Warning! Under attack!

[Owl]

I don't know how to deal with the situation, then the computer female voice say: Warning, under attack! I think i know why she says so, and I touch the "ins" button on my keyboard to use flares, but always, about 5 sec later, I'm shot down. That kind of missiles is it, and how do I get away with it, and don´t be killed every time?

Sometimes then a Strela shots at me, I can use flares with succes, and here I never hear a voice say I'm under attack. So it wonderer me that kind of weapen it is.

[Zakk]

Huh?

[Dusty Rhodes]

Radar guided SAM?

[Cypher]

It is because your laser warning receiver is going off. Either you are getting painted for a tow missile or a tank's main gun. So Flares won't help too much with either of these platforms.

 

You are probably too close to your targets and need to get the hell out of dodge.

[graywo1fg]

this is very easy to fix..... when you get the LWS warning....... do NOT just sit there LOL!!!!! get away fast! turn! Dive Split S! do something! :P because you have a tank about to shoot its main gun at you or a TOW missile is on its way for you. theres no use flaring unless you see an IR launch.... IR strela or stinger launches dont set off your LWS because they lock onto your heat source. flares against a tank does nothing.

Edited April 26, 2009 by graywo1fg

[Namenlos Ein]

I think it was 125mm or 120mm tank gun rounds and flares is useless here.

[EtherealN]

Radar guided SAM would not set off the warning.

 

That warning is created because your laser sensors detect that you are being painted, which usually means that there's either a laser guided missile headed for you, or a laser range finder is painting you to help plot a firing solution for either a missile or (shiver) a tank's HEAT round - or you might have an Apache or Cobra that just locked you up.

 

The key to surviving when you get those warnings is to get the **** out of there really really fast. Spam flares (it just might be a heat-seeker and then they just might help if the laser was just rangefinding, but don't count on it - people better acquainted with the weapon systems will have to elaborate on that), and see where the attack is coming from on the upper left console. Then maneuver away from there and, if possible, place something between yourself and that threat like a house or a hill.

 

But I repeat: even if it's an IR seeker and you spam flares, the flares don't mean you will survive - not even if you spam all 128 of them. The seeker just might decide that it likes you and not the flares and then you're boned.

 

After you have survived the situation (hopefully), what you then need to do is work over how you managed to end up in a threat zone in the first place. Was it a mistake in your recon of the combat area? Did the enemy perform a flanking and you failed to notice it? And so on. My usual maneuver is to SHARPLY flip 90 degrees left and, if I have altitude, descend quickly (watch out for Vortex Ring State) and then go as fast as I can to some masking terrain or in behind a building. Obviously, if the threat was at my left I wouldn't do it to the left, but it's my normal maneuver.

Edited April 26, 2009 by EtherealN

[HellMutt]

When the computer tells you "under attack", the Laser Warning System (left upper side of cockpit) will light up and tell you from which direction you are being attacked. This is because a tank is painting you with his laser. If you are in a hover, or relatively stable, he will fire and usually hit you. Best defense is to get moving, I usally drop the collective if I'm high enough up, use rudder to turn 90 degrees and move the cyclic forward to get some speed. You have very little time to get out of the way, when you hear the computer say this, you have to react FAST !! Flares do NOT protect you from this threat.

 

Another warning you get (this one from your wingman) is "SAM launch from 2 o'clock", in this case launching flares usually helps. Also try to find where the launch is coming from and engage. Eliminate this type of threat before you continue the mission.

 

Kind regards,

[slowhand]

lol when you hear Warning....move and move fast...dwn and a way is good.. but if you have eyes on the sucker and feel like you da man..then you can out skid the sob(sams and sringers)....but dwn and way or up and bac but not to hi....but you need too move and do it fast..and reset the lws evrytime it goes off...also great way to find the lil sob's...

[Dusty Rhodes]

Good call guys, forgot about the laser warning system.

[EtherealN]

BTW, someone needs to find that screenshot someone posted months ago where a missile flew between his rotor discs but failed to explode. Lucky bastard. :D

[159th_Viper]

I don't know how to deal with the situation, then the computer female voice say: Warning, under attack! I think i know why she says so, and I touch the "ins" button on my keyboard to use flares, but always, about 5 sec later, I'm shot down. That kind of missiles is it, and how do I get away with it, and don´t be killed every time?

Sometimes then a Strela shots at me, I can use flares with succes, and here I never hear a voice say I'm under attack. So it wonderer me that kind of weapen it is.

 

Full Right/Left Rudder, dump the collective, hard forward on the cyclic and get the hell outta dodge........the aforesaid assuming you're got a bit of altitude to play with.

 

If you're Low and Slow and have not found yourself a neat little Burrow from which to dispense Justice from, then it's imperative that you Keep Movin'!

 

Think of the Shark as a 100% All-Terrain IFV.....You're not gonna blindly storm down a Valley/Plain in a vehicle without having reconn'd your Ingress and noted potential Ambush points etc etc - Why do it in the Shark?

[Owl]

Thanks for all your advices and fast replies :-)

[Safari Ken]

Also it should be pointed out that the LWS direction finder does not dynamically change as you maneuver. If it's showing front-left and you turn 90 degrees left, it's still going to show front-left (or the whole front hemisphere), and not the currently correct front-right. That little detail can be easy to forget in the heat of battle.

[Wags]

Excellent point Ken. It's a good idea to reset the LWR often when being lased and I always map it to a HOTAS button.

[slowhand]

hey guys on the LWS and the datalink. I use an N52te speed pad and its setup just like the datalink keypad w/the LWS so its all at my finger tip.. http://www.n52te.com/ ck it out its sweet..5x5

[Cp]

IIRC the M6 linebacker uses a laser range finder to track its target before it launches its stingers (which are IR guided) So flares would help if the LWR is triggered by a linebacker.

 

Though you should always perform evasive maneuvers when under attack, tank, TOW or IR guided AA missile, the flares aren't foolproof.

[EtherealN]

Yeah, no defensive system can compete with a 20 storey concrete building... Maneuver is always the most important.

[nomdeplume]

If you're playing single player, the debrief lists all the major events - near the end will be your death, and you can see from there what hit you and what it hit you with. You can also use the watch replay button to view a replay of the mission. You might find Ctrl+Z (to accelerate time) and Shift+Z (to go to normal) useful to get to the interesting part.

 

Like others said, if your LWS is going off then you're already in a pile of trouble; the best way to survive is to not get shot at in the first place. There are very few cases where you should end up in firing range of the enemy. Also remember that you only receive warnings when you're painted by a laser; optical, radar-based and infra-red weapons can all be fired at you and the Ka-50 will not tell you about it. If you're lucky, a wingman will notice and report the missile launch.

 

Also, make sure you've programmed a sequence of flares to dump out a good number of them. I don't know what most people find effective and would like any comments on that subject. At the moment I'm using 4 or 5 sequences of two flares each with a 1 second delay. Haven't had much opportunity to test it though.

 

If you must fly through an area where you're likely to be engaged by IR missiles (mostly MANPAD threat areas) it's a good idea to start dumping countermeasures pre-emptively, "just in case".

[EtherealN]

To expand on nomdeplume: search for the software called Tacview (I think 0.93c is the latest version, but don't quote me on that). It will sit in the background and record everything that happens, and if something weird happens or you want to analyze what it was that led to your demise you just load it's recording and you will have a nice 3D view with all events, all AAA/SAM threat zones, all weapon launches and everything nicely presented.

 

It's basically like a 3D realtime version of the debrief screen, with a lot more freedom than the regular replays.

 

EDIT: Also, on pre-emptive launching of flares - it's not only a just in case actually. It can also frustrate their locking attempts as they try to get their IR seeker to lock onto you, meaning that it not only might spoof a missile you didn't see launch - it's greater purpose is that it might make it impossible for them to get a good enough lock in the first place. (Of couse, then you'll never know they were there, but I'd rather miss out the opportunity of killing some MANPADS than be informed of their precense through my death. :P )

Edited April 27, 2009 by EtherealN

[r-unit]

I drop to the deck, and do a sharp turn, try and keep the threat on your "Beam" or 90 degrees to yourself... that will help the missile pass behind you if you are able to get it to go for a decoy.

 

Be aggressive when you fly, it's the only way to survive in DCS BS

[Topgun505]

Step one, see where the attack is coming from. If below, then chances are it is a tank or TOW equipped vehicle. If above then it's probably an air threat.

 

I would probably suggest:

 

1. Rotate (quickly!) using rudder to put the threat either directly in front or behind you in order to present the smallest possible target to your attacker.

 

2. Pitch to one side hard to slideslip in order to screw up the firing solution for a tank trying to get a bead on you.

 

3. At about the same time you start the sideslip pitch down, if you have the altitude, to accelerate and get outta dodge. You obviously got too close, you need to beat feet and get some distance to get out of main gun range.