IRON NEST Scout Plane Bearing and Elevation

Keep reconnaissance direction separate from the turret firing solution, then turn confirmed map intelligence into bearing, range and elevation.

The short answer

IRON NEST uses two different directions: scout-plane bearing controls the aircraft’s photo run, while firing bearing points the turret from the current IRON NEST position toward the solved target. Elevation is calculated afterward from measured range, shell and accepted powder charge using the in-game ballistic calculator.

IRON NEST tactical map showing observation lines and a plotted target in release-version gameplay — **From observation to bearing, range and elevation**
1Observation data arrives on the clipboard and identifies where evidence originates.
2Construction lines solve or verify the target position.
3The final turret-to-target measurement produces firing bearing and range.
The worked example below uses symbolic positions because mission coordinates can vary. This screenshot shows the actual release-version map workflow. v1.0 Mission 1 footage

Do not mix up the three values

Value	Starts from	Points toward	Used by
Scout-plane bearing	Requested starting sector	Direction of the reconnaissance pass	Air reconnaissance order
Firing bearing	Current IRON NEST map reference	Solved target position	Turret horizontal rotation
Elevation	Ballistic calculator inputs	Vertical gun setting	Each gun barrel

The plane may fly east at 90° while the target later lies northwest of the turret. In that case the firing bearing is not 90°. The aircraft direction only describes how the area is photographed.

Worked example without invented firing-table numbers

Assume an uncertain enemy position occupies a north–south strip:

Start the scout plane on the western side of the strip and use 90° so it travels east across the area.
Plot the target confirmed by the returned intelligence.
Draw the final red measurement from the current IRON NEST reference point to the target. The map supplies the actual firing bearing and range for this geometry.
Open the ballistic calculator, select the intended shell, enter the measured range and choose a powder charge the calculator accepts.
Print the firing data and set the turret bearing plus the calculated elevation on the correct barrel.

This example deliberately does not invent an elevation number. Elevation changes with range, shell, charge and game balance; the current calculator is the authoritative source for the value.

How to calculate the firing bearing

Confirm the target position from reconnaissance, spotter intersection or known coordinates.
Verify that the large IRON NEST model shows the current firing position.
Start the final red measurement at the model’s documented reference point.
End it at the solved target token.
Read and preserve the bearing and range generated by the map.

Draw from IRON NEST to target. Reversing the line gives the reciprocal direction and points the turret away from the intended solution.

How to calculate elevation

Use the range produced by the final map measurement.
Choose the shell required for the target effect.
Enter the range in the ballistic calculator.
Choose an accepted powder charge; do not force a combination shown as invalid.
Print the elevation card and keep it matched to the intended target and barrel.
Complete loading and sealing before using coarse then fine elevation controls.

There is no reliable universal elevation formula published here. Static community shortcuts can become wrong after a ballistics or charge update.

Failure checklist

Plane covered the wrong area: start from the opposite edge and verify cardinal direction.
Bearing is about 180° wrong: the final line was probably drawn target-to-turret.
Range changed after movement: update the IRON NEST model and measure again.
Calculator rejects the setup: change charge or confirm the selected shell and range.
Correct numbers, wrong impact: verify the card belongs to the loaded barrel and use confirmed impact evidence before correcting.