ECM vs Gainful...

[Southernap 1]

This has been an interesting topic to read. It appears that there are three different topics flowing in here, the first being how to defeat the in game SA-6 system, second how the in game ECM capabilities compare to real life, and finally why stealth doesn't seem to work when compared to the hollywood reality.

 

The first thing that comes to mind as I was reading this topic is how even with the most modern aircraft with some of the most modern ECM system install a pilot can still suffer the silk let down. If you don't believe me look up the Scott O'Grady story and read that. His F-16C was zapped by a SA-6b system while he was enforcing the no-fly zone over Bosina in the early 1990's. Even though there was some faulty intelligence about the location of Serbian Air Defense sites, the ECM system in his aircraft went into automatic mode but still couldn't prevent the kill. So you really need to be on the ball when entering hostile terroritry and be ready for nearly everything. The same is true of low-observibilty technology. Remember it was an SA-3B that zapped an F-117 and another that possibly damaged a second one during the bombing campaign in support of Kosovo. That loss again was through stupidty, mainly from the NATO air commander constantly have the F-117 use the same ingress and egress route at exactly the same time with the same amount of offensive ECM. Theoritically a forty plus year old missile shouldn't have been able to zap the vaunted F-117. However, once you become constant in the battle against air defense systems then you will die from the magic BB theory.

 

Second thing the way the US has been doing stealth is down two different tracks. The first one (ala F-117) is that if they can't track you or produce a good enough fire control solution on you, well then you should only have to worry about the unmarked air defense site along your route in. The other way is to just keep them from spotting you out right (ala the B-2 and nearly any other flying wing design), if the bad guys don't see you coming in the first place then they will only have a few moment to try and put a BB in your way to catch you. Even that some times isn't completely guarentted but if it gets you that much closer to the target with out being shot at, well then all the better.

 

As to the game what I have found the best is to try and add an extra pair of wingmen to act as Weasels or Iron Hands. That is load them up to bear with ARM's and cluster bombs. Once the SAM's start to fly I let loose with this flight and let them do the SEAD thing. Once that they have expended thier ordnance I immediately send them home. I also try very hard to fly as low as possible and once I cross into hostile terrority have my throttle up as close to afterburner as possible. That was the guns can't train on me as fast as possible and I put as much earth between be and the radar sites which guide SAMs my way. If I have to fly up high (like in CAP missions or on the intercept missions) well then you really need to trust to visability and manuvering. Remember that a SAM is just an enemy fighter that is trying to kill you by ramming you. So use the energy in your airplane to manuver and make the missile burn up more of its. You can always replace lost energy with your engine power, a missile can't.

[Lt. James Cater 62]

In my latest campaign, the SA6 is now the official bogeyman. Dring my last mission my wingman got blown away and i had to do no fewer than 5 approaches to a runway target to keep from getting hit by a SAM6.

Judging from what i was hearing , AI planes were getting cut to pieces by the SA6 while i was trying for a bomb drop.