IR mode management

[Spirale]

Hi,

How do you manage the IR mode with efficiency please?

I tried in various condition ( look up, medium and close range, low and high altitude) and i don't have great result interms of acquisition.

How can you sort contacts with noise around?

Thx

[addman]

You can turn the gain all the way down which will remove almost all of the noise and it will still pick up bogeys. At least that's what I've read from other users but I find the IRST pretty useless, especially if a bandit is already hot on you. I guess it's primarily designed to take down, slow, hot and lumbering bombers. 

[AdrianL]

 

[Spirale]

57 minutes ago, addman said:

You can turn the gain all the way down which will remove almost all of the noise and it will still pick up bogeys. At least that's what I've read from other users but I find the IRST pretty useless, especially if a bandit is already hot on you. I guess it's primarily designed to take down, slow, hot and lumbering bombers. 

I have the same feeling, i dont use this function often. But if i turn the gain all the way off, it won't pick target, sensitivity will be too low?

45 minutes ago, AdrianL said:

 

Thx i already have seen this video but this dont solve my problem about picking target in a more valid way. Today i really struggle to find target with this IR mod

[AeriaGloria]

5 hours ago, Spirale said:

I have the same feeling, i dont use this function often. But if i turn the gain all the way off, it won't pick target, sensitivity will be too low?

Thx i already have seen this video but this dont solve my problem about picking target in a more valid way. Today i really struggle to find target with this IR mod

I mention in the video that turning down the gain won’t affect the targets. So you can turn the gain pretty much all the way down and still see targets perfectly. 
 

The hardest targets (MiG-21, F-16) should be seen about 8 km from front and 15 km from back. F-14/15 can be seen about 15 km in front and nearly 30 km behind (in mil power.) F-18 is sort of between the two. But I’ve got 25 km behind it. 
 

Remember from the video it’s not stabilized and looks +/-15 degrees vertically and 30 degrees to each side horizontally 

It takes practice but you’ll get there. Hold lock for 1.5 seconds. You can always vertical scan lock as well and switch to IRST search if you want the benefits of IRST search in coop.,

You’ll get there. Do a mission with lots of targets like F-14/15 that won’t attack you (you could select civil plane.)

[quantum97]

@Spirale I just use radar to lock target far away and COOP mode if I want to shoot R-27T and just shoot as soon as IRST acquired lock from radar. 

[Spirale]

11 hours ago, AeriaGloria said:

I mention in the video that turning down the gain won’t affect the targets. So you can turn the gain pretty much all the way down and still see targets perfectly. 
 

The hardest targets (MiG-21, F-16) should be seen about 8 km from front and 15 km from back. F-14/15 can be seen about 15 km in front and nearly 30 km behind (in mil power.) F-18 is sort of between the two. But I’ve got 25 km behind it. 
 

Remember from the video it’s not stabilized and looks +/-15 degrees vertically and 30 degrees to each side horizontally 

It takes practice but you’ll get there. Hold lock for 1.5 seconds. You can always vertical scan lock as well and switch to IRST search if you want the benefits of IRST search in coop.,

You’ll get there. Do a mission with lots of targets like F-14/15 that won’t attack you (you could select civil plane.)

i will it a try thx

4 hours ago, quantum97 said:

@Spirale I just use radar to lock target far away and COOP mode if I want to shoot R-27T and just shoot as soon as IRST acquired lock from radar. 

i prefer to be sneaky so i dont use the coop mod

[AeriaGloria]

8 hours ago, quantum97 said:

@Spirale I just use radar to lock target far away and COOP mode if I want to shoot R-27T and just shoot as soon as IRST acquired lock from radar. 

The trick is knowing when IRST has acquired 

[Spirale]

This thread is fascinating as this plane is

[quantum97]

On 10/17/2025 at 8:47 AM, AeriaGloria said:

The trick is knowing when IRST has acquired 

@AeriaGloria

Does the launch authorization in COOP mode appear regardless of an IRST lock, and is it solely based on whether the R-27T is in range, not based of if IRST has lock? If that's the case, it would explain why I thought the enemy had just manuvered my missiles, while in reality I was stupidly firing them without a lock xD

 

Edit: I just checked first I locked on with the radar in COOP mode, fired as soon as the LA appeared, and the missile hit, so I don't really understand what's is the trick knowing when IRST has acquired . And It was at around 20km locking from back so it is sooner than I managed to acquire lock manually - around 15km

Edited Tuesday at 06:33 PM by quantum97

[AeriaGloria]

5 hours ago, quantum97 said:

@AeriaGloria

Does the launch authorization in COOP mode appear regardless of an IRST lock, and is it solely based on whether the R-27T is in range, not based of if IRST has lock? If that's the case, it would explain why I thought the enemy had just manuvered my missiles, while in reality I was stupidly firing them without a lock xD

 

Edit: I just checked first I locked on with the radar in COOP mode, fired as soon as the LA appeared, and the missile hit, so I don't really understand what's is the trick knowing when IRST has acquired . And It was at around 20km locking from back so it is sooner than I managed to acquire lock manually - around 15km

Basically yes, but COOP doesn’t matter. 
 

You don’t need IRST to launch R-27T, it is just an IR fox 2 treated just like R-73 and R-60. You could tear the IRST from the jet and it wouldn’t stop you from getting LA with R-27T in radar mode becuase LA with R-27T only depends on seeker lock and in range. 
 

It’s just like any other fox 2, the radar cues the seeker head, when the missile can lock you get LA signal and can fire. No IRST involved. All COOP is doing in radar mode is picking up lost radar lock if it can. It doesn’t do anything for missiles except tell them where to point their seeker if the radar hasn’t already. 

Becuase you mentioned “shoot R-27T as soon as IRST has acquired” is why I said “the trick is knowing when IRST is locked,” becuase one COOP trick is to get radar lock, switch SUV knob to IRST mode when you are pretty sure IRST has lock. And lock will transfer from radar to IRST so you don’t warn the enemy RWR. If you change modes before IRST locks, the lock drops.
 

You have multiple ways to aim a Fox 2, radar, IRST, Helmet, and Phi0.  
 

If you lock with Radar, you will get LA when R-27T locks on and in range.

If you lock with IRST and no range, and R-27T locks, you will get flashing LA to tell you that you R-27T is locked but doesn’t know if it’s in range.

If IRST locks with range from laser or radar, and you get solid LA, R-27T is in range and locked on.  Same for helmet, if LA flashes the fox 2 is locked but doesn’t know if in range. Solid LA means missile is locked and in range. All fox 2s work like this. 

Edited Tuesday at 11:54 PM by AeriaGloria