Can't target / lock vehicle.

[Th3.Madjackal]

Hello everyone.
I restarted playing A3 and starting with testing the new a10 A3 edition aaand im having some big issue with the game and or the plane.
I can't lock AA missile at all...
I've got my key binded correctly but even if i press tab or T it do nothing at all.
Im playing the showcase mission, im at 400m behind the heli and nothing at all and yes im switched to the AA missile...
Am i missing something or there's a key i need to choose for??

[Spyex1]

I know this topic is long dead however I found a SOLUTION that at least worked for me. I'm posting it here just in case people have the same issue in the future and are looking for answers.

My problem:
I could not lock on to any targets with any type of missile, Not with jets not wit AT missiles.
I tried pressing T
I tried rebinding both lock on target and reveal target but nothing worked

READ BEFORE DOING THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YOU MIGHT LOSE YOUR GRAPHICS SETTINGS AND KEYBINDINGS BY DOING THIS. HOWEVER, YOU WILL KEEP YOUR LOADOUTS.
this because these are saved on the {MAIN-Username.vars.Arma3Profile} However these are not too annoying to fix. Where having to remake all your loadouts or exporting and importing the 1 by 1 is.

SOLUTION
What I did was:

Step 1:
Create a new profile in the main menu. Load this profile and test if you can lock on. (worked for me)
(However, because you load a new profile you do not keep any of your loadouts.)
(DO NOT DELETE YOUR OLD PROFILE)

Step 2:
Go to your File explorer > Documents > Arma 3 > Arma 3 - Other Profiles > And open the folder of the NEWLY created profile.
(You should see 2 files. {NEW-Username.Arma3Profile} and {NEW-Username.vars.Arma3Profile})

Step 3:
Copy your {NEW-Username.Arma3Profile} from your newly created profile.

Step 4:
Go to the same folder but then from your MAIN profile.
File explorer > Documents > Arma 3 > Arma 3 - Other Profiles > And open the folder of the MAIN profile.
( Again you should see 2 files. {MAIN-Username.Arma3Profile} and {MAIN-Username.vars.Arma3Profile})

Step 5:
Remove the {MAIN-Username.Arma3Profile} from the MAIN folder.
(MAKE SURE TO BACK IT UP JUST IN CASE)

Step 6:
Paste the earlier copied {NEW-Username.Arma3Profile} in the folder of your MAIN user.

Step 7:
Launch Arma 3 and check if it worked.

Now you should be able to lock on again on your main profile and you should also still have all your loadouts.


Hope this helped out and fixed your issue.

[TedSlo]

I have the same probelm i tried everything sometimes it works mostly it dosen't i tried t and r but when i switch to at missiles on the plane it dosen't work can somone help me

[Ray]

reviving this thread for more assistance

[Shenji]

You can't lock cold vehicles by infra-guided missiles, even if you(player character) properly identified and called out the target(s).
Drop a bomb, launch some rockets or simply brrrrrr around those cold targets may send them into flight thus make their engines turning hot.

[Disgruntled Cuttlefish]

Maybe in the next Arma, they will by default include a universal payload changing system built in (not just a feature for the editor and certain scenarios but, get this, a normal function in the game).

Also maybe, have more variants of missiles and bombs and not nerf and "balance" the aircraft as much. It's already unrealistic enough with all that.

[The NayNay]

Some of the people responding are idiots. Don’t you think people have thought of all these dumb simple things like trying to aim right at the target? IT DOESNT WORK! Obv if it worked they wouldn’t be here. When ur in a jet, obv with radar on, you know damn well which missiles ur loaded with... and ur looking to acquire that missile lock... and it isn’t there. WHY?!? Because it’s bugged. It’s not a human error. I was able to get a lock on one target at the beginning of a mission, and ALL SUBSEQUENT TARGETS refused to lock. I’m about to retest it with no mods to see if it makes difference, but I bet it has to do with the coding of the mission.

[опытный стрелок]

I managed to use radar lock in a kajman. This was using ag missiles. But aa locking works in warlords.

[Shenji]

I play jet a lot. No AA lock bug/glitch. Check/disable your mods.
For aircraft weapons variety (un-nerf), you should try FIR AWS:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=366425329

[Undead]

Still an issue late 2021, even with FIR AWS mod. Arma 4 when?

[ThunderStorm]

Escrito originalmente por Undead:

Still an issue late 2021, even with FIR AWS mod. Arma 4 when?

It's work OK,,,,, press T for direct lock if you aim on target and key R is made for sensor lock

https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Arma_3:_Sensors

[eQ. **DeCoY**]

This just started to happen to me also.. 8th Sep
1st. I can assure you I know how to target a vehicle with ATGM.

I noticed that I could acquire targets using "T" but I am unable to lock onto the target with ATGM or other missiles, "other players are not affected".
I will focus on the Kayman and its ATG Missiles for this example.
The error occurs both Online and in the Editor.
Video is from Editor, and I have set up a few enemy vehicles North of Main Airfield "Altis"
I jump in the chopper, Toggle Radar ON and Manual Fire
I switch to ATG
Take off and FP ZOOM
You can see the targets appear as dots on the HUD.
I acquire the target by pressing "T", a box with corners appears around target.
I dont get "LOCKING ON" or LOCKED ON" Diamond

The Targets Vehicles are on a hill unobstructed and appear on Radar as Solid White Squares.

I deleted my 2 Arma folders in Documents, "Arma 3" & "Other Profiles".
I have uninstalled Arma from Steam and performed a reinstall 140GB.
The next morning the same thing.

NOTE:
All of my keys are default Arma3, on previous initial install I choose Apex Keybinds, but missile lock worked with this.
After reinstall I did not get the normal initial setup like choose keyboard layout etc
All my keys remain the same but had to re-add my joystick.

Today 10th September, I did a full wipe of Steam and all games.
I reinstalled Steam and Arma3 "VANILA" no mods.
Did a test in offline Editor and still same problem. NO MODS, CLEAN INSTALL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb9NTrSpMxA&ab_channel=Decoy%27sIngamemoments

[Hux]

The Kajman uses Scalpel missiles which are IR guided. The target needs to be hot in order to get a "Lock" on it. If the target is not Hot you can use the laser to guide the missile. You will need a gunner for that. The laser has to be turned on and locked on the target. Then you target the laser painted target and fire missile. Hope this helps.

[Bnn1]

An easy thing to test is to go into the editor and place an enemy tank, and a flying aircraft.

An interesting observation can be had: set your viewdistance to 10000, and then try to lock onto any vehicle. You will notice that all aircraft-borne ATGM are only able to lock on at ranges of 2.5km and below.

The only exception is CUP Hellfires, but all vanilla Arma3 missiles have a max lock range of 2.5km.

Interestingly, the official wiki states nearly all interesting ATGM missiles as "short range ATGM". Meaning, using the autolock/TAB target lock will not work in Vanilla ARMA, beyond those ranges, and if you consider that a standard AAA like the TIGRIS can shoot you from 4km and beyond, well, find the error. That combined with the non existant dynamic ingame loadout system makes it impossible to use anti radiation missiles in combination with ATGM and AA.

In some game modes, it is thus impossible to effectively supply Air support.

Whats furthermore interesting is locking onto something with Laserguided stuff. ARMA3 is not DCS, in DCS you can set thrust to 30% and approach onto a target, slowly approaching, locking and taking your time. But in ARMA3 everything is so hectic. You have 2 different enemy locks at all time, view and draw distance is abysmal, objects sink into the ground at far distances, trees and rocks are floating above the terrain, ridges and hills are not rendered correctly, there is too much wrong with this game to call this a simulator.

[Hux]

Escrito originalmente por Ben1:

Whats furthermore interesting is locking onto something with Laserguided stuff. ARMA3 is not DCS, in DCS you can set thrust to 30% and approach onto a target, slowly approaching, locking and taking your time. But in ARMA3 everything is so hectic. You have 2 different enemy locks at all time, view and draw distance is abysmal, objects sink into the ground at far distances, trees and rocks are floating above the terrain, ridges and hills are not rendered correctly, there is too much wrong with this game to call this a simulator.

I've never had any problem locking on with laser guided bombs or missiles. I often fly from 2000 to 3000 meters high and use the targeting camera to self lase and bomb my targets. Nothing hectic about that.

What game mode are you flying in?

[avaster]

How to fix