TACAN Control Panel
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Right console, lower mid-section — located directly below the CDU/EGI Navigation Control Panel.
Controls the Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) system, which provides bearing and distance to ground-based or airborne beacons for en-route navigation, air-to-air ranging, and formation flight coordination.
Channel Selector
Digital numeric window showing selected TACAN channel (e.g., 54X).
Rotates to select the desired channel (1–126).
Press to toggle X/Y mode.
TEST Section
Initiates a system self-test.
When pressed, the channel display flashes and signal indicators respond if functional.
Red indicator light below illuminates during test sequence.
OFF: System powered down.
REC: Receives TACAN signals only (no transmission).
T/R: Standard transmit/receive mode for distance and bearing.
A/A REC: Air-to-air receive mode for ranging to another aircraft.
A/A T/R: Air-to-air transmit/receive — both aircraft exchange range data.
Adjusts audio level of TACAN signal identification tone (Morse code ID).
Recommended Hardware (simpit build)
1 × 5-position rotary switch (OFF, REC, T/R, A/A REC, A/A T/R).
1 × Momentary push button (for TEST).
1 × Rotary encoder with push (for CHANNEL selection + X/Y toggle).
1 × Rotary potentiometer (for volume control).
Optional: 7-segment display or LCD to show channel number (e.g., via Arduino).
Panel material: 3 mm matte black acrylic, white laser-engraved labels.
Display window: Transparent acrylic inset with green tint (imitating real electro-luminescent display).
Backlighting: Edge-lit green or indirect LED for realism.
Volume and channel knobs: ~18 mm diameter.
Mode selector: ~25 mm diameter with pointer indicator.
DCS-BIOS Bindings
TACAN_MODE_SW
TACAN_CHAN_SELECTOR
TACAN_VOL_KNOB
TACAN_TEST_BTN
TACAN_DISPLAY
Real Aircraft Operation
The TACAN system provides precise range and bearing to a ground station or cooperating aircraft. The A-10C uses it as part of its navigation redundancy suite, often in combination with EGI and CDU data.
Set the channel and mode to T/R.
Verify tone and bearing on HSI.
Adjust VOLUME to hear Morse ID for station verification.