Any tips on attacking SAM

[maxmax]

Hi,

 

I need som guidance from more experienced pilots. How do I attack an area with different kinds of SAM and AA?

 

I get warnings like crazy, and cant get close enough to shoot a maverick at the enemy, always get shot down by a missile. I use measures in semi-auto mode, try to evade the missiles.

 

Any tips on how to get close enough without getting shot down?

[Ryrrar]

Get high and use the TGP. If you know there's Air Threats in the immediate area, make a slow 10-15 degree orbit and click on the altitude autopilot and search for targets in your TGP and mark them when you find them. Stay about 20 miles out or so. When you're ready to engage, stay high and slave your maverick to that mark point and engage whenever you're in maverick range (about 8ish miles). Once you fire, get the hell out of there and repeat.

 

If you stay at a good altitude (20,000 for most of the bigger and badder SAMs) and use mavericks at a distance, you'll always stay alive...hopefully.

[maxmax]

Ok, so 20000 works.

What happens when there is a cloud from 12000 to 17000? When flying at 20000 tgp cant see through the clouds.

Is it a good plan to "lock" the target before going high?

[STP Dragon]

TGP can look through the clouds with BHOT or WHOT mode.

Switch to it by BoatSwitch once TGP is SOI.

[maxmax]

TGP can look through the clouds with BHOT or WHOT mode.

Switch to it by BoatSwitch once TGP is SOI.

 

It can, yes, but only to a certain degree. I was flying above a 5000ft cloudlayer and saw nothing but gray in all modes. It did see through at a lower altitude, but that would have taken me under 20000.

[STP Dragon]

What SAM do you want to kill?

For Tunguska 15.000 are ok.

For TOR 18.000

For OSA... well... I would not fly over this beasts. Kill them with MAVs.

BUK not possible to fly over.

 

If you know exactly where the SAM is so you are able to lock and shoot (MAV) in seconds, you should try to fly as low as possible and use the hills and mountains as cover.

Edited April 27, 2011 by =STP= Dragon

[maxmax]

Need some practice i guess :)

 

Not easy to take down SAMs of different caliber when flying in flat terrain and a 6000ft thick cloudlayer starting at 11000.

 

How would you do it?

[Schnarre Aggro]

well .... sry dragon but i just looked for Sa-15 (thor) it has a range of 12km so thats about 36000 feet ! http://dcswiki.com/index.php?title=9M330

 

The osa Sa-8 has a range of 7km -> 21000 feet. http://dcswiki.com/index.php?title=9M33

 

so i would recoment overflying the osa with more than 24k ft above target and engage the Sa-15 with mavs.

 

Sry for correcting u dragon but this hint is just deadly ;-)

 

greets

schnarre

[Schnarre Aggro]

Need some practice i guess :)

 

Not easy to take down SAMs of different caliber when flying in flat terrain and a 6000ft thick cloudlayer starting at 11000.

 

How would you do it?

 

check out if you can get the exact koordinates -> create a WP or a Markpoint and bomb it with a gbu 38 ... for that u need a spi . if u have created a Wp u can just set the spi to WP with TMS back long and bomb it from high above in CCRPmode.

The bomb needs no line of sight , cause its a GPS version and takes its coordinates from the existing spi.

 

allways check that ur spi is set to your current target .... or do u want to bomb the kindergarden at the wp before ? ;-)

[STP Dragon]

;1184290']well .... sry dragon but i just looked for Sa-15 (thor) it has a range of 12km so thats about 36000 feet ! http://dcswiki.com/index.php?title=9M330

 

The osa Sa-8 has a range of 7km -> 21000 feet. http://dcswiki.com/index.php?title=9M33

 

so i would recoment overflying the osa with more than 24k ft above target and engage the Sa-15 with mavs.

 

Sry for correcting u dragon but this hint is just deadly ;-)

 

greets

schnarre

 

No problem :)

But in my point of view this values of the wiki are not like the values in the game.

For Thor you may right. I didn't use this SAM much in my missions so I don't have much experience with it.

But for OSA the range is not correct in the game.

With the Ka-50 it was not possible to kill a OSA by using Vikhr at 10Km.

You had to fly below 10m to kill them.

So the min range of the OSA is 10Km in game. (my experience)

[sobek]

;1184290']well .... sry dragon but i just looked for Sa-15 (thor) it has a range of 12km so thats about 36000 feet ! http://dcswiki.com/index.php?title=9M330

 

Maximum range!=maximum altitude ;)

[ttaylor0024]

I usually stay about 15m out of the target area searching from about 15k feet, then find/slew to the SAM (any sam, doesnt matter what it is, I attack them all the same), and run in, release the mav as soon as I can, then bank out hard. I havnt got shot down from a SA-19, or OSA in a at least a month.

[arteedecco]

Out of principle I wanted to mention that in general the A-10 is not a SEAD / DEAD platform. That being said, in this SIM we are often presented missions / scenarios where we have to take out SAMs.

 

The one tactic I haven't seen in this forum so far is low-level terrain masking, similar to that used by attack helicopters. Obviously there isn't always an option to use terrain in a flat area, which it seems is your case?

 

If there is terrain, approach the SAM threat low-level and do a pop-up maneuver to ID and engage the threat. A good mission to practice this is versus the Tunguskas and SA-6s in the "In the Weeds" mission. There is a ridge line that protects you from the SAM threat. After you have wiped out all the enemies in your planned flight, you can work on the SAM sites using the mountain range as cover.

 

Another thought is to make use of a wingman (probably have to be a player as this is a complex task for AI). One aircraft can stand off at a range outside the engagement envelope of the SAMs, while the other aircraft uses terrain to get inside for a MAV shot, popping up to nail the designated SPI / target.

[Merlin216]

I have to agree with Art.

 

Depending on the threat it can be easier to fly over. Most of the IR guided Sams have a low ceiling and a short range, but the Sa-19 and one like that you need to be above 20k to be able to engage from high alt. I think the SA-15 is one that requires about 35k alt but I haven't had to test that. Fly over if you can, but if its an SA-11 you most likely will not be able to.

 

If you are in the mountains then stay out a good distance (if possible) and use the TGP to find targets and mark them, then you can get close hiding in the terrain, pop up, slew the mav to the spi, and fire. If they get a shot off, hit the counter measures and head for the hills.

 

If its flat, you can sometimes get away with a tree top approach. I have used it I think twice and it has worked for me. Once again this requires you to at least know where the target is going to be, or have found it with the TGP from a distance. When you get within say 7 mils to be on the safe side, pop up, shoot, and hit the deck.

 

Remember to hit the jammer. Every little bit helps. If the SA number is 8 and below I believe you use SAM 1, and for everything higher use SAM 2. Most likely your ECM will figure that out and auto set the jammer in semi/auto modes.

 

If you are in the air at a higher altitude and get a launch, best thing to do is put the missile to your 3 or 9 o'clock position, and bank into the missile as it gets close. This can be hard to do since the missiles are hard to see, but after a few tries you should get the just of it. This all depends on your altitude as well though. If you are lower, sometimes its better to go max power, hit the deck, and start running the opposite direction.

 

I hope some of this helps. Unfortunately its just going to take a few tries of being shot at. If you learn the ranges and altitudes of your threats, you will have a great advantage. The last few missions I have flow, I have used the threat guide someone posted to stay away from all SAMs, and fortunately didnt take a scratch while still inflicting harm to the enemy. Just search this forum for the threat guide, its a must read. Good luck.