.

Enable Lens Flares
Lens flares emulate the optical effect
created by a camera when exposed to
strong light sources, for instance from the
sun or a rocket blast. When checked,these
effects are enabled. Disabling the effects
will improve performance.

Detail
This section lets you add to or subtracts
from the graphic detail of objects, such as
aircraft, and terrain features, such as
buildings and roads. It is divided in two:

Enable Particles
When enabled, a particle system is used
for rendering weather effects like wind
and rain. This may reduce performance on
slower computers.

Object Complexity
A gradient bar that adds or subtracts detail
from objects you see during flight,such as
other aircraft. To alter the current setting,
use the Up/Down arrow keys to highlight
the selection and press Enter. Then use the
Left/Right arrow keys to va ry the
gradient bar setting. Moving the bar to the
right will add complexity; move it to the
left to subtract detail.

Transparency
Certain special effects in the game can be
rendered with or without transparency.
Though transparency may reduce the
performance of the game, it may add to
the visual appearance of the game. The
following effects are handled separately:

Terrain Complexity
This slider works in the same manner as
Object Complexity. Use the Left/Right arrow
keys to add or subtract from terrain detail.

Smoke
When checked, this option improves the
appearance of the smoke-trails in the
game by using transparency. Performance
may suffer on slower computers.

Terrain Objects
This slider detemines how many terrain
objects should be drawn-none, only the
trees, or all terrain objects.

Shadows
When this box is checked, shadows are
projected onto the ground with transparency, rather than as single colour

Features
The graphics engine of Joint Strike Fighter

54

silhouettes.

highlighting the option, pressing Enter to
activate it, then using the Left/Right arrow
keys to decrease or increase the volume.
Sound Effects
Most actions performed in flight, such as
firing a weapon and raising the landing
gear, have sound effects that play when
the action is performed. Set your desired
volume level of the in-game sound effects
by highlighting the option, pressing Enter
to active it,then using the Left/Right arrow
keys to decrease or increase the volume.

Explosions
Using transparent explosions will improve
realism, but can be a serious performance
hit. Keep this in mind if you are expe-riencing
slowdown when viewing large explosions.
NOTE: We highly recommend you experiment with the options in the in-flight
dropdown menu, especially those playing
JSF on computers with pro-cessors slower
than a 166 megahertz Pentium. Adjusting
the options in Graphics and Mode to display
less object and terrain detail at lower resolutions can dramatically increase the performance of the game on these computers.

Speech
This slider raises or lowers the volume on
speech messages to you during flight. This
applies both to radio messages and the
VOCOM.

Sound
The sound menu allows you to configure
how music, sound effects and speech are
played back through your loudspeakers. It
contains the following sections:

Stereo
Reverse Channels
On some computers, the placement of the
loudspeakers are exchanged. Checking
this box reverses this.
Enable Messages
In-game speech is enabled by default, as
this is one of your primary sources of
information. It can, however, be disabled
be unchecking this box. Note that this
makes you totally reliant on text messages
for such things as radio communication
and flight computer messages.

Sound In-Flight Menu

Volume Control
Music Track
JSF features several original music tracks
that play during flight. Set your desired
volume level of the in-game music by

Master Volume
This submenu has only one item:
Mute

55

When checked, all sound in the game is
disabled.
Help
This menu is intended to offer you
keyboard help, as well as give access to
the About Box and the credits list. It
contains the following commands:

Help In-Flight Menu

Keys
Activating this option will display a screen
listing the flight keyboard commands. Use
[Up] and [Down] to scroll between pages.
To return to the in-flight menu, press ESC.
About
Activating this option will display a screen
with information on the developer and
publisher. Pressing ESC will return you to
the in-flight menu.
Credits
A c t i vating this option will display a
series of scrolling screens showing who
contributed during the development of
Joint Strike Fighter. Press ESC to return to
the in-flight menu.

56

SECTION EIGHT
Flying the Plane

57

General
This section is intended to teach you the
ins and outs of the Joint Strike Fighter
planes. By reading this part you’ll not only
get familiar with the flight behaviour of the
JSF planes; you’ll also get a deeper
understanding of the underlying systems
of the aircraft. This includes the Flight
Assistance Systems, Avionics Suites,
Automated Defence Systems and your
virtual cockpit environment.

Taxing on the Ground
A speed of about 15 knots is usually
convenient when taxiing on the airport.
This is most easily achieved by applying a
short burst of power to the engines, and
then using the inertia of the plane to keep
you rolling. The B key can be used to slow
down your airplane if you go too fast.
To steer your aircraft, use the rudder keys
[<] and [>] to steer left and right. Steer
your aircraft forward and turn onto the
runway, using the brake as needed, and
coming as close to facing down the
centreline stripe as possible. Then use the
rudder keys to turn left or right, facing
down the runway, with the centreline
down the middle of your screen.

If you find this too much information to
digest in one go, you can always refer to
this section later for technical details of
the aircraft. Still, it’s well worth the effort
try to get an overview of what’s going on
“behind the scenes” as you ride through
the sky.

TIP 1: To save the time and trouble of
taxing out onto the runway each time you
fly a campaign mission, check the Start On
Runway option on the in-flight menu. From
now on, all campaign missions will start
on the runway, ready to start engines and
fly without the need to taxi onto the strip.

Flight Handling
Operating the Engine
To start your engines and power up the
aircraft, press the [~] key, located in the
upper left of your keyboard, directly below
ESC (or next to return).
To add power to your aircraft and increase
speed, press the 1-0 keys, with 0 being
100% power and 1 being 64% power. To
turn the engine off press CTRL and [~].
See also Appendix 1 for a complete list of
all keyboard commands, and Appendix 2
for a description of joystick and gamepad
configuration.

TIP 2:Throttle control is the key to taxing.
Be careful to not go too fast during turns.
Takeoff
Press the zero, 0, key to push your thrust
to 100%. When the speed indicator on the
HMD is at approximately 150 mph or
greater, pull the joystick back to tilt the
nose of the aircraft and take off. Once
in the air, press G to retract the gear.

58

keys and W at the same time. This
command will first jettison external
weapons, and if you invoke it a second
time it will jettison your internal weapons.

In-Flight Operations Hatch
To use the weapons in the internal
weapons stations, you’ll need to open the
hatch. This is done with the H key.
Remember that having the hatch open
increases your radar cross section - so
don’t forget to close it after you have
delivered your weapon load.

You can also jettison fuel - this is activated
by pressing both CTRL keys and J at the
same time. Fuel jettison is turned off again
by pressing the key combination once
more. Note: Always check your fuel
storage, fuel consumption and distance to
nearest friendly airport before invoking
this command.

Airbrake
The air brake or speed brake slows the
plane down by increasing drag. Holding
the B key down while you are in the air
achieves this by elevating a moveable
surface on the top rear of the aircraft.

Eject
When all hope of returning to base is lost,
you may want to consider ejecting from
the plane. This is done by pressing both
CTRL keys and E at the same times. Note,
however, that this is not without risk.

Flaps
Use the flaps to gain extra lift during
takeoffs. They are turned on and off with
the F key. Remember that having the flaps
out increases drag, so retract them once
you have gained your desired speed.

Landing
Landing sho uld be performed at
approximately 135 kt (250 km/h),
depending on weapons load. Fully loaded,
you may have to land slightly faster, while
a virtually empty plane will allow you to
land with reduced air speed.

Gear
Be sure to retract your gear after take-off
so you don’t damage your undercarriage.
Having the gear down while airborne also
increases drag on the plane. Take the gear
in and out with the G key.
Jettison
If you for some reason need to reduce your
weight during flight you have two options:
Jettison Fuel or Jettison Weapons.
If you need to reduce your radar signature
or reduce your weight press both CTRL

HMD with correct landing angle

59

The key to a successful landing is
achieving the correct speed and Angle Of
Attack (AOA). The AOA display is intended
to help you judge your AOA at any time. It
shows angles from 11° - 15°, and for
ideal landing the velocity vector should be
placed in the centre of this (i.e. at 13°). In
addition, the velocity vector should be
placed approximately 4° below the horizon
for a perfect in-flight landing path.

Autopilot
Almost all modern aircraft are equipped
with an autopilot (a computer able to fly
the aircraft). To activate the JSF’s autopilot, press A. To deactivate its autopilot,
press A again. The complete autopilot
system is available on the Control MFD /
AUT, and operates in 4 different modes.
You can alter the data used by the
autopilot, such as heading, height, speed,
according to the situation requirements.

TIP: If you are a rookie pilot be sure to
enable Easy Landings on the in-flight
menu. This will make it harder to get
wheel damage when touching down

Mode 1: Waypoint
In waypoint mode, the autopilot directs
your aircraft to the active waypoint, with
the selected height and speed. Useful
when you want to study the MFDs,fly with
accelerated time or just to enjoy the view.

Flight Assistance Systems
General

Mode 2: Heading
When selecting heading mode, the
autopilot maintains the selected heading,
at the selected height and speed.
Mode 3: Tracking
The tracking mode maintains the speed of
the active air target. Perfect for lining up a
cannon kill, or if you want to maintain a
constant distance from a target.

Aircraft systems overview.

In today’s combat environments, pilots
experience enormous pressure and huge
workloads. They must at all times
maintain high situational awareness while
communicating, monitoring aircraft
systems,monitoring and evading missiles,
positioning their aircraft, etc. Research on
easing pilot workload has resulted in a
number of sophisticated Flight Assistance
Systems, all present in the JSF aircraft.

Mode 4: Auto-Throttle
The auto-throttle mode helps the aircraft
maintain a constant speed. This is
selected by the pilot on Control MFD / AUT.
Perfect for situations requiring constant
speed, like landing and dogfights.

60

Terrain Avoidance System
Too many deaths of fighter pilots are not
the cause of an enemy missile, but of their
own inattention leading to an encounter
with a hard surface - like the ground. This
has especially been the case when flying
at low altitudes. The designers of the X-32
and the X-35 therefore decided to include
a Terrain Avoidance System in their
planes. This system continually monitors
the state of the aircraft, and adjusts the
direction of the plane if there is a Crash
Situation.

Terrain Following Box
Sometimes it is preferable to fly terrain
hogging without using the autopilot. In
such a case you should take your gear in,
turn off the terrain avoidance system, and
a small box, called terrain following box,
will appear on the HMD. If you keep your
velocity vector inside this box you will fly
safe at low altitude.
You can adjust the height of the terrain
following box on the Control MFD / AUT /
TRA up and down, as you can for terrain
following waypoints. The recommended
terrain following height depends on what
kind of mission you are on,the terrain and
how many wingmen who join your flight.

While using the autopilot in waypoint
mode, the avoidance system is always on.
This ensures that you will not crash while
studying your MFD’s. In all the other
autopilot modes and when the autopilot is
off the terrain avoidance state can be set
in the Control MFD / AUT / TRA.

Level Function
If you lose control over your plane, press
the level button to recover your flight. Your
flight computer will then level your plane,
and ensure that you gain speed if
necessary. Level operation will cancel
when you touch the throttle or stick. You
can also cancel the operation by pressing
the level button again. The level function is
invoked with the L-button.

Note: The Terrain Avoidance System is
automatically turned off when you extend
the landing gear.

Avionics
General
JSF features a very sophisticated avionics
suite; all combined into an internal suite of
sensors and processors performing a wide
range of different tasks. These tasks
include the active radar, FLIR, SLS, GPS,
IFDL amongst others.

Terrain following box

61

Active Radar
The JSF aircraft features a long-range
doppler radar able to detect and track
multiple air targets simultaneously. On the
Attack MFD / RAD, you will find a wide
range of functions for operating the radar,
like turning the radar on/off, changing
targets, ranging, target information, view
modes etc.
Ranging
You can select among four different radar
settings:
Range:
54nm
22nm
13nm
6.7nm

Radar in plan view mode

The Normal Plan View
The normal plan view is the conventional,
easy to interpret view. You will normally
want to use this view mode.

Cone:
20º
40º
80º
160º

Radar in side elevation view mode
Radar ranges.

Side Elevation View
The side elevation view is useful for
checking relative altitudes of different air
targets.

View Modes
The radar cone can sometimes be difficult
to interpret; therefore the JSF aircraft
features three different view modes to
select from on the Attack MFD / RAD:

62

receiver is the JSF aircraft, and it uses the
GPS to pre-designate targets for use with
GPS guided weapons, such as the JDAM
and JSOW. All pre-designated targets are
projected onto the HMD, and the pilot can
acquire information about each GPS target
(ID, range, E.T.A, etc.) through the Offensive
MFD / ATG. See the HMD chapter for more
information about GPS targets on the HMD.
Anti-Radiation Targeting System (ARTS)
The Anti-Radiation Target System is able to
mark the position of radiating systems
within detection range, primarily for use
with the AGM88c HARM weapon. The ARST
works in conjunction with the Radar
Warning Receiver (RWR - see the chapter
Systems for more information). The
positions of the radiating systems are
projected onto the HMD for easy
localisation and targeting. To acquire
information about the Anti-Radiation (AR)
targets, you follow the same procedure as
with FLIR and GPS targets.

Radar in cross-section view mode

Cross Section View
If you want to determine enemy altitude
and movement across your flight path,you
should select this view mode.
Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR)
The JSF aircraft is capable of detecting
and tracking vehicles and other moving
objects from which it can obtain an IRsignature. The FLIR is based on the thirdgeneration of ptronic devices, giving it a
360˚ coverage and a range about 20nm. All
FLIR targets are projected onto HMD for
easy detection and identification. You can
cycle through all available FLIR targets
and view information about the active FLIR
target on the Offensive MFD / ATG. See the
HMD chapter for more information about
FLIR targets on the HMD.

In-Flight Data Link (IFDL)
The In-Flight Data Link is a communication
system primarily used to receive
information about the threat-picture from
a nearby AWACS or your wingmen. This
allows the JSF to minimise the use of its
own active radar, and therefore operate
more stealthily. You establish the IFDL by
communicating with the AWACS (see the
Radio Communications chapter for more
information). The status of your IFDL can
be viewed on the Offensive MFD.

Global Positioning System (GPS)
The Global Positioning System uses three
or more satellites to calculate the exact
position of the receiver. In this case, the

63

Satellite Landing System (SLS)

Automated Defence Systems
General
The Joint Strike Fighter is equipped with
sophisticated automated defence systems.
The purpose of the systems are to take care
of the defensive parts - detecting and avoiding enemy fire - as far as possible, while
leaving the pilot free for offensive operations.
Decoys
A decoy is a false target created to fool an
enemy tracking the plane. The decoys
have similar reflectivity to the target,
though usually a bit stronger and more
attractive. Decoys come in two flavours:

HMD with SLSactive

The SLS can be activated by setting the
HMD in SLS mode (by pressing S) when in
the vicinity of an airport. A landing path is
then projected in 3D onto the HMD. The SLS
is completely passive; it relies only on predetermined coordinates that have been
gathered from satellite data in advance.
This means that an airport may be
controlled by the enemy, even if SLS data is
available. When an airport has not been
verified as safe, the SLS path is displayed in
red, rather than the normal green.

Radar decoys
Your plane is equipped with radar decoys
called chaff. Chaff, also known as duppel
or window, are small metallised plastic
strips, which reflects one half of the radar
wavelength. The best moment to release
chaff is when the radar is trying to
establish a lock on the target.

Altimeter
Up to altitudes of 5,000ft above the
ground, the altimeter displays radar
altitude. Basically it uses a small radar to
calculate your real altitude above the
ground. The altimeter automatically
switches to barometric altitude when the
altitude above ground exceeds 5,000ft.
Barometric altitude means the aircraft’s
altitude above sea level. The altimeter is
located on the HMD.

Infra-Red decoys
Flares are pyrotechnical packages that
emit intense heat designed to confuse
Infra-Red missiles.

64

Plane releasing flares

allows your onboard computer to classify
the plane as friendly or civilian.

Radar Warning Receiver (RWR)
The Radar Warning Receiver (RWR)
detects signals from enemy and friendly
radar’s. Its reading is displayed on the
sensor radar (Offensive MFD). The receiver
in the JFS aircraft compares the signals it
receives with a database of known
signals, and decides if the emitter is an
aircraft, missile or ground unit.

Electronic Counter Measures (ECM)
ECM is a wide description, defined as
methods to confuse the enemy’s usage of
the electromagnetic spectrum. In this
context ECM is a device that receives
enemy radar signals (ECM receiver unit),
and then retransmits them with a slight
delay (ECM transmitter unit). The result is
that the enemy pick up false signals and
are unable to track you reliably.

Infra-Red Warning Receiver (IRWR)
The Infra-Red Warning Receiver (IRWR)
works similarly to the RWR but it detects
IR emitting sources instead of radar
emitting sources.

Defence Subsystem (DSS)
To ease the stress on the pilot during
dogfight, the Defence Sub-System (DSS)
was developed. This system automates the
release of chaff and flares. It monitors tracking data and calculates the right release
moment. You should normally have the DSS
activated at all times, as it is effective and
economical in terms of chaff and flare
usage. The pilot can still release chaff and
flares manually when the DSS is on.

The core of the IRWR is an Advanced
Distributed Aperture System (ADAS). This
system consists of multiple sensors under
the skin of the JSF, designed to detect
short range ground-to-air missiles, longrange A2A targets and long range
A2G missiles.
Identification Friend or Foe (IFF)
The radar depends on the IFF system to
determine if an aircraft is enemy, friendly
or neutral. The system has two phases;
first the IFF interrogator unit sends a radio
message containing a coded enquiry that
essentially requests friendly planes to
identify themselves. Equipment carried by
the friendly plane, called IFF transponders,
automatically responds to this request
with a coded message, which in turn is
picked up by your plane and fed into
your onboard computer. A positive reply

Cockpit Environment
Multi-Function Displays (MFD)

Cockpit view of all MFDs

65

current damage (displayed in a range of
colours from green to red), information
about payload (including jettison controls
and fuel consumption), RCS (radar crosssection) and IRCS (infra-red crosssection),(including a list of conditions that
affect the RCS and IRCS).

General
The cockpit is fitted with six (6) different
MFD panels; each designed to display
easily and coherently information about
the current state of your aircraft and
mission. They also allow you to alter some
of that information to meet the dynamic
needs of an ever-changing combat
environment.

Information MFD
The Information MFD includes information
and functions for navigation (including
waypoint selection, time to next waypoint,
range, etc.) and activating/deactivating the
Satellite Landing System (SLS).

You can make selections and alter data on
the MFD panels by holding down the Alt
key to activate the mouse pointer. Then
click on the green buttons next to the
selections,around the edge of each panel.

Attack MFD
The Attack MFD is mainly the active radar
panel where you can sort through and
select from local, close-in threats and
targets. See the Radar chapter for more
details.

Tip: The MFD panels can be viewed while
the game is paused. However, you cannot
m a ke button selections or alter any
information until you the game is out of
pause mode.
B e l ow are some general explanations
of the various panels and functions of
the MFD.

Strategic MFD
Navigating by map is mainly done from the
Strategic MFD, which can also overlay the
Offensive MFD display (including waypoints and targets).

Control MFD
The Control MFD provides the means to
operate your HMD, including turning on
and off night vision, activating and
deactivating the HMD and altering autopilot data.

Offensive MFD
The Offensive MFD is mainly a display of
the information from the different
defensive systems, the IFDL and the
navigation system. It also allows cycling
through and selecting Air-To-Ground
targets obtained by the FLIR, RWR and the
GPS.

Status MFD
The Status MFD displays a host of critical
information about the status of your
aircraft. This includes general avionics,

66

“HMD COLOUR”: Toggles HMD colour
upwards/downwards.
“AVI”:
Overlays an artificial
horizon with current speed,
heading and height.

MFD Functions
General
Each MFD has an on/off button located in
the top left corner, labelled “MFD”. Next to
the “MFD” button (top row) there may be
one or several Mode Buttons. Activating a
mode button will activate the rest of the
buttons associated with that mode.
Note:In all cases of On or Off toggles while
viewing an option in the MFD panels, the
On position is indicated by a white-lined
border around the option.

Control MFD “AUT” (Auto pilot mode)

Control MFD “HMD” (HMD mode)

Control MFD in Autopilot mode

“AUT”

(Autopilot/Flight assistance
systems mode)
“ECM”:
Toggles ECM on/off.
“DSS”:
Toggles DSS on/off.
“LEV”:
Levels the plane
(recovery button).
“TRA HEIGHT”: Increases/decreases terrain
avoidance height.
“TRA”:
Toggles terrain avoidance
on/off.
“AVI”:
Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading
and height.
“AUT”:
Toggles autopilot on/off.
“AM”:
Toggles autopilot mode
(waypoint, heading, tracking,
throttle).
“SEL”:
Selects data-entry
(highlighted in white).
“ ”:
Increases selected data-entry.
“ ”:
Decreases selected data-entry.

Control MFD

“HMD”:
“IR”:
“STO”:
“SOO”:
“LCK”:

“LAD”:

Toggles HMD on/off.
Toggles night vision on/off.
Toggles Synthetic Terrain
Overlay on/off.
Toggles Synthetic Object
Overlay on/off.
Toggles lock of heading
tape and pitch ladder.
When locked, the heading
tape and pitch ladder show
the aircraft’s heading
and pitch,not the pilots
view heading and pitch.
Toggles Tapes and Ladders
on/off.

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Status MFD
“AVI”(Avionics mode)

““Dam”
(Damage Mode)

Status MFD

“AVI”:

Status MFD in Damage mode

Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading
and height.

“AVI”:

“STO”
(Stores mode)

“SIG”
(Signature mode)

Status MFD in Storage mode

“JFV”:
“JWE”:

“AVI”:

Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading
and height.

Status MFD in Signature mode

Toggles Emergency
Jettison Fuel on/off.
Emergency Jettison Weapons.
Jettisons first external
weapons and if activated again,
jettisons internal weapons.
Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading
and height.

“AVI”:

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Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed,heading
and height.

Information MFD
“NAV”(Navigation mode)

Attack MFD
“RAD”(Radar mode)

Info MFD

Attack MFD

“WAYPOINT”: Increases/decreases active
waypoint.
“NAV”:
Selects NAV mode for the HMD.
“SLS”:
Selects SLS mode for the HMD
(activates SLS).
“LGT”:
Toggles external aircraft
lights on/off.
“AVI”:
Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading
and height.

“RANGE”:
“TARGET”:
“RAD”:
“ZOOM”:
“VMD”:
“AVI”:

“ENV”
(Environment mode)

Strategic MFD
“MAP” (Map mode)

Strategic MFD

Info MFD in Environment mode

“AVI”:

Increase/decreases active
radar range.
Toggle target
upwards/downwards.
Turns active radar on/off.
Zooms display in/out.
Toggles radar view mode.
Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading
and height.

Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading
and height.

“OVL”:

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Toggles overlay of
Offensive MFD on/off.

“AVI”:

Overlays an artificial
horizon with current speed,
heading and height.

“ATG”
(Air-To-Ground mode)

Offensive MFD
“RAD”(Offensive mode)

Offensive MFD in ATG mode

“ATG”:

Toggles ATG-Discriminator
upwards/downwards.
“TARGET”:
Toggles ATG target
upwards/downwards.
“GPS RANGE”: Increases/decreases operating
range of GPS targets.
“AVI”:
Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed,heading
and height.

Offensive MFD

“EWR”:

“RWR”:
“GPS”:
“IR”:
“AR”:
“ZOOM”:
“WAY”:
“AVI”:

Toggles display of
information from
the IFDL on/off.
Toggles display of RWR
lines on/off.
Toggles display of GPS
targets on/off.
Toggles display of FLIR
targets on/off.
Toggles display of AR
targets on/off.
Zooms display in/out.
Toggles display of
waypoint route on/off.
Overlays an artificial horizon
with current speed, heading
and height.

MFD Colour Codes
General
The Attack MFD and the Offensive HMD uses
colour codes for different types of targets
and target categories. The colour code for each
target each target is determined by the IFF
system (see Defensive Systems chapter).
An active target has a yellow outline in addition
to a colour coded square.
Air Targets
Enemy:
RED
Friendly:
BLUE
Civilian:
GREEN
Neutral:
GREEN
Missile:
YELLOW
Unidentified: WHITE

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Ground Targets
GPS: PURPLE
FLIR: ORANGE
AR:
WHITE

Head Mounted Display (HMD)

Tapes and symbols
Heading Tape
The heading tape shows your aircraft’s
current heading and the heading to the
current selected waypoint. If the waypoint
is outside the limits of the heading tape, a
carat will appear either to the left or right
of the HMD marking the direction of the
waypoint.
Speed Tape
The speed tape shows your aircraft’s
current speed,and the rate of acceleration
is shown by the speed of the tape.

Forward view from the cockpit in flight,HMD active.

General
Like all modern fighter aircraft, the JSF
features a Head Mounted Display (HMD)
that projects information directly onto the
forward view of the pilot. It provides the
pilot with critical information about his
flight path, speed, altitude, nearby enemy
targets and which of his weapons are
currently active and ready to shoot. This
information is configurable by the pilot; he
can tailor the display to suit his personal
needs and the needs of the mission.
The HMD is perhaps the single most
important source of information you have
available. It can tell you where the threats
are, how many of them there are, the
current state of your aircraft in flight,
weapons status; you name it - it’s there.

Above the speed tape, the amount of G you
are pulling and the actual thrust of your
engines is displayed.
Altitude Tape
The altitude tape shows your aircraft’s
c u r rent barometric or radar altitude
(indicated by an ‘R’ to the left of the
altitude number).See the Altimeter chapter
for a more thorough description.
The rate of climbing/descending is shown
by the speed of the tape. Displayed above
the altitude tape, are the autopilot mode,
status of brakes, status of flap and the
status of gear.

You also have the option to superimpose
the Attack MFD and the Offensive MFD on
the HMD for convenience.

Pitch Ladder
The pitch ladder shows the pitch (in
degrees) and roll of your aircraft relative to
the horizon.

71

Other Symbols
The nose marker marks your current pitch
on the pitch ladder. The velocity vector
shows your aircraft’s direction of movement.

between you and your target changes. A
positive number means the target is
closing, and a negative number means the
target is moving away from you.

Modes Of Operation
The HMD operates in four different
modes:
NAV (navigation),
SLS (Satellite Landing System),
A2A (Air-To-Air),
A2G (Air-To-Ground).

Using the target toggle key ([TAB>) in this
mode will cycle through air targets.
Using the target view key ([F12>) in this
mode will view the active air target.
A2G Mode
The A2G mode can operate on three different
types of targets: FLIR (Infra-Red), GPS (Global
Position System) and AR (Anti-Radiation).

The current mode is displayed below the
speed tape.

You select the type of targets to operate
with the A2G-Discriminator and it is
displayed to the right of the HMD mode
(only in A2G mode).

NAV Mode
The NAV mode is used for navigation and it
displays your current waypoint, including
range and estimated time to reach the
waypoint below the altitude tape.

All these targets are projected onto the
HMD as different symbols.

SLS Mode
When in SLS mode, the HMD will display a
secure in-flight corridor as a range of
boxes.
A2A Mode
Below the altitude tape, you can view
information about your current air target,
such as target ID, range and speed.

All GPS targets are projected as two
carats. The active GPS target is projected
as four carats (forming a marker).
All FLIR targets are projected as brackets
around each target. The active FLIR target
is projected as a rectangle.
All AR targets are projected as crosshairs.
The active AR target is projected as a
crosshair with a square.

All targets on your active radar are
projected onto the HMD as brackets
around each target. The active target is
projected as a square with a number under
it. The number indicates Velocity Of
Closure. VOC indicates how fast the gap

Again, below the altitude tape, you can
view information about the current target
determined by the ATG-Discriminator.

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Using the target toggle key ([TAB>) in A2G
mode will cycle through targets
determined by the A2G-Discriminator type.
Using the target view key ([F12>) in A2G
mode will view the active target
determined by the A2G-Discriminator type.

weapon you need to open the hatch by
pressing H.
Note: Keep the hatch closed as much as
possible to minimise your radar signature!

Weapon Sights
Aspect Angle Indicator
The aspect angle indicator is visible on
both the missile and cannon sight circles
as a carat.
The symbology shows the target’s
HEADING relative to your POSITION. It
indicates what orientation (or side) of the
target aircraft you would see if you were
close enough. The following table
simplifies the situation:
Position of aspect carat on circle:
Aspect of enemy:
Top of the circle

Nose

Bottom of the circle

Tail

Left side of circle

Left wing

Right side of circle

Right wing

Hatch Closed Indicator
If you have selected an internal weapon
(i.e. you have no external weapons left),
and the weapons hatch is closed, a hatch
closed indicator as an “X” will appear on
top of the appropriate weapon sight.
Before you can launch/release any

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The missile sight consists of three parts:
1. A missile boresight circle.
2. An aspect angle indicator.
3. A range indicator, located to the left of
the missile boresight circle, with a
carat indicating range to target relative
to the missiles maximum and minimum
range.

Cannon Sight

Note: If no carat is visible on the range
indicator, don’t waste your ammo!

Historical gunsight

The historical cannon sight consists of
three parts:
1. A continuously simulated
bullet trajectory.
2. A range circle positioned at the targets
range along the
simulated trajectory.
3. An aspect angle indicator.

Bomb Sight

The range circle indicates the range to the
active target. 1 hour equals 1000 feet,so a
full range circle means range to target is
12000 feet.

Bomb sight

The bombing system is a standard
CCIP (Continuously Calculated Impact
Point) displayed as a straight line from
the velocity vector to the impact-point
(indicated by a small circle at the end
of the line).

Missile Sight

If you have the ATG-Discriminator in GPS
mode, and you have an active GPS target,
the weapon system will simulate a glide
trajectory towards the GPS target. If the
glide bomb is able to glide to the target,
the impact point will “snap” to the target
and the probability of a direct hit is
very high.

Missile sight with target lock indicator

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synthetic terrain overlay on the HMD.
Basically, the terrain overlay is a computer
generated 3D image of the terrain that
helps the pilot fly the aircraft in
poor visibility.

Synthetic Overlays
Object Overlay

Night Vision
The HMD has a built-in electro-optical
device that intensifies (amplify) existing
light making it possible for the pilot to see
objects he would not normally see under
poor light conditions (e.g. night). You can
toggle night vision on/off using the Control
MFD.

Synthetic object overlay

The HMD is able to add colour coded
velocity vectors to all targets registered by
the aircraft’s weapon systems (active
radar, FLIR, GPS, AR). In effect, this will
show the movement direction of all targets
in true 3D space. The colour codes are the
same as those used by the Attack MFD and
the Offensive MFD.

VOCOM
General
When the on-board computer detects a
situation that is of great importance to the
pilot, it can call attention to the pilot by
displaying text on the HMD or activating
warning lights. This is sometimes not
enough to get the pilot’s attention. The
designers therefore put in an another way
of notifying the pilot, called automated
voice computer messages or VOCOM.
The VOCOM is a female voice that tells the
pilot about certain incidents. The VOCOM
is female because research has shown
that this is the voice pilots focus on
easiest.

Terrain Overlay

Warning Tones
When your cockpit is filled with an
annoying “alarm clock” noise, you are in
trouble. The on-board computer uses this
method to get your full attention in an

Synthetic terrain overlay

The JSF carries an onboard terrain
database; together with information
from other platforms, it can generate a

75

emergency situation like when an enemy
is tracking your plane or you are close to
crashing the plane.

enabled), and if you have speech enabled
they will be spoken. You will also receive
messages in the same manner. You enable
or disable messages and speech from the
JSF in-game menu.

Radio Communications
General
The air pioneers in World War I did not
have a radio and had to use hand signals
to communicate. In a modern jet fighter a
UHF radio is taken for granted, and many
operations depend heavily upon it.
The radio com-munications menu is
invoked by holding down Shift.
The menu disappears when Shift is
released. A numbered menu is displayed
in the lower left corner of your screen.
Make selections by continuing to hold
down the Shift key and pressing the
keyboard number corresponding to the
proper menu item (e.g. Hold the Shift key
down and press 1 to issue orders to All
Wingmen…).

Tower
The airfield towers are vital to modern air
traffic; so be sure to use it to get safe
takeoff’s and landings.
Use the menu choices Request Landing
Permission, Request Emergency Landing
Permission, Request Takeoff Permission
during takeoffs and landings.
When your plane is damaged, be sure to
use the request emergency landing
permission. The tower will then reroute
other planes landing, and you will be given
landing permission immediately.
AWACS
The Airborne Warning And Control System
(AWACS) aircraft monitors the battlefield
and reports relevant information to you if
you have an In Flight Data Link (IFDL)
established with the AWACS. This consists
of an encrypted binary data link that feeds
radar information directly into your flight
computer, as well as radio messages
informing you about enemy air activity.
The link is established with the menu
choices Request IFDL and disconnected
with Disconnect IFDL.Giving Orders To Your
Wingmen You can issue a wide variety of
orders to your three wingmen, either

If the menu item is followed by three
periods (…), selecting that item will
display an additional menu of numbered
items.
You have three available radio channels,
one for wingmen, one for AWACS and one
for tower communications. If you issue
many commands at different radio
channels simultaneously, the voice
messages you receive may overlap.
The messages you send will appear on top
of the screen (if text messages are

76

individually or as a group. Wingmen are
often crucial to your mission, and it takes
a skilled pilot to communicate with them
correctly. Be sure to listen to them
carefully, and give the correct response to
their messages and status reports. For a
full explanation of all radio commands
you can issue, see Appendix 4.

4. Select Engage At Will by pressing
the 3 key;
5. Each wingman will now engage any
enemies that come into radar range.
Ordering The Wingmen To
Return To Formation
1. Hold down the Shift key; a numbered
menu will appear in the lower left
corner of the HMD;

For now, we will take you through how to
order them to attack air targets.

2. Continuing to hold down the Shift key,
press the 1 key, All Wingmen…;
3. Select Engage… by pressing the
2 key;
4. Select Disengage by pressing the
4 key;
Radio communications menu

5. Each wingman will acknowledge the
order and return to formation.

Ordering The Wingmen To
Attack Air Targets
If you are attacked in flight or the AWACS
gives you a vector to enemy air targets,
you can order your wingmen to attack
them.
1. Hold down the Shift key; a numbered
menu will appear in the lower left
corner of the HMD;
2. Continuing to hold down the Shift key,
press the 1 key, All Wingmen…;
3. Select Engage… by pressing the
2 key;

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SECTION NINE
Plane Physics

78

Induced drag, on the other hand, is
introduced by the lift created by the wings.
This means that whenever you increase
your speed and/or lift, induced drag will
also increase.

Plane Physics
General
Despite the complexities of modern day
aircraft, the concept of flying is really
deceivingly simple. The positional
behaviour of a plane can really be broken
down into four separate forces, each
usually working in different directions.

Lift
As wind flows across your wings, lift is
induced because of the difference in air
pressure above and below your wings.
When this force equals the force of gravity,
you are able to maintain level flight
without neither gaining nor losing altitude.
When pitching up or down, however, the
net result also depends on the thrust of
your engines.
Thrust
Eventually, your gain in altitude and speed
must come from somewhere. This
‘somewhere’ is obviously your engine,
delivering the thrust that propels your
plane forward. For this reason, the
performance of your engine relative to
your mass and drag is of vital importance
as far as acceleration and max speed is
concerned. In level flight, when the forces
of drag and thrust are equal, your speed
will be constant.

Aircraft Forces.

Gravity
Like death and taxes, gravity is one of
those things you cannot easily get around.
It is,naturally, the number one obstacle to
flight,as it has to be overcome one way or
the other. There are two ways of achieving
this, aircraft lift and engine thrust.
Drag
Drag can be divided into two types;
parasitic drag and induced drag.
Parasitic drag consists of the forces
created between the airflow and the
airplane structure, such as gear and flaps.
Carrying external weapons will, for
instance, increase the parasitic drag.

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SECTION TEN
Aerial Manouveres

80

This section of the manual is intended to
acquaint you with certain aspects of multiaircraft fighter combat. In JSF, you take
the role of a flight leaderable to make
tactical decisions for a strike package of
up to four aircraft. This means you will
often be required to determine the
formation and spread of your flight. The
first two sections of this appendix outline
the various formations and separation
distances at your disposal.

Track Crossing Angle.

Closure
The term indicates how fast two aircraft
are closing. This is also referred to as the
closure rate.

Dogfighting Introduction
Definitions
Angle Of Tail (AOT)
The Angle Of Tail says how many degrees off
an enemy’s tail your plane is. If you are on
tail you have zero degrees AOT; if an enemy
is on your tail you have 180 degrees AOT.

Manoeuvres.
Pure pursuit
When employing this manoeuvre, you're
pointing your aircraft nose directly at the
target. Ideally this would bring you
towards 0 degrees AOT, but - as the figure
below shows - more often than not, the
plane parameters do not allow it. The
greatest advantage of this manoeuvre is
that the frontal area of the plane is
reduced, therefore making the aircraft
hard to spot.

Angle off tail.

Track Crossing Angle (TCA)
This is the difference (in degrees) between
two planes’ velocity vectors. If the two
velocity vectors are parallel, the TCA is 0.

Pure Pursuit.

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Lead pursuit
In Lead pursuit, you are pointing the nose
of your aircraft in front of the aircraft you
are attacking. This can be used to increase
the closure rate.

Break Manouvre.

Scissors manoeuvre
The scissors is really a series of break
maneuvers. The goal is to get on the
attackers tail and/or deny him a lockon.
Lead Pursuit.

Lag pursuit
Lag pursuit means you are pointing the
nose of your aircraft behind the aircraft
you are attacking. The result is a reduction
in closure rate.

Scissors manouvre.

Immelmann manoeuvre
This famous manoeuvre, developed by
Max Immelmann during World War I, is
heavily dependent on the plane paramers
of the plane performing the manoeuvre. A
high turn rate is necessary to perform this
manoeuvre successfully.

Lag Pursuit.

Break
A break is one of the most basic fighter
maneuvers. Perform this manoeuvre to
reduce AOT. The manoeuvre can be
performed in any direction with varying
degrees of turn rate. A tight turn will
reduce AOT most, but also reduce in a
significant speed loss.

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Terrain Masking
One of the main applications of the Joint
Strike Fighter is low-level attack missions.
In order to avoid detection both visually,
from radars and from IR sensors, terrain
masking is often crucial. Routing is one
important factor in achieving this, as
described in Section 5. When a route is
found, it is also a great advantage to fully
master the techniques required for
nap-of-the-earth flying.

Immelman manouvre.

High Yo-Yo
Use this manoeuvre to reduce AOT and/or
avoid overshoot.

The obvious way of crossing a ridge is
approaching low on the forward face. As
shown below, this can result in your plane
being thrown high on the rear face.

High Yo-Yo.

Low Yo-Yo
This manoeuvre can be used if you don’t
have enough energy to reach your target.
Dive across the circle to gain speed, and
catch up on the enemy.

Low on forward face.

When accepting some exposure on the
forward face, however, the amount of exposure on the rear face can be reduced.
There will, however, still be a penalty.

Low Yo-Yo.

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Wing Co-Operation
General
Since the start of air combat during World
War I, aircraft formations and tactics have
been heavily developed. New developments in weapons, planes and radar have
always resulted in new tactics and
formations. During World War II,the typical
formation had a wingman 45 degrees
behind the leader with a separation of
around 500 ft. The introduction of the
missile during the Korean War forced the
planes apart because a safety range is
needed when the wingman fires a missile,
so that he doesn’t hit his leader. Today a
separation of as much as 15,000 ft can be
used.

Reduced exposure.

Taking advantage of your plane’s ability to
pull more positive than negative G’s is the
key to a perfect pass. By rolling inverted,
the contour of the ridge can be maintained
by pulling G. Obviously, you do not want to
try this before you are very confident with
your flying skills, as this requires you to
return to normal flight at the exact right
time to avoid crashing into the ground.

The best separation and formation may
vary during a mission depending on the
dangers you meet. You should try to plan
in advance what kind of formations you
will use during your mission, but be ready
to change if something unexpected
happens.
Tight formations can be used with great
success if you are trying to fool an enemy
radar. Several close planes may show up
as a single point on the enemy radar, and
the enemy will respond too lightly to the
threat. During combat, wide formations
should be used.

Positive G capability utilised.

84

(wingman) aircraft is positioned out in
front. The trailing section,consisting of the
#3 (section leader) and #4 (wingman)
aircraft is positioned astern of the lead
section. Each section leader has his
wingman flying tight cover.

Formation layout
General
The following formations are available:
• Arrow
• Card
• Four ship
• Decoy down
• Decoy front
• Vertical

The Arrow is useful as a traveling formation
over enemy air space. By advancing one
section, the chances of both pairs becoming
engaged simultaneously is decreased.
Usually, one section will go unnoticed and/or
unengaged. This leaves it free to manouvre
and assist the engaged section as
necessary.
The Arrow is an attack formation best
suited for engaging ground targets. As the
lead section sweeps through the target
area and executes its attack, it passes
along pertinent information to the trailing
pair of aircraft- in effect, acting as a
forward spotter. This allows the formation
to keep its speed high in the vicinity of the
target thus reducing its risk to ground fire.

As the flight leader, you should position
your wingmen so that, in case of
emergencies, you know where they are at
all times. The best way to accomplish this
is through the use of standardized
formations.
There are several classic fighter formations
in JSF that you can choose from. These are:
Four Ship, Arrow, Card, and Vertical. These
formations are based on a “four-ship”
configuration consisting of yourself and up
to three additional aircraft flown by your
wingmen. Each has specific advantages as
well as disadvantages that you should be
aware of.

2. Card

1. Arrow

The Card (or Box) formation arranges the
four-ship into a square or rectangular
pattern with all four aircraft flying at
roughly the same altitude. The Card is a
basic formation practiced by pilots of every
nationality and a favourite among flight

The Arrow formation divides your four
aircraft into two distinct operational pairs
or sections. The lead “two-ship” pair,
consisting of the #1 (flight leader) and #2

85

leaders because it takes some command
responsibility off their shoulders. The boxlike arrangement is easily managed, even
by inexperienced pilots.

A to point B. A Four-Ship formation will
quickly dissolve once in combat as the
individual pairs break off an engage
separate enemy aircraft.

The two section leaders, aircraft #1 and
#3, take the two forward positions in the
formation. Their respective wingmen,
aircraft #2 and #4, position themselves
directly behind. Station keeping within this
formation is kept simple because the
trailing aircraft have two reference points
to go by. For long admin flights,the Card is
the formation of choice.

In a Four-Ship formation, the #2 and #4
aircraft are flared outward from their
respective flight leader. This gives the
formation greater visibility forward but
makes it more vulnerable to attacks from
the flanks and rear. Essentially, a FourShip is nothing more than two aircraft
pairs flying in a line-abreast arrangement.
4. Vertical

In combat, however, the Card is less
desirable. This two-dimensional formation
is vulnerable on all four sides and the
trailing aircraft have their forward firing
arc masked by the presence of friendly
aircraft. By all means, use the Card when
necessary but in situations where enemy
contact is likely, switch to either the Arrow
or a Decoy formation.

The Vertical (or Ladder) formation is
simply a vertical stack of aircraft. Each
member of the formation is positioned a
little below the aircraft directly in front.
One advantage of this formation is that
enemy pilots will have trouble judging how
high (or low) it extends. It can easily be
mistaken for a two-ship formation.

3. Four-Ship

From a tactical standpoint and reasons of
energy management, it’s always best to
take on aircraft at higher altitudes first.
For this reason, locating and identifying
the lead aircraft in a Vertical is extremely
important to the attacker. If the lead
elements of this formation go undetected,
the enemy winds up going after the lower

The Four-Ship formation consists of two
pairs of flight lead wingmen
combinations. It is a traveling formation
used to keep the two “two-ship”elements
in visual range while in transit from point

86

aircraft. If this happens, it’s a simple
matter for the free fighters to come to
the rescue.

The Decoy Front formation places a single
fighter (once again, the #3 aircraft) out in
front of the main formation at roughly the
same altitude. The premise of this formation is to once again, spook an enemy
into prematurely committing itself. If the
Decoy is attacked, the remaining three
fighters of the formation are in position to
engage. Attackers seeking to take up a tail
chase pursuit on the Decoy are themselves caught from behind.

5. Decoy Formations
In addition to the three standard
formations mentioned above, there are
also two special flight configurations
designed to lure an enemy force out into
the open. They are the Decoy Down and
the Decoy Front formations.
• Decoy Down

B. Combat Spreads
Another aspect of formation flying is
maintenance of safe separation distances
or combat spreads between aircraft. Tight
formations are more difficult to spot both
visually and on radar. (Two tightly packed
aircraft may appear as one to enemy
radar.)

The Decoy Down formation places a single
fighter, the Decoy, (usually the #3 aircraft)
out in front of the other three aircraft at a
lower altitude. The premise of the Decoy
Down is to trick enemy fighters into
attacking the Decoy. Once the enemy
fighters are committed, the remaining
three fighters in your formation move in to
engage them. In cases where the Decoy is
overlooked and the main formation is
spotted, the Decoy fighter is then free to
reverse direction and engage the
attackers.

The trade-off is that close formation flying
r e q u i res intense concentration. It is
physically demanding on pilots and cannot
be continued over extended periods of
time. As flight leader, you may select from
four different separation distances.
These are:
• Separation Wide: maintains 2000
meters between aircraft.
• Separation Normal: maintains 150
meters between aircraft.
• Separation Close: maintains 50
meters between aircraft.
• Separation Display: maintains 15
meters between aircraft.

• Decoy Front

87

Formation separation
As well as formation, you can also order
your wingmen to keep a certain separation
betwe en the planes. The fo llow i n g
commands are used.
Wide
The separation between the planes are
approximately 6000 feet. This separation
is often the best in modern air warfare.
Normal
The separation between the planes are
approximately 500 feet. Though not as
compact as Separation Close, it keeps
your wingmen within viewing distance.
Close
The separation between the planes are
approximately 150 feet. Use this formation
if you want your formation to keep tight
together, without tiring out your wingmen.
Display
The separation between the planes are
approximately 50 feet. Several planes may
melt together to a single radar echo when
traveling close enough. Note, however,
that Separation Display wears out your
pilots quickly and should only be used for
a short period of time.

88

APPENDIX ONE
Keyboard Quick Reference

89

Basic flight controls
[Left] [Right]
[Up] [Down]
[>] [<]
H
G
F
B
O

Roll plane
Pitch up/down
Rudder pedals
Toggle Hatch
When grounded : toggle nose wheel lock
When airborne: toggle gear
Toggle flap
Airbrake/wheel brake
When grounded: Back up with plane

[CTRL] [ ` ]
[`]
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0
[CTRL] 0
[-]
[CTRL] [-]
[=]
[CTRL] [=]

Engine off
Engine idle 60%
64% thrust
68% thrust
72% thrust
76% thrust
80% thrust
84% thrust
88% thrust
92% thrust
96% thrust
100% thrust
Afterburner thrust
Increase thrust
Increase thrust slow
Decrease thrust
Decrease thrust slow

Engine

Emergency Controls
[BothCTRL] [E]
[BothCTRL] [W]
[BothCTRL] [J]

Eject
Jettison first external weapons, then internal
Toggle fuel jettison

90

[BothCTRL] [Arrow]

Camera Views
External Camera Views
[F1]
[F2]
[F3]

[F4]

[F5]

[F6]

[F7]

[F8]

[F9]

[F10]

Adjust trim. This needs only be done under
extreme situations (i.e. your aircraft
suffers serious structure damage)

Player internal:
Forward
Player internal:
Player virtual cockpit
Player virtual
target padlock
Player views:
Player external
Player air flyby
Player ground flyby
Player action views:
Player chase
Player back view
Player, below left wing
Player, below right wing
Wingman views:
Wingman external
Player ➝ Wingman
Wingman ➝ Player
Wingman air flyby
Plane views:
Plane external
Player ➝ Plane
Plane ➝ Player
Plane air flyby
Vehicle views:
Vehicle external
Player ➝ Vehicle
Vehicle ➝ Player
Vehicle ground flyby
Generic object views:
Object external
Player ➝ Object
Object ➝ Player
Incoming missile views:
Player ➝ Incoming missile
Incoming missile ➝ Player
Incoming missile external
Incoming missile air flyby
Outgoing missile views:
Outgoing missile external
Outgoing missile internal view
Outgoing missile air flyby

91

[F11]

Secondary player views:

[F12]

Player target views:

Player satellite view
Tower ➝ Player
Wind Indicator view
Player target external
Player ➝ Player target
Player target ➝ Player
Player target air flyby

When applicable,these additional commands are available:
[Ins]
Next object in category
[Del]
Previous object in category
[CTRL] [Right]
Rotate camera right
[CTRL] [Left]
Rotate camera left
[CTRL] [Up]
Rotate camera up
[CTRL] [Down]
Rotate camera down
[PageUp]
Move camera closer to object
[PageDn]
Move camera farther from object
Normal Views
[CTRL] [Arrow]

[NumPad7]
[NumPad8]
[NumPad9]

Move head in virtual cockpit. Note that when doing
this, the aircraft radar is connected to the motion
sensor and rotates with your head.
Virtual cockpit look left
Virtual cockpit look back
Virtual cockpit look right

By default,transitions between these positions happen smoothly. By pressing [CTRL],
however, the view snaps immediately.
MFD Views
[NumPad1]
[NumPad2]
[NumPad3]
[NumPad4]
[NumPad5]
[NumPad6]

Control MFD
Status MFD
Info MFD
Attack MFD
Strategic MFD
Offensive MFD

92

By default, the camera slides smoothly from one MFD to another. As above, however, an
immediate change can be forced by keeping [CTRL] pressed while selecting the view.
Radio communication
[Shift]

[BackSpace]
[`]

Activate communications menu. The following
commands only apply when shift is pressed:
Select message 1..9. Greyed out messages are
inactive and therefore not selectable.
Go back one level
Go back one level

Weapons Controls
[Space]
[CTRL] [Space]
[Enter]
[CTRL] [Enter]
[BackSpace]
[CTRL] [BackSpace]
D
None
IR
GPS
AR
[CTRL]D
[Tab]
[CTRL] [Tab]

Fire active weapon
Fire gun
Next A2A weapon
Previous A2A weapon
Next A2G
Previous A2G weapon
Next A2G discriminator. The available modes are:
No ground target display
Operate FLIR targets
Operate GPS targets
Operate AR targets
Previous A2G discriminator
Next target
Previous target

Defence Controls
E
C
Z

Toggle ECM
Chaff
Flare

MFD Controls
[Alt]
[Alt] [NumPad1]
[Alt] [NumPad2]
[Alt] [NumPad3]

Enable mouse pointer
Active MFD set to Control MFD
Active MFD set to Status MFD
Active MFD set to Info MFD

1..9

93

[Alt] [NumPad4]
Active MFD set to Attack MFD
[Alt] [NumPad5]
Active MFD set to Strategic MFD
[Alt] [NumPad6]
Active MFD set to Offensive MFD
[Alt] 12345
Active MFD top row buttons
[Alt] QWERT
Active MFD left row buttons
[Alt] ASDFG
Active MFD right row buttons
[Alt] ZXCVB
Active MFD bottom row buttons
The active MFD is always a little brighter than the other MFDs.
HMD
[Numpad Decimal]
S
N
[Enter]
[BackSpace]
[CTRL] T
[CTRL] O
[CTRL] N
Dropdown Menu
[Esc]
[Arrow ]
[Space] / [Enter]

Toggle HMD on/off
Set HMD mode to SLS
Set HMD mode to NAV
Set HMD mode to A2G
Set HMD mode to A2G
Toggle synthetic terrain overlay
Toggle synthetic object overlay
Toggle night vision

Toggle dropdown menu
Navigate dropdown menus/Operate sliders
Select dropdown item

Radar
X
[CTRL] X
R
[CTRL]R

Increase radar range
Decrease radar range
Radar on/off
Toggle radar view mode

A
W
[CTRL] W
M
T
L

Toggle autopilot on/off
Next waypoint
Previous waypoint
Match target speed
Autothrottle
Level plane

Autopilot

94

APPENDIX TWO
Joystick and GamePad Buttons

95

Default button mappings:

Input Device Configuration
General
Select your preferred input device from
the JSF Main Menu > Options > Game >
Input Device or the In-Flight menu
(revealed by pressing ESC while playing
the game) Controls / Input Device.

Button
1
2
3

Function
Fire
Toggle A2A weapon
Toggle target

Note: If you want to use a 3-button mouse,
be sure to have a 3-button mouse driver
selected in Windows95‘ Control Panel /
Mouse / General. Configuring Joysticks,
Gamepads, throttles and rudders A
joystick is the best way to control your
aircraft. Joysticks, Gamepads, Throttles
and Rudders are configured in the
Windows 95 Control Panel / Joystick , the
JSF In-Flight menu and when required
configuration through a manufacturer
program. See the listings below for
information on your joystick.

The keyboard commands are always
enabled,independent of what input device
you choose.
Configuring The Keyboard
The arrow keys are used for pitch and roll,
and sensitivity can be adjusted through
the In-Flight menu Controls / Settings /
Sensitivity. The game is fully playable
through the arrow keys, but for the best
control we recommend that you use a
joystick.

For more information on controller specific
configuration and controller capabilities,
see your controller and Windows95‘
manuals.

Configuring The Mouse
Vertical movement of the mouse
corresponds to a pitch movement on the
stick, while a horizontal movement
corresponds to roll. Pitch Sensitivity, Roll
Sensitivity and Inertia can be adjusted
under Controls > Settings in the In-Flight
menu.

XY Sensitivity, Rudder Sensitivity and
Slack can be configured in the In-Flight
menu under Controls / Settings. Rudder
sensitivity only applies if you have
selected rudder in Windows95‘ Control
Panel.

You can also map your mouse buttons to
keyboard commands. This is done under
the In-Flight menu Controls / Button
Mapping. Select the button you want to
map, then select the function you want to
map the button to.

The Centre command under Controls in the
JSF In-Flight menu reads the controller
position and uses this as controller centre

96

position. This is done every time you start JSF, but if you for some reason you need to
re-centre the controller invoke this command.
Joystick buttons and a POV-button supported by your selected joystick driver can be
mapped to keyboard commands. This is done under the In-Flight menu Controls>Button
Mapping. Select the button or POV direction you want to map with Enter and the up/down
arrow keys to select the function you want to map the button to.
Default button mappings:
Button

Function

POV up

Look up

POV left

Look left

POV down

Look down

POV right

Look right

1

Fire

2

Toggle ATA weapon

Note: If you have a controller with thrust control (third axis), and you want to disable it, do
so in the Windows 95 Control Panel.
Throttles
Controller name

Keyboard mapping file

Configuration

CH throttle

controls\ch_th.key

Manufacturer program

ThrustMaster F16 TQS

Manufacturer program.
Must be used with
ThrustMaster F16 FLCS
or ThrustMaster F22.

ThrustMaster MARK II WCS

Manufacturer program

97

Gamepads
Controller name

Keyboard mapping file

Configuration

ACT Labs Powerramp MITE

Windows 95 control panel, ingame menu

PHASE 9 Phantom 2

Windows 95 control panel, ingame menu

PRIMAX Firestorm gamepad

Windows 95 control panel, ingame menu

ThrustMaster Phazer Pad

Windows 95 control panel,ingame menu,
manufacturer program

Joysticks
Controller name

Keyboard mapping file

ACT Labs Eaglemax

Configuration

Misc.

Windows95 control panel,

Thrust

ingame menu,manufacturer program
CH F16 Fighter Stick

controls\ch_fight.fsc

Windows95 control panel,

Thrust

ingame menu,manufacturer program
CH F16 Flight Stick

Windows95 control panel,ingame menu

CH Force FX

Windows95 control panel,

Thrust

ingame menu,manufacturer program
Logitec Wingman Extreme

Windows95 control panel,ingame menu

Microsoft Sidewinder Professional

Windows95 control panel,ingame menu

Thrust,rudder

Microsoft Sidewinder Standard

Windows95 control panel,ingame menu

Thrust

ThrustMaster F16 FLCS

controls\f16tqs.m50

Windows95 control panel,

controls\f16tqs.b50

ingame menu,manufacturer program

controls\f16wcs.m50
controls\f16wcs.b50
ThrustMaster F22 Pro

controls\f22tqs.f22

Windows 95 control panel,ingame menu,

controls\f22tqs.m22

manufacturer program

controls\f22wcs.f22
controls\f22wcs.m22
ThrustMaster Pro FCS

Windows 95 control panel,ingame menu

98

Rudders
Controller name
ThrustMaster RCS

Keyboard mapping file Configuration
Windows 95 control panel, ingame menu

Button Mappings
For keyboard mappings for Thrustmaster F16 FLCS, F22, F16 TQS and MARK II WCS see
the file CONTROLS\MAPPING.TXT.
CH Fighterstick
Button

Command

S1

Fire weapon

S2

Fire cannon

S3

Toggle ATA

S4

Toggle ATG

H1 up

Look forward

H1 down

Look back

H1 left

Look left

H1 right

Look right

H2 up

HMD 4

H2 down

HMD 1

H2 left

HMD 2

H2 right

HMD 3

H3 up

Radar zoom in

H3 down

Radar zoom out

H3 left

HMD 5

H3 right

HMD 6

H4 up

Trim up

H4 down

Trim down

H4 left

Trim left

H4 right

Trim right

99

CH throttle
Button

Command

1

Radar on/off

2

Level

3

ATG discriminator

4

Chaff

5

Flare

6

Autopilot

7

Next waypoint

8

Increase thrust slow

9

Prev. waypoints

10

Decrease thrust slow

11

Increase radar range

12

Decrease radar range

100

APPENDIX THREE
Multiplayer details

101

Miscellaneous
[CTRL] P
Pause/resume game
[CTRL] S
Toggle smoke trail
Choosing The Right Protocol
General
Before starting the JSF multiplayer
it’s important to choose the right
connection method. JSF supports most
protocols written for Direct X™ 5. Here
is an explanation of the most common
protocols:
Serial Connection
A serial connection is a cable that goes
between the Serial or Parallel ports on 2
local machines. JSF only supports 2
players over a serial connection.
Modem Connection
When using a modem the player hosting
the game will be waiting a phone-call from
the player joining the game. Therefore the
player joining will Dial-Up the host when
querying for games. JSF only supports 2
players over a modem connection.
IPX Connection
IPX is LAN (Local Area Network) protocol,
meaning that without IPX extenders like
KALI, the protocol can only be used for
local network play. JSF supports up to 8
players with IPX.
TCP/IP Connection
This is an Internet based protocol. The
communication over the Internet is either

via a Dial-Up connection to your ISP
(Internet Service Provider) or over a LAN
connected to the Internet. If you are
connecting to the Internet over an ISP, you
must connect to the ISP before accessing
the Multiplayer mode in JSF. JSF
supports up to 8 players with TCP/IP.
Configuring The Chosen Protocol
General
When you have chosen the right protocol,
you can start playing the game. But when
either hosting or joining games,you will be
queried for information about the
connection you’re about to make.
Serial Connection
The serial connection needs the Port at
which the cable is connected. Other
options like Baud Rate, Stop bits, Parity
and Flow MUST be same on the connected
computers. For information on how to
adjust the connection,please refer to your
Windows documentation.
Modem Connection
When hosting a game using a Modem
connection, you will be queried for the
location of the modem. When joining a
game you must provide the telephone
number to the Host and the location of
your modem.
IPX Connection
This protocol doesn’t need any special
configuration.
TCP/IP Connection

102

When joining a multiplayer game, the
TCP/IP protocol needs to know the name
or the IP of the server hosting the game
(e.g. snapper.innerloop.no or 192.148.0.3).
NOTE: None of these addresses are valid,
neither do they have anything to do with
JSF.
Playing JSF on the Mplayer™
Internet Gaming Service
What is Mplayer?
Mplayer is the #1 multiplayer game
service on the Internet. When you play JSF
on Mplayer, you’ll be able to play against
other people from across the Internet in
real time. After signing up for Mplayer,
you’ll join a friendly online community and
where you can participate in regular
tournaments, contests, and special
events. Mplayer offers hundreds of
innovative features, including real-time
voice-chat which lets you taunt or
tease your opponents and praise your
team-mates.
Pricing
Mplayer is FREE—there are no charges or
monthly fees to play JSF on Mplayer.
So How Do I Get Started? Installing
Mplayer is simple. Just follow these easy
steps and you’re on your way to the
excitement of online multiplayer gaming!
There are two ways to start the Mplayer
installer:

•

From the game CD-ROM Autorun
Menu: -select the option to Play on
Mplayer
• From the Windows95‘ Start Menu
select this game and the option to Play
on Mplayer. This will start the Mplayer
installer which will:

• Check for the presence of an Internet
connection—if you don’t have an
Internet Service Provider, we’ll give
you the option of signing up for one.
• Check for the presence of a Web
Browser—we’ll install a copy of
Microsoft’s Internet Explorer“ if you
need it.
• Check for Mplayer — if you don’t have
it, we’ll install everything you need!
Just follow the easy install instructions
at the prompts. During the process,
you’ll set up an Mplayer account and
select your very own Mplayer member
name and password.
After installing Mplayer, your web browser
will launch and connect you to the Mplayer
game page:
• Follow the instructions on the web
page to download any additional files
you might need to make the game
playable on Mplayer
• Now click on the link to enter the game
lobby of your game.

103

• keyboard and mouse.
Now you are in the game lobby on Mplayer.
• Chat with other players by typing your
message and pressing Enter.
• To enter a game room double click on
a green room icon.
• If you want to create a new room click
on the Create Room icon.
Almost there!
• Make sure the game CD-ROM is in the
disk drive.
• Click on the Join Game icon.
• If you created the room you’ll have to
wait for some more players, then
click on the Launch Game icon.
For more information about Mplayer visit
the web site at www. m p l a ye r. c o m .
Technical Requirements You need the
following PC configuration to install our
software and play games on Mplayer:
System Requirements:
Minimum Configuration:
• Pentium 90 processor
• Windows 95 or Windows NT operating
systems (Windows NT version requires
DirectX 5.0 or newer)
• 16Mb of RAM
• 16bit graphics card
• 60Mb Hard Drive space
• Double-speed (2x) CD-ROM drive (4x in
order to view movies smoothly)

Recommended Configuration:
• Pentium 133 or faster processor
• Windows 95 or Windows NT operating
systems (Windows NT version requires
DirectX 5.0 or newer)
• 24Mb of RAM, joystick
• 16bit graphics card
• 160 Mb Hard Drive space
• Quadruple-speed (4x) or faster
CD-ROM drive
• any Windows supported sound card.
Satori State Configuration:
Recommended Configuration plus:
• 3DFx Graphics Acceleration Card
• throttle system
• rudder pedals.
*AOL and CompuServe do not yet support
adequate TCP/IP connections for
FAST gameplay. Low latency games, turnbased or role playing games,
however, can be played.

104

APPENDIX FOUR
Radio Communications

105

General
This appendix gives you a full overview of radio communications commands and radio
messages available in the game.
Radio Menu
General
For information on how to use the radio communication menu, see Section 8.
The root menu has the following choices:
1. All Wingmen...

Issue orders to all your wingmen.

2. Two,...

Issue orders to wingman Two only.

3. Three,...

Issue orders to wingman Three only.

4. Four,...

Issue orders to wingman Four only.

5. Tower,...

Issue request to closest tower.

6. AWACS,...

Issue request to AWACS.

Wingmen
Selecting any of 1 through 4 on the root menu will display the following menu, in which
you will issue orders or information requests to one or more wingmen:
1. Formation...

Execute the flight formation that follows...

2. Engage...

Execute the engagement order against an enemy target that follows...

3. Fire...

Fire at the target that follows...

4. Intercept...

Intercept a target, more information follows...

5. Defend...

Perform that defence action that follows...

6. Navigation...

Prepare to go where I tell you, more information follows

7. Status...

What is your aircraft status, additional request follows...

106

Formation...
As a flight group leader you are offered a wide range of formations and formation
separations. For more information, see section 10.
1. Formation Four Ship.

Assume the classic Four Ship formation.

2. Formation Arrow.

Assume the Arrow formation (planes arranged in diamond).

3. Formation Card.

This is often the best formation. This formation maintains
formation integrity during turns, and is difficult for ground
defence to deal with.

4. Formation Decoy Down. Assume the Decoy Down formation
(one plane goes lower to act as a decoy).
5. Formation Decoy Front. Assume the Decoy Front formation
(one plane to goes to front to act as a decoy).
6. Formation Vertical.

Assume the Vertical formation
(planes stacked vertically).

7. Separation...

Orders separation between the planes follows...

8. Formation Leader...

I will be choosing a new formation leader...

Separation...
1. Separation Wide.

Around 6000 feet distance between the planes.

2. Separation Normal.

Around 500 feet distance between the planes.

3. Separation Close.

Around 150 feet distance between the planes.

4. Separation Display.

Around 50 feet distance between the planes.

107

1. Formation Leader...
1. One.

Plane One is now the formation leader.

2. Two.

Plane Two is now the formation leader.

3. Three.

Plane Three is now the formation leader.

4. Four.

Plane Four is now the formation leader.

2. Engage...
1. Engage my target.

Engage the target I have target lock on.

2. Engage only when tracked. Engage only when the enemy radar tracks you.
3. Engage at will.

Pick your own target and attack at will.

4. Disengage

Break off combat.

3. Fire...
1. Fire at will.
2. Fire at my .target.

Use your own discretion, fire your weapons at will.

3. Fire at my command.

Stand by and do not use your weapons until I tell you.

Line up and use your weapons on the target I have locked.

4. Intercept...
1. Intercept my target.

I have a target locked; intercept it.

2. Intercept only when tracked.

Do not intercept unless an enemy gets target lock on you.

3. Intercept at will.

Use your discretion,intercept any target you wish.

5. Defend...
1. Radar...

Turn your radar on or off.

2. Check Six,...

Check your rear at the inter val I will give you...

3. ECM...

Turn your ECM on or off.

4. Radio...

Radio silence to be ordered or counterordered.

5. Lights...

Turn your running lights on or off.

108

Radar
1. On.

Turn your radar on.

2. Off.

Turn it off.

Check Six
1. Now.

Check your six immediately.

2. Regular 2 Minutes.

Check every 2 minutes, beginning now.

3. Regular 5 minutes.

Check every 5 minutes, beginning now.

4. Regular 10 minutes.

Check every 10 minutes, beginning now.

5. Regular 20 minutes.

Check every 20 minutes, beginning now.

6. At my command.

Wait for me to tell you to check.

ECM
The wingmen will takeoff with ECM off. When planes are flying close, it is enough for one
of them to have ECM on to defeat radar detection.
1. On.

Turn on your Electronic Counter-Measures.

2. Off.

Turn them off.

Radio
1. End Radio silence.

You may resume giving regular radio reports.

2. Radio Silence.

Cease using your radio until further notice.

Lights
The wingmen will by default have lights off. You should always ask the wingmen to turn
off their lights when you are flying over enemy territory so they become more stealthy.
When you are approaching a friendly airport however turn the lights on so it is easier for
the tower crew to have visual contact with you and the wingmen.
1. On.

Turn your running lights on.

2. Off.

Turn your running lights off.

109

6. Navigation...
1. Land.

Return to base immediately to refuel your airplane.

7. Status...
1. Fuel.

How much fuel do you have left? If a wingman report ‘Bingo
Fuel’ he has only enough fuel to reach back to base, and he
should be given the ‘Land’ command immediately.

2. Ammo.

How many missiles, bombs and cannon round do you have left?

3. Action.

Are you currently engaged, in formation or following waypoints?

4. Damage.

Is your aircraft damaged; if so, where?

5. Full.

Ask the wingman for a full status report.

Tower
See Section 8 for more information about towers and tower communications.
1. Request landing permission.

I’m coming home, request permission to land.

2. Request emergency landing.

Low on fuel or hurt, request
emergency landing permission.

3. Request take-off permission.

Ready to go, request permission to take-off.

AWACS
See Section 8 for more information about AWACS
.
1. Request IFDL.
Please begin transmitting air threat locations
from your plane to mine
2. Disconnect IFDL.

Turn off your transmission to my plane.

110

Messages
General
This section gives a complete list of all speech messages, and their meaning.
Messages from tower
“You Are Cleared For ...”

Plane is cleared for landing or takeoff on the indicated runway

“On Runway Heading ...”

Land-takeoff-direction.

Messages to AWACS
“Contact 24,10,Angels 10”

AWACS reports on aircraft that is a possible threat (heading, range, altitude).

“Inbound 24,10,Angels 10”

AWACS reports that aircraft on indicated position is inbound (heading, range, altitude).

“IFDL Established”

In-flight data link established.

“IFDL Disconnected”

In-flight data link disconnected.

Messages from wingmen
“Airborne. Awaiting orders”

Wingman is airborne awaiting orders.

“Action Combat”

Wingman is in dogfight.

“Action Form”

Wingman follows formation defined by formation leader.

“Action Route”

Wingman follows waypoints.

“Fuel OK”

Wingman has enough fuel.

“Fuel Low”

Wingman is low on fuel.

“Fuel Bingo”

Wingman has enough fuel to return to base.

“Ammo OK”

Wingman has more than one missile left.

“Ammo Low”

Wingman has one missile left.

“Ammo Empty”

Wingman has zero missiles left.

“AOK”

Wingman reports everything OK.

“IncomingMissile”

Wingman reports an incoming missile.

“Turn”defensive

Wingman reports that he is making a turn to avoid an incoming missile.

“Decoy”

Wingman has released chaff/flare to fool an incoming missile.

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“Copy That”

Wingman acknowledges command.

“Eject”

Wingman will eject due to plane damage.

“Permission To Fire”

Wingman has ‘lock on’ on a target, and asks for permission to open fire.

“Target Lock”

Wingman has ‘lock on’ on a target, but
hasn’t been given permission to open fire.

“Target Lost”

Wingman lost his target.

“Engaging”

Wingman is engaging an enemy.

“Engaging 24, 15, Angels 10”

Wingman is engaging an enemy (heading, range, altitude).

“I’m Hit!”

Wingman was hit by gunfire/missile.

“Damage”

Wingman has sustained damage.

“Fox From Wingman

Wingman has released a missile.

“Good Kill”

When player shoots down a plane.

“I Hit Him!”

When wingman hits a plane.

“I Shot Him!”

When wingman hits a plane.

“On His Tail”

Wingman is on enemies tail and uses cannon.

“Target Lost”

Wingman lost his target.

Messages from VOCOM
“Incoming IR Missile”

Incoming infra-red missile.

“Waypoint Reached”

Waypoint reached.

“Pull Up”

Ground crash warning.

“Lock On”

Missile lock on.

“[Category] Target Destroyed”

Target of [category] destroyed.

“[Category] Plane Destroyed”

Plane of [category] destroyed.

“Decoy”

Automatic release of chaff/flares.

“Damage”

Aircraft sustained damage.

“IFDL Lost”

In-flight data link lost (AWACS shot down).

“Bingo Fuel”

Player has only enough fuel to reach base

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APPENDIX FIVE
Weapons

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various missiles and bombs it can carry,
along with weight and other vital mission
statistics. You can see abbreviated
information on the weapons in the
Campaign game by opening the Arm Plane
menu and moving the mouse pointer over
a weapon (see Section 5: Flying A
Campaign]

General

Arming Screen.

The JSF aircraft can perform both ground
strike and air combat missions on the
same mission. Besides the cannon, your
JSF features eight positions for hanging
bombs or missiles (hardpoints).
The X-35 can carry about 10,000 pounds
of ordnance externally, and 5,000 pounds
internally. The X-32 can carry a slightly
larger payload, with 12,000 pounds
external capacity and 5,000 pounds
internal. Below are descriptions of the

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Note: The JSF was designed to be a
stealthy aircraft. However, loading a bomb
or missile onto one of the four wing
hardpoints will interrupt the stealthy
construction and reduce the plane’s ability
to hide from enemy radar. Whenever
possible, you should attempt to plan
missions that will allow you to use only the
four interior fuselage hardpoints, to keep
the stealthy radar profile.
Cannon M61A2
The baseline gun for the JSF aircraft is the
newest updated version of the 50-year-old
Project Vulcan design, the M61A2 20mm.
Located in the forward chine, the gun
carries 1,850 rounds of ammunition
effective against any type of aircraft and
soft targets.

Missiles
AIM-120c AMRAAM

The Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air
Missile (AMRAAM), built by both Hughes
Missile Systems Company and Raytheon
Company, is the latest weapon for fighter
aircraft, capable of being launched beyond
visual range, day or night and in all weather.
It uses active homing radar, digital
technology and state-of-the-art electronics
to combine many capabilities. It has the
ability to launch several missiles against
multiple targets,look-down/shoot-down,and
to track and intercept other aircraft at very
short range in a dogfight.
The AIM-120c (Air Intercept Missile) is a
‘fire and forget’ weapon that will home in
on the target without post-launch
guidance from the pilot. This allows him to
fire and then take evasive action or lock
onto another target. Top speed is Mach 4
(2,374 kph), weight only 335lbs and range
is 30 nautical miles, making it agile, fast
and deadly at long ranges.
The AIM-120 series has officially scored
three combat victories: two over Iraq and
one in Bosnia. To date, more than 8,000
AMRAAMs have been produced.

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AIM-9x SIDEWINDER

AGM-88c HARM

The AIM-9x Sidewinder series is an air-toair, infrared heat-seeking missile with a
relatively short range of 11 nautical miles.
When launched, it locks on to and follows
the heat signature of the target aircraft’s
engine at a speed of Mach 2.5 (1,457
kilometres per hour).

The AGM-88c High-speed Anti-Radiation
Missile (HARM) is an air-to-surface tactical
missile designed to seek and destroy
enemy radar-equipped air defence
systems. It is universally feared by SAM
crew world-wide as a reliable and
tenacious weapon, capable of quickly and
efficiently ‘riding down the beam’ of
enemy radar signals and destroying them.

It first entered service with the US Air
Force in 1956 as the AIM-9b and has since
been extensively modified. It now includes
night time use, all-angle firing capability
including launches at targets approaching
head-on, improved resistance to countermeasures and far greater maneuverability.
With its low weight of 190lbs and
extremely low cost of about $84,000 per
missile, it’s no wonder that over 110,000
of them have been manufactured for use
in 28 countries. The AIM-9x is a variant of
the missile currently under development;
the only current production model is the
AIM-9m.

Once locked on to an enemy ground radar
position and launched, it will home in on
that position, whether the radar remains
active or not.
Manufactured by Texas Instruments,it first
entered service in 1984 and currently sees
service on the F4G Phantom ‘Wild Weasel’
and on F-16C Falcon. Weighing 800 pounds,
it travels at a speed of nearly Mach 3 (1,781
kilometres per hour) and has a range of 40
nautical miles.

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Bombs
GBU-31 JDAM-3

The GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition
(JDAM) began life as an ordinary, freefalling gravity bomb, converted by a
guidance kit into a precision-guided
‘smart’ weapon.
The guidance package adds in an inertial
navigation system and a link to the Global
Positioning Satellite network. Capable of
being dropped up to 15 miles from the
target; the INS/GPS system guides the
bomb to the target with an astounding
accuracy, with an average error of less
than 13 feet.
Weighing in at a whopping 2,000 pounds,
the GBU-31 is considered one of two
baseline air- t o - ground bombs in the
inventory, used against hardened targets.

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GBU-32 JDAM-3

AGM-154A JSOW Baseline

This is a lighter weight model of the GBU31, totalling 1,000 pounds.
Both bombs are part of a joint project of
the US Air Force and Navy featuring a host
of contractors, Lockheed Martin Tactical
Defence Systems for the mission
computer, Honeywell, Inc., for the inertial
measurement unit, Rockwell Collins for
the global positioning system receiver, HR
Textron for the tail actuator subsystem,
Lockley for the tail fairing, Enser and
Eagle-Picher for the battery, and MDI and
Lambda for the power supply. McDonnellDouglas is the prime contractor.
The Department of Defence has announced plans to buy 87,496 JDAMs for use by
the Air Force and Navy at a cost of
approximately $2 billion US.

The Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW)
program is a family of precision-guided
stand-off munitions, each featuring an
INS/GPS guidance system to lock and
track the bomb onto a target with
frightening accuracy. Made to be dropped
miles from the target zone, the INS/GPS
system makes course corrections on the
bomb in flight,via a set of fins. All versions
are being designed to be fire in day, night
and adverse weather conditions.
The AGM-154A JSOW Baseline is a ‘cluster
bomb,’ carrying 145 BLU-97B ‘bomblets,’
known as a Combined Effects Munition
(CEM).
When dropped, the bomb approaches the
target and explodes above ground,
spreading the BLU-97B bomblets over a
wide area. Extremely effective against
what are called ‘soft’ targets, such as
trucks, jeeps, airplanes and troops in the
field. It weighs 1,000 pounds.

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AGM-154B JSOW Anti-Armour

CBU-97 WCMD Anti-Armour

The AGM-154B is the anti-armour variant
of the JSOW series. Equipped with the
same INS/GPS as the AGM154-A, its
warhead consists of 6 BLU-108/B antiarmour cluster bombs. Each bomb is
made up of 4 ‘skeets’ with an attached
infrared sensor for target detection, for a
total of 24 skeets.
Essentially, this is a large metal dart that
moves like the wind, locks onto a tank or
other armoured vehicle and then punches
a big hole in the tank- ruining it.
Weight : 1,000lbs.
AGM-154C JSOW Unitary
This JSOW variant is a single warhead
(hence the designation ‘Unitary’) and
designed to be used against ‘hard’ targets,
such as bunkers, command centres and
other buildings.

The CBU-97 Wind Corrected Munitions
Dispenser (WCMD) Anti-Armour bomb is
similar to the AGM-154B JSOW. It is a
cluster bomb designed to seek out and
attack tanks and other armoured vehicles.
It uses an INS/GPS sensor system to
manipulate tail fins,guiding the bomb near
the selected target zone. It then explodes
and releases ten BLU-108/D warheads
with 4 skeets each, each skeet being an
infrared Sensor Fused Weapon. The SFW is
essentially a ‘smart’ weapon that can lock
onto, track and destroy both stationary
and moving land targets. As the BLU108/Ds approaches the target, the skeets
are released,each finding a target to home
in on. With a total of 40 skeets being
released by each CBU-97, this is a bomb
that packs quite a wallop.

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APPENDIX SIX
Units/Plane Information

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Enemy Aircraft
What would a fighter combat simulation
be without enemy aircraft? The following
section details the enemy aircraft you’ll
encounter in JSF.

the MiG-29 can carry almost 9,000 lbs. of
ordnance on eight external hard-points.
This ordnance includes standard bombs,
r o cket pods, n a p a l m , s u b m u n i t i o n
dispensers and various AGMs.

MiG-29 Fulcrum

Su-27/35 Flanker

The Mikoyan-Gurevich (MiG)-29 Fulcrum is
a single seat all-weather interceptor and
one of the more deadly opponents you’ll
face in aerial combat. Known in the
Russian Air Force as “Baaz” or Eagle,
these aircraft are powered by two Klimov
/Sarkisov RD-33 turbofans, each
producing 11,110 lbs. of dry thrust (18,300
lbs. of thrust with afterburning). All this
power gives the MiG-29 a better than 1:1
thrust-to-weight ratio which allows it to
compete with aircraft like the USAF’s F-15
or F-16. The Fulcrum possesses an
excellent flight envelope but where this
aircraft really shines is in its ability to
‘close-to-kill’ undetected with an enemy.
The MiG-29 is equipped with an Infrared
Search and Track (IRST) sensor which
allows it to track a target without using
radar. The MiG-29 carries both radarguided AA-10 Alamo-C and heat-seeking
AA-11 Archer AAMs. A GSh-30 30mm gun
with 150 rounds is mounted in the left
wing-root. In a ground strike configuration,

The Sukhoi (Su)-27/35 is probably the best
non-Western air superiority aircraft in the
world. Although it is large (50% larger than
the MiG-29) and easy to spot in combat,
the Flanker has the capability to target and
destroy multiple aircraft simultaneously,
much like the USN’s F-14 Tomcat. This allweather interceptor is equipped with a
formidable avionics suite which includes a
powerful N001 Zhuk (NATO designation:
Slot Back) ‘look down-shoot down’ TWS
(track-while-scan) pulse-Doppler radar.
The Flanker’s blended planform fuselage
gives it a sleek and threatening appearance. Its two Saturn/Lyulka AL-31F
afterburning turbofans are each rated at
17,857 lbs. of dry thrust. These engines
give the Su-27 a maximum speed of mach
1.1 (725kts) at sea level and mach 2.35
(1350kts) at mission altitudes. Like the
MiG-29, it also is equipped with an IRST
system.

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In addition to being a stable long range
missile platform, the Flanker is also an
excellent slow spee d dogfighter,
something the F-14 was not designed to
be (Tom Cruise notwithstanding). Although
its preferred method of engagement is the
stand-off missile attack, it can fight up
close and personal with no loss in
effectiveness. It carries a GSh-30 30mm
gun with 150 rounds in the right wing root
for just this reason.
Mirage 5

The Mirage 5 is a strike fighter built by the
French consortium, Dassault. It was
originally developed as a low cost
replacement for Israel’s fleet of aging
Mirage IIIs. This delta-winged aircraft
features two 30 mm DEFA cannons and an
ability to carry up to 8800 lbs of ordnance
on seven external hardpoints.
The Mirage 5 has been consistently
upgraded over the years. Most models
now include a Cyrano radar able to
accommodate the Matra R530 AAM.
Export models of this aircraft commonly
lack modern avionics packages. These
aircraft should prove no match for a JSF in
the hands of a skilled pilot.

Tu-22M Backfire

The Tupolev (Tu)-22M Backfire is a twin
engined strategic bomber. Although it is
designed for low level penetration of
enemy airspace, the most likely role for
this aircraft is performing anti-ship strikes
out over the Atlantic. The Backfire
normally carries several AS-4 or a rotary
launcher with six AS-6 nuclear-tipped
anti-ship missiles. Strangely, it also has a
tail-mounted radar-directed 23 mm gun.
The TU-22M has a crew of four: pilot, copilot, navigator, and weapons officer. With
one mid-air refueling, it can reach any
point on the globe. This aircraft is
extremely fast, even while loaded with
ordnance. Its swept wings enable it to
reach speeds of 600 knots at sea level and
up to 1100 knots at high altitudes. A JSF
pilot will have to be very lucky to intercept
one of these bombers.
Il-76 Candid

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The Ilyushin-76 Candid is a strategic
heavy-lifter. This transport aircraft is able
to carry up to 140 troops at a time plus
their equipment. The Candid is capable of
operating from short fields if necessary. It
features the classic high T tail surface,
rear cargo RO-RO ramp and cargo doors.
The IL-76 is powered by four Aviadvigatel
turbo-fan engines giving it a top cruising
speed of nearly 450 knots and a range
(with full payload) of almost 4,000
kilometres. The IL-76 fuselage is also used
as a re-fuelling platform (IL-78) and in an
AWACS capacity (A-50).

The Mainstay performs roughly the same
function as the USAF E-767 or USN E-3
Sentry, that of monitoring airspace and
issuing tactical guidance. It began
replacing the less capable Tu-126 ‘Moss’
back in the early 1980s. Once on-station, a
Mainstay patrol can last for up to twelve
hours at a time. The crew consists of two
pilots, a flight engineer, navigator and
mission crew of 15 technicians who are
responsible for monitoring the various
radar displays.
Mi-24 Hind

A-50 Mainstay

The Beriev A-50 Mainstay is a second
generation Russian AWACS (Airborne
Warning and Control System) aircraft. It is
powered by four Aviadvigatel D-30KP
turbofans, each rated at 26,500 lbs. of
non-afterburning thrust. This gives the
Mainstay a top cruising speed of 430 knots
and a mission ceiling of 30,000 ft. The
aircraft is equipped with a radar dome
above the fuselage and a comprehensive
communications suite with nav/satellite
uplink as well as ground control station
downlink.

The Mi-24 Hind was designed and
produced by the former Soviet Union
during the 1970s. Since that time, this
formidable tank killing helicopter has gone
through a number of upgrades. The
current version, the Hind F, features a 23
mm dual barrel cannon and AT-6 Spiral
ATGMs. The Hind is heavily armoured and
able to withstand direct hits from .50 cal
machine guns.
The added protection afforded by all
this armour comes with a price, however.
The Hind cannot fly very high, very fast,
or very far and in combat, relies on brute
strength rather than tactical finesse. In

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Afghanistan, many of these fine aircraft
were turned into pots and pans by
mujahedeen rebels. Just the same, these
aircraft are tough and operate in flight
envelopes outside the comfort zone of
most JSF pilots. Hind Fs all carry electrooptical sensors (LLTV),and FLIR. Their twin
30 mm cannons can make short work out
of a JSF if given the chance.
F-16 Fighting Falcon

The F-16 Falcon is currently the most
numerous aircraft in USAF inventory. It is a
highly manoeuvrable, fly-by-wire, single
seat ‘dogfighter’. The first of these fighters
were delivered way back in 1978. Known
to its pilots as the “Viper”, the F-16 was
also dubbed the “Electric Jet” because of
its ‘fly-by-wire’ control systems. It has
also been called the “Lawn Dart” because
of the number of times this aircraft
‘augured in’ during testing.
Despite its age, the F-16 remains one of
the world’s best “phone booth knifefighters”. Although it has but one engine, it
maintains a thrust/weight ratio of almost
1:1. A skilled F-16 ‘driver’ is able to ‘turn
and burn’ with the best of ‘em. These
aircraft carry the same mix of air-to-air

weapons as the F-15 and have a limited
capacity for delivering air-to-ground
weapons. The F-16s represented in JSF
are the heavier F-16C Block 30 models
which feature a Westinghouse APG-68
radar and the improved F110-GE-100
turbofan.
The USAF intends on replacing the F-16
with the JSF early in the next century. By
the time that many of these airframes are
finally removed from active service, they
will be older than the pilots that are flying
them.
Friendly Aircraft
Not everything up there is hostile. The
following sections lists the friendly aircraft
you’ll occasionally come across.
F-22 Raptor

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor
embodies the current state of US fighter
technology. It possesses all the features
that will one day become standard on all
21st century aircraft. The F-22 is a stealth
aircraft, like the JSF, and carries an array
of air-to-air and ground attack ordnance
(again, like the JSF). For all their
advantages, however, the fact remains

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that each one costs over $100 million to
produce. Stealth aircraft or not, few in the
USAF would recommend exposing these
aircraft to ground fire.
The F-22 carries both radar-guided
missiles (the AIM-120C AMRAAM) and IR
missiles (AIM-9X Sidewinder) in internal
bays. It also has the ability to carry two
JDAM munitions. By utilising emissionless
GPS guided bombs,the aircraft can attack
targets with precision but still remain
stealthy. There are currently no plans to
produce a VSTOL or “navalised”version of
the Raptor.

The primary purpose of the B-2 Spirit is to
pick off targets inside an enemy country
that manage to survive an initial exchange
of nuclear weapons with the United
States. It requires stealth to survive over
enemy territory because with a top speed
of only 500 knots,it’s barely fast enough to
get out of its own way. These aircraft
feature a honey-combed, radar absorbent
structure which give them a low radar
cross section.
KC-135

B-2 Spirit

The B-2 Spirit is literally worth its weight
in gold. At more than $1 billion dollars
each,these bat-winged aircraft have come
under severe criticism and budgetary
scrutiny. They are so expensive that the
USAF has decided to only purchase twenty
(down from the original 133). It seems that
in the aftermath of the Cold War, the
military has begun to question the
practicality, if not the price tag of some of
these weapons.

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is a
strategic mid-air refueler. Each aircraft
can carry and transfer up to 200,000 lbs of
jet fuel. The KC-135 features a single rigid
boom refueling probe which is extended
from the rear of the aircraft during
operations.
These aircraft have a crew of four: pilot,
co-pilot, navigator, and boom operator.
They are powered by four turbofan
engines which give the aircraft a
maximum speed of 530 knots. This
enables the aircraft to refuel other aircraft
at close to their cruising speeds.

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UH-1H Iroquois

Ground Targets
JSF comes with a variety of ground
targets. The following section lists some of
the vehicles you are likely to encounter.
Armoured Fighting Vehicles
T-72 MBT

The UH-1H, affectionately known as the
Huey, has seemingly been around forever.
Deliveries of the UH-1H helicopter first
began in the late 1960s, at the height of
the US involvement in Vietnam. The UH
designation stands for “utility helicopter.”
These aircraft are used for a variety of
missions, everything from “medivacs” to
ground support.
The usual armament for a UH-1H consists
of spindle-mounted door machine-guns
although some have been equipped with
mini-guns and rocket-pods. The Huey’s
1400 shp engine drives a two-bladed main
rotor and two bladed tail rotor. Normal
cruising speed is around 100 knots. Its
service ceiling is just less than 13,000
feet.

The T-72 is a Russian built main battle
tank. Production began in 1972. It has
since been widely exported to a number of
third world countries. Although the T-72 is
currently being phased out by the T-80
within the Russia army, the introduction of
a new T-72 variant (the T-90) ensures that
this design will remain in service for some
time.
Most analysts agree that the T-72, while
superior to the US M-60 in most respects,
is not a match for the M1A2 Abrams. Iraqi
T-72s faired poorly during the Gulf War due
primarily to their lack of sophisticated
optics and fire control. Though they carry
a 125 mm smooth bore main gun, the auto
reloader is thought to be unreliable. The T72 also has a turret-mounted 12.7 mm
machinegun for use against low flying
aircraft but the affect of this weapon is
mainly psychological.

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BMP-2 IFV

Air Defence Vehicles
ZSU-23-4 Shilka

The Boevaya Maschina Pekhota- 2 (or
BMP-2) is a Russian-built amphibious
armoured personnel carrier (APC). They
are designed to transport squads of
infantry and provide them with effective
fire support. The BMP-2 is almost identical
to the BMP-1 in outward appearance, but
this hides a number of significant internal
differences. The BMP-2 has additional
armour plating which gives its crew and
passengers greater protection from small
arms fire.
Another major change is the upgraded
firepower. The 73 mm main gun found on
the BMP-1 has been replaced with a 2A42
30 mm cannon. The new gun has a greater
field of fire which allows it to be used
against helicopters and low flying aircraft.
The vehicle’s principal weapon is the AT-5
Spandrel anti-tank missile. The AT-5 is a
wire-guided missile with a range of up to
4,000 meters. It contains a tandem
warhead which is designed to negate the
effects of reactive armour.

The ZSU-23-4 (pronounced ‘Zoo’) is a selfpropelled,triple-A platform which features
four AZP-23M 23 mm guns and a J-band
‘Gun Dish’ target acquisition radar.
Although these vehicles are currently
being phased out in favour of the 2S6M
Tunguska, they remain on active duty in a
number of countries. The main weapon of
the ZSU-23-4 is its quad 23 mm radar
directed guns. They have an awesome rate
of fire and are deadly accurate out to 3
kilometres.
The vehicle chassis is lightly armoured so
that the ZSU-23-4 can operate close to the
front alongside other tanks and AFVs.
Typically they operate in pairs and
enhance the local air defence umbrella by
coordinating with units equipped with
shoulder-launched heat-seeking SAMs.

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SA-13 Gopher

mounted on a single mobile chasis. The
Tunguska features a SA-19 Grison
launcher with eight rounds. Target
acquisition is achieved using an E-band
surveillance radar. Once the target is
acquired,fire control is passed to a J-band
radar director in the vehicle turret.

The SA-13 Gopher is a self-propelled,
point defence, heat-seeking, surface-toair missile system. It has been designed to
replace the SA-9 Gaskin on a one for one
basis so that sixteen (16) of these vehicles
can be found in air defence regiments. A
Gopher battery consists of four MT-LB
vehicles supported by a “Dog Ear” G-band
acquisition radar mounted in a separate
vehicle.

In addition to the SAM system, the
Tunguska is also equipped with two 30
mm GSh-30k water-cooled cannons.
Although these radar-directed cannons
are best used against helicopters, they are
m o re than able of destroying enemy
aircraft that happen to wander too close.

The Dog Ear radar is able to detect and
track targets up to 20 miles away. The
missile itself has an effective range of
approximate ly six kilome t res. T h e
warhead consists of a 10 lb. HE fragmentation charge which can be fused for
either contact or proximity detonation.
2S6M Tunguska

The 2S6M Tunguska is an air defence
weapon unique to the former Soviet Union.
It is actually two weapon systems

Transport Vehicles
Transportation is crucial on the modern
battlefield. A few gallons of fuel can be
worth their weight in gold to a mechanised
army. Given the lethality of today’s weapon
systems, once a target is located and
identified it is doomed. Mobility is often
the only means of salvation. For this
reason,a primary goal of any air campaign
is the systematic elimination of an
enemy’s ability to move its troops and
equipment. Take away an army’s mobility
and it no longer has the means to conduct
offensive actions.
In JSF, there are several enemy
transportation vehicles- the KrAZ-260,MTLB, and ZiL-135. Although taking out one
of these transporters is hardly as exciting
as blowing up a tank, these vehicles are
important targets nonetheless.

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Enemy Naval Vessels
In addition to attacking targets on land,
naval variants of the JSF will be tasked
with conducting air strikes against enemy
vessels at sea. Typically, attacking naval
targets is more difficult. For one thing,
pilots can’t use terrain features to mask
their approach. Even in rough seas,there’s
just nowhere to hide. To make matters
worse, most naval vessels are wellequipped to handle air attacks. Even small
patrol vessels normally carry a formidable
array of triple A guns and surface-to-air
missiles.

weapons. For this reason, they rarely
operate alone. Although they are equipped
with a twin SA-N-4 SAM launcher, a JSF
can engage a Krivak from a stand-off
distance outside the range of its coverage.
The presence of a 76 mm radar-directed
DP gun does little to enhance the Krivak’s
protection from air attack.
Kirov Class Guided-Missile
Cruiser (BCN)

Krivak Class Figate (FFG)

The Krivak I was first seen in the early
1970s. Since that time, modifications have
been made to transform this once poorly
designed Frigate into a powerful ASW
platform. The current mod, Krivak III, is
powered by gas turbines that drive its twin
shafts. The Krivak III can sustain a top
cruising speed of 30 knots making these
vessels effective partners for the Kirov
class battle cruisers.
The primary mission of these vessels is
anti-submarine warfare. Krivaks lack
adequate surface attack and air defence

With the exception of United States’
aircraft carriers, the Kirov class of
battlecruisers are the largest warships
ever built. They represent the best in
Soviet naval engineering. Each cruiser is
powered by two pressurised-water
nuclear reactors (PWR) and can sustain a
top speed of 32 knots. Because they are
nuclear powered they have an unlimited
cruising range. Extended operations will
rarely take place however in wartime
because of ammunition shortages.
These vessels are crammed full of weapon
systems- everything from anti-ship SSMs
to RBU mortars for ASW engagements. The
main striking power of the Kirov cruisers,
however, is its complement of SS-N-19
cruise missiles. JSF pilots need to be

129

aware of the Kirov’s formidable array of
SAMs and triple-A guns. The Kirov carries
both the SA-N-4 and vertically-launched
SA-N-6 surface-to-air missile systems.
Typhoon Class Ballistic Missile
Submarine (SSBN)

torpedoes including SS-N-15 and SS-N-16
weapon systems. Its detection systems
include a hull mounted Shark Gill
active/passive hull sonar, and Snoop Pair
surface search radar.
Akula Class Nuclear Attack
Submarine (SSN)

The Typhoon class ballistic missile
submarine is truly a monster. It is the
largest submarine ever built- featuring
two separate inner pressure hulls
surrounded by a single outer hull. (These
submarines are 50% larger than USN’s
Ohio class submarine.) The outer hull is
covered with a sound absorbing
"Clusterguard" tiling. As big as these
boats are, as "boomers" they are expected
to hide out until ready to launch. They have
a maximum subsurface speed of 26 knots
and a crush depth of 300 meters.
The Typhoon's primary weapons are
twenty SS-N-20 nuclear tipped SLBMs
(submarine launched ballistic missiles)
with ten MIRV warheads each. All twenty
missiles are mounted forward of the sail in
two rows of ten. In addition, Typhoon
submarines are armed with six (fwd)
torpedo tubes- two 533 mm and four 650
mm. Space is allocated for a total of 36

The Akula (meaning "shark" in Russian)
class nuclear attack submarine is the
most advanced underwater ASW platform
currently in production and service with
the CIS. It is the result of decades worth of
research and development mixing in with
a little high tech thievery. These
submarines have a top subsurface speed
of 35 knots and have a crush depth of 550
meters.
These submarines are armed with eight
(fwd) torpedo tubes- four 533mm and four
650 mm. The Akula also carries both
the SS-N-15, SS-N-16, and SS-N-21
"Sampson" missile systems. Space is
allocated for a total of 40 tube launched
weapons. Detection systems include a hull
mounted Shark Gill active/passive sonar, a
passive towed sonar array, and a Snoop
Pair surface search radar.

130

Cargo vessels

The cargo vessels depicted in JSF
represent the standard cavernous
transport vessels used to move men and
material. The value in sinking these
vessels is derived from sending their
cargoes to the bottom. Though cargo
vessels are themselves only lightly armed,
they often travel in “convoys” under the
protection of one or more ASW platforms.
Air defence protection will vary but it’s not
unheard of for large convoys to have their
own dedicated VTOL carriers.

131

PICTORIAL OVERVIEW

Allied aircraft

Boeing X-32 prototype

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor

Lockheed Martin X-35 prototype

Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon

132

PICTORIAL OVERVIEW

Allied aircraft

Boeing E-3D Sentry (AEW)

Bell 205 UH-1H Huey helicopter

Boeing KC-135 Tanker

133

PICTORIAL OVERVIEW

Enemy aircraft

Mikoyan MiG 29 Fulcrum

Sukhoi SU-35 Flanker

Sukhoi SU-27 Flanker

Dassault Mirage 5

134

PICTORIAL OVERVIEW

Enemy aircraft

Tupolev Tu-22M-3 Backfire

Ilyushin/Antonov A-50 Mainstay

Ilyushin Il-76M Candid

Mil Mi-24 Hind Attack helicopter

135

PICTORIAL OVERVIEW

Enemy Vehicles

BMP-2 IFV

ZIL-135

KrAZ-260

T-72 MBT

136

PICTORIAL OVERVIEW

Enemy Vehicles

ZSU-23-4 Shilka

SA-13 Gopher

MT-LB

2S6M Tunguska

137

PICTORIAL OVERVIEW

Enemy Vessels

Krivak Class Patrol Ship

Typhoon Class Nuclear Sub

Kirov Class Rocket Cruiser

Akula Class Nuclear Attack Sub

138

PICTORIAL OVERVIEW

Strategic Targets

Anti aircraft launcher

Communications base

Anti aircraft artillery

Mobile air defence radar

139

PICTORIAL OVERVIEW

Strategic Targets

Air defence radar

Oil tanker

Nuclear plant

Cargo vessel

140

APPENDIX SEVEN
Troubleshooting

141

General
I f, for some re a s o n , you encounter
problems while running Joint Strike
Fighter, please refer to the list below for
similar problems. This list contains typical
problems that a user could run into:
Graphics
The In-Game Graphics move slowly
There are a lot of things which may cause
performance to suffer. Among the most
common one are:
• Object detail is too high.
Lower the detail on the detail sliders
found under Graphics in the in-game
menu in order to increase the framerate.
• The screen resolution is too high.
This can be changed by selecting a
lower resolution from the Mode ingame menu. It may also be an idea to
try out the Big Pixels option found in
the same menu if low resolutions are
not suppo rted on your g raphic s
hardware.
• Time compression is enabled.
This can be fixed simply by selecting
Normal under Game in the in-game
menu, thereby restoring normal game
speed.

The volume slider doesn’t work correctly
Set the all the volume sliders on
Options>Sound to maximum volume, and
use the Volume Control in windows to
adjust the volume instead.
Movies
The movies are jerky and slow when
played back
This is probably because the CD Drive
used is too slow. In order to watch the
movies in full quality you MUST have at
least a 4X CD Drive.
There’s noise on the sound when I watch a
movie
Set the all the volume sliders on
Options>Sound to maximum volume, and
use the Volume Control in Windows to
adjust the volume instead.
Mission Planner
For some reason I get a red cross saying
ILLEGAL when I try to arm my fighter.
This happens when the weapons selected
aren’t allowed on the desired pylon. A
weapon configuration with rocket pods
placed on internal pilons would have
left the pods useless. Also, some
configurations are not allowed because
the aircraft frame is not capable of
carrying heavy weapon loads on the outer
wing pylons.

Sound
My Stereo Channels are Reversed.
Use the Options>Sound>Reverse Stereo
option in the in-game menu to reverse the
stereo position.

142

I cannot see what icon is in the mission
planner because most of it is covered by
the mission planner window.
There are two ways of displaying icons
that are hidden behind the Mission
Planner windows. You can remove the
Mission Planner window by selecting the
Mission Planner button or by pressing
SPACE on the keyboard. Alternatively, you
can activate the Map mode on the Mission
Planner and recentre the Mission Map by
pressing the right mouse button. Refer to
Section 5 for information about how to use
the Mission Planner.
Gameplay
My wingman doesn’t respond when I talk
to him.
This is probably because the wingman has
died. To find out what your wingmen are
doing or aren’t doing, simply send a
request for a full status to all the wingmen.
Please refer to appendix 4 for more
information on the Wingman
Communication system
I can’t release my weapons
If there’s a cross over the aim, you’ll have
to open the hatch to the internal weapons
bay. For more information on the different
weapons, please refer to Section 8.

• The aircraft might have been trimmed
to counter the bank of a damaged
aircraft. Refer to Appendix 1 for a
complete listing of the keyboard
commands.
• It may be caused by the fact that the
joystick control is active and an
uncalibrated joystick is attached to the
computer. The solution is to switch to
keyboard control in the in-game menu
or calibrate your joystick.
• Alternatively, your aircraft may be
damaged. In this case, check your six!
Controllers
When I selected my joystick as controller I
totally lost control of my fighter, even
though I have selected Centre from the ingame menu many times
You will have to recalibrate the joystick by
using the Windows joystick setup tool or a
similar configuration tool provided by the
joystick manufacturer.
I don’t want to use the throttle on the
joystick, but rather the keys on the
keyboard.
How can I do this?
This will have to be changed in the
Window Control Panel. The solution is to
configure your stick so that you don’t have
the third axis (the throttle) enabled.

My plane banks when I use keyboard
control, even when I don’t press any
buttons
This can be caused by several things:

143

CREDITS

144

INNERLOOP

Graphical Design

Joystick Configuration

Rune Spaans

Sander Johansen

Managing Director
Henning Rokling

3D Modeling
Quality Assurance

Rune Spaans

Johan Basberg

Lead Programmer/
Project Leader

Additional 3D Modeling

Frode Berg

Thomas Hagen

Chester Lawrence

Dag Husum

3D Engine Programming

Music

Birger Lien

Paul Endre Endresen

Kim Jensen

Stian Vælitalo

Sander Johansen

Thomas Hagen
Sound Effects
Physics Programming

Kim Jensen

DIGIMANIA

Scenario Design

Production Team

Thomas Hagen
Gameplay Programming

Johan Basberg

Network Programming

Localisation

Mark Donald

Jack Kristoffersen

Dana Dorian

Speech

Graham McKenna

David Chocron

Richard Scott

Scott Dunbar

Martin Gram
Anders Dybdahl

Stuart Aitken
Andrew Bradbury

Anders Dybdahl

Sound Programming

David Fishel

Phillip Vaughan

Martin Gram

Anette Reynolds

Alan Watson

David Smith
Presentation Programming
Martin Gram

Intro
Rune Spaans

EIDOS UK
Executive Producer

AI Programming
Ole Marius Liabø

John Kavanagh

Manual
Johan Basberg
Anders Dybdahl

Tools Programming
Paul Endresen
Thomas Hagen

Associate Producer
Charlotte De Baeza

Martin Gram
Thomas Hagen
Ole Marius Liabø

Marketing Director
John Davis

Rune Spaans
Appendix four fixed by [WoLaNd]
Additional Programming

Marketing Manager

Johan Øverbye

David Burton

145

PR

PR

Lidia Stojanovic

Priscille Demoly

Manual and Technical Writing
Jessica Mulligan/ Lawrence Russell/

EIDOS US

The Russell Group
Test Coordinator
Packaging

Eric Adams

Frank Parker
Mark Beevers

Test Group

Quinton Luck

The Fighting 510th

@ E.C.S.
Marketing
Testing Manager

Paul Baldwin

Tony Miller
PR
Lead Tester

Gary Keith

Tom Murton
Technical Information
Boeing
Lockheed Martin
EIDOS GERMANY

Bill Sweetman
Texas Instruments

Marketing Director
Vincent Pargney

Special Thanks (In Alphabetical Order)

Marketing Manager

ACT Laboratory Ltd.

Christian Zoch

Joachim Barrum

Marketing Executive

Pål Engstad

Lars Wittkuhn

Michael Noguchi

EIDOS FRANCE

ThrustMaster Inc.

331 Squadron, Norwegian Air Force

CH Products

Stein Pedersen

Marketing Director
Florent Moreau
Marketing Manager
Stephane Cormier

146

LIMITED WARRANTY

holidays and immediately after a product release.It all

Eidos Interactive reserves the right to make improvements

depends on how many people we have working and how

in the product described in this manual,at any time and

much e-mail is coming in at any one time,but we do try

without notice. Eidos Interactive makes no warranties

really hard to get you the right answer as quickly as

expressed or implied,with respect to this manufactured

possible. Weekdays, excluding holidays,during the hours

material,its quality, merchantability or fitness for any

when the phones are open,we still give e-mail questions

particular purpose. If any defect arises during the 90 day

our highest priority.

limited warranty on the product itself (i.e. not the software

Through this site you will also have access to our FTP

program,which is provided “as is”), return it in its original

(File Transfer Protocol) area where you can download

condition to the point of purchase. Proof of purchase

patches and new enhancements as soon as they become

required to effect the 90 day warranty.

available.

CONTACTING TECH SUPPORT:

Assistance via Telephone or Fax:
We are available to take your calls Monday through

If you have a technical problem with the game,our

Friday between 9:00 a.m.and 5:00 p.m., Pacific Time at

Support Department is here to help. Our web site

(415) 615-6220 (voice) or (415) 547-1201(fax).Our tech

contains up-to-date information on the most common

support department is closed on all major holidays.Note:

difficulties with our products; this information is the

You are responsible for all toll charges when calling.

same as that used by our support agents. If you are

To ensure the quickest service you will need to be at your

unable to find the information you need on our web site,

computer and have the following information at hand:

please feel free to contact us via e-mail, fax,telephone or

• A complete listing of your computer’s hardware.

letter. (When contacting us via email or fax,please

(Contact your computer manufacturer if you are unsure)

ensure to put the game title in the subject of your

•What version of Windows ® you are using.

message)

•A copy of your DirectX Diagnostics report.

Assistance Via the World Wide Web:
The fastest way to answer most questions is by visiting
our online support. You may find the latest support
information at
<http://www.eidosinteractive.com/support/index.html>.

q

Click on Start

q

Click on Run

q

Type dxdiag

q

Click on OK

q

Click on the Save Information button

q

When you call our Technical Support line

and save the file to your computer.

Our support FAQ’s are available 24 - 7 for your
convenience. These pages are updated frequently and

either have this file open or have a printed

have the same information that our support techs will use

copy. If you send an e-mail query you may

to answer your question if you call or e-mail us.The

attach the file to the e-mail.

answers to about 90% of the questions we are asked can
be found there,so it really is worth the time to take a
look!
The second fastest way to get an answer to your question

•What error message(s),if any, you have had.
•How the game is currently configured.

is to e-mail us.(You will find our email submission forms
at our web site) We typically respond to email queries
within 24 -48 hours during the business week. Response

NOTE: OUR SUPPORT AGENTS DO NOT HAVE AND WILL NOT
GIVE GAME HINTS STRATEGIES OR CODES

times can be considerably longer over the weekend,

147

GLOSSARY

148

A

(alpha) AL fah

A2A
ATA Air-to-Air
AAA
Anti-Aircraft Artillery. Commonly referred
to as "triple A."
AAM
Air-to-Air Missile. A missile fired from an
aircraft with the intent of shooting down
another aircraft.
ACM
Air Combat Maneuvering. A modern
acronym for dogfighting.

ALLERON
Control surfaces on the aircraft's wings
which command movement about its
longitudinal axis.
AIM
Air Intercept Missile. Another name for
U.S. air-to-air missiles, e.g. AIM-9
Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMRAAM.
AMRAAM
Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air
Missile. Pronounced am-RAM,a 'fire and
forget' radar guided missile designated
AIM-120. The JSF uses the "C" model.
ANGELS
A term used to indicate 1000s of feet,i.e.
angels 20 equals 20,000 feet.

ADAS
Advanced Distributed Aperture System.
Multiple sensors under the skin of the
aircraft, capable of detecting incoming IR
threats.

AOA
Angle of Attack. The angle between the
aircraft's mean chord line and the relative
wind speed.

AFB
Air Force Base. Bases in the continental
United States use the acronym AFB while
bases located outside the United States
are simply designated as AB (Air Base).

ARM
Anti-Radiation Missile. A missile which
targets radiation emitters specifically
using their own emissions as a form of
guidance, e.g. AGM-66 HARM.

AFTERBURNER
The practice of mixing fuel directly with
engine exhaust, thrust is dramatically
increased but at a cost of fuel
consumption.

ASL
Above Sea Level. Refers to your altitude
above sea level, regardless of the height
of the actual terrain.

AGL
Above Ground Level. Refers to your
altitude over the actual height of the
terrain.

ASPECT ANGLE
Angular comparison of flight paths
between a target and attacking aircraft,
usually from the attacking aircraft's
perspective, i.e. head-on aspect, tail
aspect, etc.

AGM
Air-to-Ground Missile.

149

ATF
Advanced Tactical Fighter. The original
name for the USAF F-22 program.
ATG
Air-to-Ground.
ATO
Air Tasking Order. A secret target list which
schedules air attacks on ground targets.
AVIONICS
An aircraft's electronic components and
subsystems which monitor flight
activities.
AWACS
Airborne Warning and Control System. An
aircraft with powerful radar and
communication equipment.

B

BEARING
Horizontal direction to or from a given
point, a compass heading usually given in
degrees through 360˚.
BFM
Basic Fighter Maneuvers. Simple flight
maneuvers that every pilot must perform.
BINGO
Slang for aircraft with only enough fuel
remaining to return to base.
BOGEY
An aircraft who's identity is not yet
positively established, treated as an
enemy aircraft.
BREAK
Radio call indicating an immediate high-g
change in direction or altitude.

(bravo) BRAH voh

BANDIT
Slang term for an enemy aircraft.

BVR
Beyond Visual Range. A target is too far
away to be seen with the naked eye.

C

(charlie) CHAR lee

BARCAP
Barrier Combat Air Patrol. A group of
fighter aircraft situated to act as a barrier
preventing passage of enemy aircraft
through or past a specific area.

CALLSIGN
The nickname by which you are known in
your squadron.

BDA
Bomb Damage Assessment or
alternatively Battle Damage Assessment.
A post-strike report detailing damage
caused to a particular target.

CAP
Combat Air Patrol. A term which usually
refers to a counter-air sortie or Air-to-Air
mission centred around a particular fixed
location.

BEAMING
A term referring to an enemy aircraft that
is approaching you from a 90˚ aspect
angle.

CAS
Close Air Support. Tactical aircraft used to
attack enemy ground targets in conjunction
with friendly forces on the ground.

150

CBU
Cluster Bomb Unit. A munition that opens
to release many sub-munitions which are
dispersed over a wide area.
CHECK FIRE
Indication not to fire or to cease firing
according to a current ROE.
CLOSURE
Rate (speed) at which two objects are
approaching each other.

E

E (echo) ECK oh

ECM
Electronic Counter-Measure. Devices
whose purpose is to interfere with enemy
radars or radio transmissions.
EGRESS
Leg of flight plan that an aircraft takes
after striking a target.

CTOL
Conventional Take-Off and Landing. Term
used about an aircraft landing and takeoff
capabilities.

EJECTING
Common term for bailing out of a
damaged aircraft,pilots are equipped
with an ejection seat which blasts them
free from the aircraft.

CV
Carrier Vessel. A vessel used for
transport.

EO/IR
Electro-Optical/Infrared. Term used about
sensors.

D

(delta) DELL tah

EW
Electronic Warfare. Usually refers to
jamming, signal intercept, etc.

DITCH
Bailing out of an aircraft.

F

DRY THRUST
Term used to denote the thrust produced
by non-afterburning engines, generally
rated in lbs. of thrust.

FEBA
Forward Edge of the Battle Area. A new
name for 'the front line'.

DSS
Defensive Sub System. This system
automates the release of chaff and flares
during combat.

(foxtrot) FOKS trot

FINAL APPROACH
The last leg of traffic pattern, the flight
path consisting of a line extending back
from the runway centreline intersecting
with the base leg.
FLARE
A magnesium pyrotechnic
countermeasure designed to attract the
IR sensor of a heat-seeking missile.

151

FLAPS
Hinged surfaces on the trailing edge of a
wing used to generate additional lift.
FLIR
Forward-Looking Infrared. An imaging
system that can see contrasting
differences in object and background
temperatures.
FOX II
Pilot warning indicating the launch of
AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared missile.
FOX III
Pilot warning indicating the launch of
AIM-120 AMRAAM radar guided missile.
FURBALL
A multiple aircraft engagement, a high G,
twisting and turning dogfight.

G

G (golf) GOLF

G FORCE
The force of gravity, one G is a measur e
of gravity equal to the force exerted on a
stationary object at sea level.
GBU
Glide Bomb Unit. A munition with control
surfaces (fins) which give it a limited
ability to glide.
GLOC
G-induced Loss Of Consciousness.
Blacking out due to positive G stress
forcing blood from the brain and into the
lower body.

GPS
Global Positioning System. A satellitebased navigation system used by many
types of receivers, for example as a
means of targeting for JDAM munitions.

H

(hotel) hoh TELL

HEATER
Pilot slang for a heat-seeking (IR) missile
like the AIM-9 Sidewinder.
HEADING
Direction of flight given as a compass
heading where 360˚ equals magnetic
north, 90˚ equals east, 180˚ equals south
and 270˚ equals west.
HMD
Helmet Mounted Display. Display
mounted projected on the face shield on
the pilot helmet.
HOTAS
Hands On Throttle and Stick. Throttle and
stick design which allows a pilot to
operate the aircraft's flight and weapon
systems using actuators located on these
devices.
HUD
Head-Up Display. A transparent display
containing flight / weapons symbology
that is set directly in front of the pilot.

I

(india) IN dee ah

INDUCED DRAG
Drag created by the aircraft in the act of
producing lift.

152

IFDL
In Flight Data Link. A communication link
between aircrafts.
IFF
Identification Friend or Foe. System for
determining weather a unit is friend
or foe.
IHAVS
Integral Helmet Audio Visual System. A
system which integrates audio and visual
systems into the helmet.
INGRESS
The approach leg of flight plan to a target
location.
IR
Infra-Red. Missiles or sensors able to
detect radiated energy.
IRWR
Infra-Red Warning Receiver. Device which
detects IR missiles.

J

(juliet) JEW lee ett

J/ST JAST
Integrated Subsystems Technology.
JAMMING
An active attempt to create signal
interference to prevent an enemy from
using radar or radio.

GPS rather than radar or laser energy as
means of precision targeting.
JHMCS
Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System.
JINKING
Skidding manoeuvre designed to spoil an
attacker's firing solution (gun).
JSF
Joint Strike Fighter.

K

(kilo) KEE loh

KIAS
Knots Indicated Air Speed. A knot is one
nautical mile (2,000 yds)per hour.

L

(lima) LEE mah

LCC
Life Cycle Cost.
LO CHARACTERISTICS
LO characteristics Low Observable.
Stealth features of the JSF aircraft which
reduce or eliminate an enemy's ability to
detect it in flight.

M

(mike) MIKE

JAST
Joint Advanced Strike Technology.

MASKING
The act of using terrain to degrade the
ability of an enemy's sensors to detect
your aircraft.

JDAM
Joint Direct Attack Munition. An
emissionless guidance system that uses

MEZ
Missile Engagement Zone. The area
targetable by a missile.

153

MFD
Multi-Function Display. Acronym referring
to cockpit monitors which display various
flight/weapon data.
MOU
Memorandum of Understanding.

N

PAWWS
Precision Adverse Weather Weapon
System. Weapon systems that maintain
accuracy of fire independent of weather
conditions.

(november) noh VEM ber

NAUTICAL MILE
(nm) One nautical mile equals 2000 yds,
1.15 statute miles or 1852 m.
NEGATIVE
A term meaning no, the opposite of roger,
a non-affirmative response

O

take his eyes off a target for fear of not
being able to spot it again.

(oscar) OSS cah

PIPPER
The small aiming mark in the centre of
the target reticule, also referred to as the
'death dot.'
PITCH
Measure of aircraft motion around its
lateral axis, controlled by input to the
elevators.
PK
Probability kill. The percentage chance that
a given munition will result in a target kill.

ORDNANCE
Bombs,rockets, missiles carried by the
aircraft.

POV
Position Of View. Switch on a stick used
to set view direction or view position.

OTH
Over the Horizon. Missiles being fired at
targets so far away that they are masked
by the curvature of the Earth.

Q

(quebec) keh BECK

R

(romeo) ROW mee oh

OVERSHOOT
Extremely dangerous situation that
occurs when your aircraft passes in front
of an enemy aircraft,usually as a result
of losing a 'scissors' fight.

P

(papa) pah PAH

RADAR
Radio, Detection,and Ranging. A device
which detects objects by projecting
energy into the atmosphere then
detecting it as it bounces back
off various objects.

PADLOCKED
A situation in which a pilot who cannot

154

RAM
Radar Absorbing Material. Type of
construction materials used to enhance
the non-radar reflective (stealth) features
of the JSF aircraft.

which requires continued guidance from
the pilot.
SEAD
Suppression of Enemy Air Defences. A
mission designed to destroy or otherwise
hinder the effectiveness of an enemy's
air defence.

RED OUT
Temporary blindness caused by negative
Gs which force blood to collect in the
eyes.

SIGNATURE
Indications of an aircraft's presence, such
as a radar cross-section or IR emissions.

RELATIVE WIND
Direction of oncoming wind, usually
refers to wind forced past an aircraft by
its forward motion.

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
Your mental ability to read a given
situation, being aware of what is going on
around you.

RF
Radio Frequency.
ROGER
A term meaning yes, opposite of negative,
an affirmative acknowledgment.
ROLL
Aircraft motion around its longitudinal
axis, controlled by input to the ailerons.
RWR
Radar Warning Receiver. Pronounced
"raw"; a network of sensors around the
aircraft which alert the pilot when radar
emissions are detected.

S

(sierra) see AIR rah

SAM
Surface to Air missile. A missile which is
fired from the ground at aerial targets.

SIX
In clock terminology, your six is directly
behind you or 180˚ from your direction of
flight.
SNAP SHOOT
A gun attack with a high angle-off
perspective, a desperation shot with little
chance of success.
SPEED JEANS
Slang term for the G suit worn by pilots
that delays the onset of GLOC, the suit
forces blood to the upper body by
applying pressure to the lower
extremities.
STALL
The separation of airflow from the upper
surface of a wing, a common mistake
made by non-flyers is to equate a stall
with engine failure.

SARH
Semi-Active Radar Homing. Type of
homing guidance provided to a weapon

155

STOVL
Short Take-Off Vertical Landing. Term
used about an aircraft landing and takeoff
capabilities.

VOCOM
Automated Voice Computer Messages. A
computerised female voice that warns a
pilot about certain incidents.

STRIKE PACKAGE
Group of different aircraft combined to
perform a single mission.

W

T

(whiskey) WISS key

WAYPOINT
A fixed navigational point tied in to your
auto-pilot flight controls.

(tango) TANG go

TRACERS
Projectiles which are coated with a
phosphorus substance that ignites
making them visible to the naked eye.

WEAPONS FREE
Full freedom to fire weapons within a
given air space.
WEAPONS HOLD
The opposite of weapons free, a directive
to cease firing or not to begin firing.

TRAILER
The last aircraft in a formation.
TRIPLE -A
Modern term for anti-aircraft artillery fire,
(see AAA).

X

(xray) ECKS ray

U

(uniform) YOU nee form

Y

(yankee) YANG key

V

(victor) VIK tah

YAW
Aircraft motion around its vertical axis,
controlled by input to the rudders.

VNE
Velocity never exceed. Speed at whic h
you begin to risk structural damage to the
aircraft.
VOC
Velocity of closure. Speed at which two
objects are approaching each other.

Z

(zulu) ZOO loo

ZOOM
An extended climb in which the aircraft
trades its forward momentum into
additional altitude.

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J O I N T S T R I K E F I G H T E R C 1 9 9 7 I N N E R L O O P. C & P 1 9 9 7 E I D O S I N T E R A C T I V E L I M I T E D . A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D .