IRCM Tactics

[WING47]

Ok so I am not new to FC3 but have not put too many hours into the sim, and I have done my best to educate myself for the most part on dealing with the modern threats of air combat. I am mostly a WWII/WWI guy so 1980s-2000s jet combat was a real shocker to me so please forgive my noobishness:D. I think that this would be a good place to start a thread on IRCM tactics, and how missiles and countermeasures work in the game logic.

 

Now, to my real question:

I was wondering about the best ways to deal with close range missile launches and or delaying/denying launches with the appropriate use of countermeasures, I get the procedure of putting it on the beam, break into it, if its pulling lead on you it looks like its sitting still so jink! etc. I use lots of flares and or dropping out of burner but I am still having trouble. I can't really show what I'm doing via forum so I can't be told what I'm doing wrong maneuvering/positioning wise. Besides, I feel the best question would be are there any ways to make it more difficult for the missile to track or lock with the use of preventative flaring and a power reduction before the merge(besides avoiding this situation all together:thumbup:). I hear this does not work in the sim for the moment but is a good habit to develop. I would also like to know about how missile seekers and guidance is handled in the sim, would real tactics be of any use against them (if I knew any)? Any help would be appreciated.

[esb77]

I don't really do air to air in DCS, so I can't speak to special considerations for it.

 

However, there are some things I'm reasonably sure of in terms of general application to missiles in DCS.

 

1. The AI's are not smart enough to be bluffed or intimidated. So technically there is no such thing a SEAD, and you can only hope to get a delay on missile launch if playing against a human pilot in multiplayer.

 

2. Engine output and target aspect impact the effectiveness of missiles with IR seekers. Head on at idle they are much easier to spoof with flares than in tail chase at full throttle.

 

3. Preemptive flare use works fairly well against IR SAMs, possibly because the AI governing the missile is not that good at telling the difference between engines and flares while trying to establish a lock. It doesn't change the range at which AI fires the missile, but with a combination of luck and evasive maneuvers the missile may target a flare instead of one of your engines. Breaking a lock with flares after the missile has been launched doesn't work nearly as well.

 

4. When launching IR missiles it's best to be in the target's rear quadrant, and at 50% or less of the listed max range. Otherwise it's far to easy for the missile to loose guidance or energy.

 

Suggesting, that possibly the best countermeasure is to work very hard to make sure you don't get shot at from close ranges. At close range, the seeker will tend to be getting a strong signal from whatever sensor type it uses, and the missile will drastically outperform a plane when it comes to competitive high stakes aerobatics.

 

Also this all depends on platform. My understanding is that due to performance differences the Eagle drivers like to be high, fast, and hit targets with AIM-120s from range without shifting to a radar mode that makes Russian RWRs give a launch warning tone (I think it's TWS mode, but I'm not positive). Flanker pilots, fly lower to be near ground clutter, are sneaky, crafty, stealthy, and try to shove a couple of medium range IR missiles up your ass before you even realize they're there. Basically, the Flanker requires some really good piloting to compete with the Eagle in BVR range, and really good piloting is really only countered with better piloting.

If the Flanker manages to close to visual range though, the Eagle is often the one in trouble.

 

Frostie from the 51st virtual squadron has a bunch of good posts on air combat on these forums. I'd suggest doing a search by author of the forums and looking at the threads that are related to air combat that he's posted in.

[Exorcet]

3. Preemptive flare use works fairly well against IR SAMs, possibly because the AI governing the missile is not that good at telling the difference between engines and flares while trying to establish a lock. It doesn't change the range at which AI fires the missile, but with a combination of luck and evasive maneuvers the missile may target a flare instead of one of your engines. Breaking a lock with flares after the missile has been launched doesn't work nearly as well.

 

Preemptive flares do nothing against the AI, unless you get lucky and the missile after launch goes for a flare immediately, or if you never detect the launch yourself. Someone did a good test in the latest DCS version.

 

When it comes to IR missiles and the AI, I think it's best to wait for the launch and then dump as many flares as you can afford.

 

VS human players is different as preemptive flares do have an effect (noticeable when you're using AIM-9).

[GGTharos]

The real answer is 'it depends'.

 

Considering the game itself, here are some details:

 

Preventive flaring does not work, but flares in the missile's FoV when the missile is in flight do.

 

Afterburner negates flares in this game (it shouldn't realistically, but it does).

 

Idle power gives the best chances for your flares to work, but may put you in a situation you don't want to be in.

 

Beaming the missile gives you opportunities for out-of-plane maneuvers, and they do work. Last-ditch defense works here, but you must have eyes on the missile.

 

R-minning the missile also works. Get too close/too off-nose/too much aspect and speed to the attacker, and the missile will be unable to turn with you.

 

So basically, if you see the missile comes off the rail, dump a whole bunch of flares. If you get shot down with flares onboard, you might not be fighting the missile hard enough :)

 

Now, to my real question:

I was wondering about the best ways to deal with close range missile launches and or delaying/denying launches with the appropriate use of countermeasures, I get the procedure of putting it on the beam, break into it, if its pulling lead on you it looks like its sitting still so jink! etc. I use lots of flares and or dropping out of burner but I am still having trouble. I can't really show what I'm doing via forum so I can't be told what I'm doing wrong maneuvering/positioning wise. Besides, I feel the best question would be are there any ways to make it more difficult for the missile to track or lock with the use of preventative flaring and a power reduction before the merge(besides avoiding this situation all together:thumbup:). I hear this does not work in the sim for the moment but is a good habit to develop. I would also like to know about how missile seekers and guidance is handled in the sim, would real tactics be of any use against them (if I knew any)? Any help would be appreciated.