Newbie: Problems with countermeasures / missiles not shown on TEWS?

[rge75]

I'm fairly new to DCS, but I already watched many video tutorials about the F-15C and I read through the manual. So I already knew the "basics" like start, landing, radar, navigating and firing. However, I most probably didn't completely understand the TEWS.

 

Very often I'm suddenly "shot down" but I never saw a missile on the TEWS. The manual says there should be a "Flashing lower semi circle" and the picture shows an "M" in it. In fact I never know what hit me. Was it a guided missile and if so, why didn't it show up? Or was it an heatseaker (do they appear on the TEWS or not?). So if I don't know that somebody has been fired, how shall I do countermeasures? Sure, there are warning sounds, but some are only because you're locked on. I don't "hear" the differences so far.

 

Unfortunately I also dind't find a good tutorial about this topic yet.

 

Last but not least: When do I turn on/off the ECM? I always turn it on as soon as I have bogies on the radar. But why should I ever turn it off anyway?

 

I hope somebody can give me some help on this. Otherwise I don't even have to bother starting a campaign :cry:

[SAM77]

Heatseeker will give no warning and will not show up on your TEWS.

[feefifofum]

Hey rge.

 

Like SAM77 said, IR (heat seeking) missiles will NOT produce an audible warning of any kind or show up on your RWR. The best way to avoid biting it is to keep your distance. Getting inside of 10 miles of a hostile aircraft capable of carrying R-27ETs is asking for trouble; R-60Ms and R-73s are very dangerous inside of 3 miles or so.

 

Fortunately, at these ranges the missile's smoke plume is generally visible. If you know you're inside of the trouble range, keep your head on a swivel. If you see a launch, cut your throttle to idle and pop some flares as you break away.

 

The only time you'll see the M in your RWR is in the event of an active, RADAR guided missile like the R-77. Like your AMRAAMs, the R-77 has its own RADAR system which kicks in once the missile gets in range.

 

The R-27ER will not show up, as it is being guided in by the aircraft which fired it and has no RADAR system of its own. When a semi-active missile like the R-27ER is fired at you, your RWR will produce a warning tone and the aircraft that fired on you will blink.

 

Try to keep the engagement distance in the neighborhood of 15 miles, when possible. This should give your own missiles a pretty good chance of hitting, while still giving you plenty of time to steer clear of incoming fire and keeping you clear of IR missile range.

[rge75]

Thank you very much for clarification and for the hints :-)

 

Staying outside the 10 miles doesn't seem easy all the time though when the bogies use radar jammer and when multiple planes are coming towards you. Well, still a lot of practice needed. My last "sim" before DCS was ATF which is a while ago and which was quite simplified (it for sure gave a warning signal when heatseakers were fired) ;-) At least I now know that I have to carefully watch the enemy fighter and that I should never let him to my six.

[feefifofum]

Launch your AIM-120 at around 15 miles, give or take a few, depending on factors like altitude and airspeed.

 

In a head-on situation, after you fire, it's a good idea to bank so the target is at the extreme edge of your RADAR cone. This is called cranking, and will make it harder for enemy missiles to hit you.

 

When you launch you'll see a little "T" in the bottom left corner of the HUD and in the bottom left corner of the RADAR with a countdown on it. After the "T" countdown completes, the letter will change to an "M" with a new countdown.

The T indicates the time until your missile goes pit bull (begins tracking with its onboard RADAR independently of your jet) and the M indicates the projected time until the missile intercepts its target.

 

Basically, as soon as the timer switches from T to M and your missile begins tracking on its own, it's a good idea to turn away (pop some chaff if you've been shot at while waiting for pitbull.) As tempting as it is to fly at them and watch for the splash, you'll usually end up running right into somebody's missile. Make your defensive maneuver, then turn back in to engage your next target (or try again if your first shot missed.)

[rge75]

Thanks again. I'll study and try it this evening. Let's see if I'll survive longer now ;-) These are some good hints which are never told in all those tutorials on youtube...

[feefifofum]

Happy to help!

One last thing that people often forget in the heat of the moment; be sure to drop the external fuel tanks on your wings before you engage; they will dramatically decrease your maneuverability. The control is actually labeled "weapons jettison" in the menu, but it will first drop your wing tanks, then your center tank, THEN weapons.

 

You can keep your center tank if you expect you'll need the fuel for the remainder of your flight.

 

Good luck!

[AussieGhost789]

Happy to help!

One last thing that people often forget in the heat of the moment; be sure to drop the external fuel tanks on your wings before you engage; they will dramatically decrease your maneuverability. The control is actually labeled "weapons jettison" in the menu, but it will first drop your wing tanks, then your center tank, THEN weapons.

 

You can keep your center tank if you expect you'll need the fuel for the remainder of your flight.

 

Good luck!

 

 

There is a separate control for dumping fuel tanks. It will dump all tanks at once, and doesn't run the risk of unintentionally dropping your weapons.

[feefifofum]

There is a separate control for dumping fuel tanks. It will dump all tanks at once, and doesn't run the risk of unintentionally dropping your weapons.

 

Right, but if you don't want to dump all your tanks, that's a problem. ;)

 

Which is the scenario I was describing.

 

Keep an eye on your MFD and you won't have a issue.

 

EDIT: The attached photo shows the relevant area of the MFD.

Edited June 13, 2015 by feefifofum

[GGTharos]

be sure to drop the external fuel tanks on your wings before you engage; they will dramatically decrease your maneuverability.

 

Be sure to just not take 3 tanks to begin with and you'll be fine.

[feefifofum]

Heheh I'm bowing out of that fight, GGTharos. ;)

 

Some folks prefer not to take the tanks to begin with, I'm not one of them. You'll find what works for you after you've been tooling around a bit.

[Exorcet]

For most public servers, flying without tanks is fine. It might even be preferable. You usually take off and suddenly bandits.

 

As far as evading IR missiles, keep range can help but might not always be possible. You need to fly long enough to develop a sense for when you're in danger of an IR launch. If you're in that situation, cut afterburners and use flares. Also look around outside of the cockpit. I've saved myself by looking behind me multiple times. A bandit I've never seen fires a R-73 and I see the trail and evade what should have been certain death.