SPO-15

[AeriaGloria]

There are two things that keep me up at night about SPO-15 Let’s tell ED what we think! 
 

Most important, there are warning in manual and some pilot reports that radar can POSSIBLY overspill to RWR. But the manual doesn’t say it will happen only a warning that it might, and I have talked to pilots who said that they did not experience this. So it seems to me this is down to sync circuits being off, and possibly needing replacement or maintenance. Therefore, it should not be modeled as default this way in DCS MiG-29. 
 

second, there is supposition that it may not detect Fox 1 launch by F-14/15/18. The manual mentions being able to know when Nike Hercules has launched on it by its datalink signals, so that is the only one that can be confirmed. Some say F-14/15/18 don’t change illumination when firing Sparrow. But I was reading APG-65 manual the other day and there were lots of references to “PDI ( pulse Doppler illumination)” needing to be injected to both tune and guide the Sparrow. 
 

I am assuming perhaps that we may not be able to see Fox 1 launch on the “stock” ME setting but see it on the automatic one with the assumption that the details of this PDI have been loaded into it. 
 

But really, haven’t redfor suffered enough? Not even SPO-10 has RF overspill! The radar is only on 25% of the time! That should be no issue for sync circuits! 
 

Redfor has suffered and suffered. I would much prefer there were atleast options available for us to not have a RWR that can’t be used with radar or will not see Fox 1 launch (forcing us to rely on the estimated missile tag, that assumes they have fired on us at 3 bars signal strength and shows an approximate missile closure from that point, however useful that might be for longer range fox 3 shots). 
 

Interested if anyone has anything to add. And to show ED how much having a RWR that sees its own radar and can’t see missile launch would be ill received from a large portion of the player base expecting something that atleast does its job however imprecise! 
 

Su-27 manual also mentions possible interference from radar, but in addition to saying “POSSIBLE,” also says it can be solved by turning radar off and back on. I would be fine if this happens say every 10th radar cycle. But every time????

Edited yesterday at 09:36 AM by AeriaGloria

[quantum97]

Where do these assumptions come from? It seems to me that the only thing ED said was that the SPO-15 won't detect ARH missiles. I mean, it will only detect it a few seconds before impact. And as far as I know, a FOX-1 will not be detected only when, as you mentioned, it's launched via datalink and It might have something to do with range, because AIM-54 might be shoot that far away that signal is to weak for SPO-15 to detect and it will show up just as fighter and only when F-14 radar is doing PDI for AIM-54. The only other thing that comes to mind is that it will also not detect the R-27P/EP, which works similarly to the HARM on ground radars, but in the air. As for the interference of the SPO-15 by the radar, I don't think it is modeled because we have too little information.

Edited yesterday at 01:04 PM by quantum97

[okopanja]

10 minutes ago, quantum97 said:

Where do these assumptions come from? It seems to me that the only thing ED said was that the SPO-15 won't detect ARH missiles. I mean, it will only detect it a few seconds before impact. 

29 pilots IRL did get warnings and acted upon them(when SPO was operatuonal). There are some testemomies I alredy posted. I am preparing one with amraam miss at 5nm at the moment.

In addition the story of Nebojša Nikolić needs update, since I found later interview and he did not fly in the straight line, but dodged amraam, sparrow and got hit by second amraam at 1.5-2nm range. His description of flight pattern indicates agressive snake-like flight while pushing for the merge. 

[F-2]

Iraq liked SPO-15 because it could detect AWG-9. The others I’m less sure about.

[AeriaGloria]

9 hours ago, quantum97 said:

Where do these assumptions come from? It seems to me that the only thing ED said was that the SPO-15 won't detect ARH missiles. I mean, it will only detect it a few seconds before impact. And as far as I know, a FOX-1 will not be detected only when, as you mentioned, it's launched via datalink and It might have something to do with range, because AIM-54 might be shoot that far away that signal is to weak for SPO-15 to detect and it will show up just as fighter and only when F-14 radar is doing PDI for AIM-54. The only other thing that comes to mind is that it will also not detect the R-27P/EP, which works similarly to the HARM on ground radars, but in the air. As for the interference of the SPO-15 by the radar, I don't think it is modeled because we have too little information.

They come from flight manual which only lists referring missile launch from Nike Hercules, and warnings about overspill from radar. 
 

If western RWR can detect Sparrow launch, the SPO-15 with automatic setting should also!

Edited yesterday at 10:26 PM by AeriaGloria

[draconus]

On 9/7/2025 at 11:27 AM, AeriaGloria said:

But really, haven’t redfor suffered enough?

Are you accusing ED of some bias? Or you're afraid of too much realism?

[Dača]

19 minutes ago, draconus said:

Are you accusing ED of some bias? Or you're afraid of too much realism?

I could not catch all information. Everything mixed up in my head now. Is there anything not realistic or fuss is about something else?

[draconus]

1 minute ago, Dača said:

Is there anything not realistic or fuss is about something else?

All is based on either manual or some other RL info but sounds to me like this RWR is too "nerfed" for the OP. I suggest to wait and test before judging.

[Dača]

4 minutes ago, draconus said:

All is based on either manual or some other RL info but sounds to me like this RWR is too "nerfed" for the OP. I suggest to wait and test before judging.

I hope they did not do that. Hopefully ED will come at us and confirm if they nerfed it or not.

[AeriaGloria]

1 hour ago, draconus said:

Are you accusing ED of some bias? Or you're afraid of too much realism?

 No? It is clear from talking to many people that radar overspill onto the RWR was not “normal” but an issue. And DCS does not simulate bad maintenance or equipment issues. 
 

And if F-14/15/18 firing sparrow is truly indistinguishable, it is quite a difference that Western RWR can magically detect it. After all, can they detect pseudo faked CW waveform of N-019? 

Edited 8 hours ago by AeriaGloria

[Drona]

1 minute ago, AeriaGloria said:

 No? It is clear from talking to many people that radar overspill onto the RWR was not “normal” but an issue. And DCS does not simulate bad maintenance or equipment issues. 

Since DCS does not simulate bad maintenance or equipment issues, I guess this should not be a problem in DCS. 

[AeriaGloria]

1 minute ago, Drona said:

Since DCS does not simulate bad maintenance or equipment issues, I guess this should not be a problem in DCS. 

You would think so, but a surprising number of people, of all origin believe it was normal for SPO-15 to be rendered useless by your own radar. 

[Drona]

Who are these people you mention?

[Dača]

1 hour ago, AeriaGloria said:

 No? It is clear from talking to many people that radar overspill onto the RWR was not “normal” but an issue. And DCS does not simulate bad maintenance or equipment issues. 
 

And if F-14/15/18 firing sparrow is truly indistinguishable, it is quite a difference that Western RWR can magically detect it. After all, can they detect pseudo faked CW waveform of N-019? 

What is this radar overspill onto RWR ? How it manifest?

[okopanja]

1 hour ago, AeriaGloria said:

 No? It is clear from talking to many people that radar overspill onto the RWR was not “normal” but an issue. And DCS does not simulate bad maintenance or equipment issues. 
 

And if F-14/15/18 firing sparrow is truly indistinguishable, it is quite a difference that Western RWR can magically detect it. After all, can they detect pseudo faked CW waveform of N-019? 

In case of the DL-ed shots being that SARH/ARH, the ability to detect the launch depends on information how the DL corrections are transmitted. Provided that such information is available, and that RWR is sensitive in the required band, it would be feasible to detect launch being that ARH or SARH missile, not to mention CW illumination in case of AIM-7, which may help not loose the missile, but would certainly wake up any RWR with the right self respect.
 

 

[AeriaGloria]

4 hours ago, Dača said:

What is this radar overspill onto RWR ? How it manifest?

The 50, 30, 10 lights all light up and you get signal strength of 8. So when you look at it all you see is your radar. 

[Dača]

1 hour ago, AeriaGloria said:

The 50, 30, 10 lights all light up and you get signal strength of 8. So when you look at it all you see is your radar. 

Thanks !