SharkPlanner

SharkPlanner started as a MOD for entry of waypoints into Ka-50 attack helicopters. In the meanwhile support of additional modules has been added:

• Ka-50 attack helicopter
  • ABRIS
  • PVI-800
• Combined Arms
  • allows capture of points for other modules through visibility provided to JTAC roles.
• SA-342 Gazelle light attack helicopter
  • NADIR
• F-16C
  • UFC
• JF-17 lightweight multi-role combat aircraft.
  • UFCP
• UH-60L
  • AN/ASN-128B

It is 100% implemented in LUA and integrates into the DCS UI.

FAQ

How does it work?

SharkPlanner runs as a LUA script hook and is able to utilize DCS's native UI in order to deliver minimalistic UI without requiring external application.

Do I need binary/exe?

No, SharkPlanner runs within the DCS, and as such does not require external tools to run.

Which DCS versions are supported?

Minimal requirement is 2.8 either stable or openbeta.

Which airframes are supported?

• BlackShark 3: Ka-50 version 2022
• BlackShark 3: Ka-50 version 2011
• BlackShark 2: Ka-50
• Combined Arms
• Gazelle: SA-342L
• Gazelle: SA-342M
• Gazelle: SA-342Minigun
• F-16C: Viper
• JF-17: Thunder
• UH-60L: Black Hawk

How do I report bugs?

Open the issues, read existing open issues to quickly figure out if your issue is already reported, and if you find none create new issue. Please try to be precise and provide the steps for reproduction and if needed:

• screenshots if available
• links to video if available
• mission file if available (needs to be renamed into zip, I recommend my_mission.miz.zip)
• dcs.log, located at %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Logs or %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\DCS\Logs

Installation instructions

1. Download the latest release. The needed package is named like this: SharkPlanner-VERSION.zip
2. Unpack the content of the zip file into %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Scripts or %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\DCS\Scripts depending on version of the DCS you are using.
3. Start or restart DCS

Usage instructions

1. Start DCS
2. Hop into your Black Shark
3. Switch to F10 mode
4. Hit: CTRL+SHIFT+SPACE
5. You should see a crosshair in the middle of screen. Above crosshair the following buttons are located: Hide, Add, Reset, Transfer as well as label showing current and maximal number of waypoints.
6. Use your mouse to zoom and pan to your point of interest, and use Add button to select your waypoints.
7. Once you add at least one waypoint, you can click on Transfer button and SharkPlanner will start entering waypoints into ABRIS and PVI-800. It is recommended to do this on ground for maximal accuracy.
8. If you would like to create a new route, hit Reset and go to step 5.
9. To hide SharkPlanner hit again: CTRL+SHIFT+SPACE

Removal instructions

To remove SharkPlanner:

1. Delete file %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Scripts\Hooks\SharkPlanner.lua or %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\DCS\Scripts\Hooks\SharkPlanner.lua depending on version of the DCS you are using.
2. Delete folder %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Scripts\SharkPlanner or %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\DCS\Scripts\SharkPlanner depending on version of the DCS you are using.
3. Restart DCS if it was running

Kudos

• TheWay is a very cool project which enables entry of waypoints for a rather large number of DCS airframes. My initial motivation was to provide the ABRIS support as code contribution to TheWay, but ABRIS proved to be very challenging to implement within existing framework since coordinates entry can be done only non-numerically through dials. This limitation has resulted in large changes that could not be easily harmonized and tested with existing code base. Please note that TheWay remains to be the most comprehensive software for waypoint entry in DCS and is highly recommended to use for all other supported airplanes. You can use both SharkPlanner and TheWay as long as you remember not to invoke transfer of waypoints at the same time!
• DCS Scratchpad provided the idea how to inject the UI and trigger it with a keyboard shortcut.