Countermeasure tactics - missile inbound

[MadTommy]

Hello fellow pilots.. i'd like to ask some advice about basic countermeasure tactics, concerning all plane types, whether you are in an a-10 with a ground based missile or in a Mig with a2a missile inbound.

 

(i did search the forums but could not see any recent posts regarding this subject)

 

When is it best to launch your counter measures?

 

I tend, when launch is detected, to panic slightly and spam my counter measures 3 or 4 times straight away, i then do the same when the missile is close. I have no real idea what i am doing. I do try and beam missiles or turn and run too, but i want to really get advice on purely the use of flares & chaff and when they are effective and when they are a complete waste.

 

Any advice is greatly accepted. :smartass:

[Sov13t]

Notching is the best maneuver to evade missiles. Effectively putting the missile at 3 or 9 and lowering closure rate will yield the best results. Once you are in the notch you want to dispense chaff and flares once the missile enters terminal stage of its flight path (depends on missile and situation). If you mix in a vertical component into your notch (diving) you make your chances that much better.

 

Do not panic. Do not waste chaff or flares early. You want to judge the distance from the bandit/sam and mentally calculate the amount of time it would take for the missile to enter "danger" zone. Do some offline testing and see how many seconds it takes for missiles to reach you and develop situational awareness in space and time... everything is dynamic and you pretty much have to adapt to whatever situation you find yourself in.

[Griffin]

Check this out:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=49203&highlight=missile+evasion+F-15

[RedTiger]

Also, remember that if you notch a fighter launching a SARH like the Flanker or Fulcrum, you've also defeated the missile. It could be me, could be the way the RWR works, but it seems harder now to notch the Su-27. Maybe the Su-27 and F-15 are harder to notch than before. If so, cool. :D

Edited March 29, 2010 by RedTiger

[MadTommy]

Thanks.