Cannot get BUK (SA-11) to engage with SEAD Tornadoes at 30k ft

[Bahger]

I've placed the missile firing unit, command center and radar on the crest of a hill. A Tornado SEAD flight armed with ALARMs is tasked to take the BUK out, which it does, too effortlessly. The Tornadoes approach at 30,000ft, they pick up the missile system and destroy it without having to evade a shot from well within its engagement envelope; what do you think I'm doing wrong? I need to get that SAM to enage the ingressing flight or there's no point having it there.

[Evil.Bonsai]

Maybe mark the sam unit skill as 'excellent' and the tornadoes as 'average'? Dunno the exact engagement time, but I know there is one. Maybe make a test mission using a non-sead aircraft (or just disarm the tornadoes) flying at same speed/alt/range, see how long it takes the SAM to engage THEN go back and alter your waypoints so that the tornadoes 'loiter' for about the same?

 

also, just because there's a bit shaded circle on the editor doesn't mean it's going to engage. That's mostly (I think) just detection area. See above for determining actual range.

 

OR set waypoints for tornado so that their ROE is to NOT engage until they're a certain distance. As an example, set wp inside engagement range with ROE to 'do nothing' or 'hold fire' then put another wp close after the first and near actual engagement range (see above) with 'fire when attacked' or something.

[EtherealN]

Please attach your miz file and we can look.

 

Also, are they all in the same group? If the units are there, but in different groups, they will not communicate with each other and thus the launcher will never get target data.

 

EDIT: Attached a miz file where it works fine. Key points:

 

1) BUK site all in the same group

2) BUK site given weapons free command

 

It does lose the fight, but that's to be expected when it's a single launcher just sitting there without proper support. It does force the Tornado to go defensive and drop his remaining weapons.

BUKvsTornado.miz

Edited November 15, 2011 by EtherealN

[Bahger]

Thanks very much, gents. EtherealN I think you nailed it. I needed to make the three units one group.

 

I've published many SP and MP missions but took a break between 1.0.0.8 and now so I have to shake a few cobwebs off. It appears that 1.1.1.0 has much improved logic for air defenses, with groupings that (almost) represent IADS.

 

EDIT: Placed two BUK groups now and it's a good knife fight. I've only watched it from map view but it looks like the Tornados nail both launcher vehicles but go defensive, just as I want them to. I love this ME when it does what I want it to. Miz attached, very early stages. I'm going to investigate new elements like "Alert State" in the revised ME documentation and also figure out how to get an orbiting Strike Eagle flight to hit a FARP grouping with GBU-12s using "Pinpoint Strike" and subject to a condition triggered when the BUKs are destroyed.

Bandit Country 01.miz

Edited November 15, 2011 by Bahger

[EtherealN]

There's a lot of fun you can have with it as well - for example, set a trigger zone so the BUK site only goes active once the Tornadoes are very close and within the WEZ of the BUKs (have the trigger change BUK site's ROE option). The Tornadoes will have to react very very fast at that point. :D