Training to help avoid inbound missiles

[Wayneb 0]

Hi All

 

Im working my way through the Falcon AF manual and trying to fly it on Realistic mode (Ace, yes thrown into the deep end) and was wondering if there was any specific documentation that i could read that would teach me how to avoid incoming missiles. I need something that will cover the countermeasures aswell.

 

1. How do i know if a missile has been fired towards me?

2. How do i know from which direction?

3. How do i know the distance.

4. How do i know chaff or flare?

 

Thanks for advance and apologies if it is in the manual, i havnt seen it yet.

[Preacher 0]

Um, what you're asking requires a full lecture to explain but I don't have time right now so here's the bullet points.

 

1. How do i know if a missile has been fired towards me?

Look at your threats on the RWR and R-scope, are you getting any cockpit alarms, can you see any trails of smoke in the distance, is the air or ground.

 

2. How do i know from which direction?

Look out the cockpit? check the RWR for the threat bearing and what was teh highest threat before missile lock, what did you see when you were lookin at the mission intel, what approx direction is the fighters CAP'ing, which airbases are they stationed at, what do you see on your B-scope?

 

3. How do i know the distance.

What distance is the nearest threat on your B-scope or from AWACS? what does your RWR tell you? what did you read in mission briefing? what threats are you up against and what missiles do they use?

 

4. How do i know chaff or flare?

IR missles don't give a cockpit alarm, so if you hear a wingman shout fox2 inbound you best flare your ass and break out of the missile. but you should'nt ever let them get that close, use your missile standoff and engage the rest of your flight. if you get alarms its best to use chaff and flare, i think program 1 drops chaff chaff flare chaff chaff <- I can't quite remember

 

 

Being a Falcon Pilot requires you to keep 100% Situational Awareness at all times and knowing what your flying against, what other friendlys are in the air and what they're doing,this is probably the only flight sim where you just can't click Fly and hope for the best.

 

 

Preach

[JediMaster 451]

Frankly, in F4 the IR missiles are 10x deadlier than the radar ones because of the lack of warnings combined with their shorter range giving you less time to react. I find my best bet is to make sure no enemy plane gets into range to use an IR missile in the first place, take em all out BVR!

 

I'd say my survival rate against IR missiles is 20% at best. That's including times when I've suddenly exploded without warning and I assumed it was an IR missile launched at me that I had no radio callout or visual on.

My survival rate against radar missiles is probably 90%. I think the only time I get killed by one is when I either A) am fixated on a target (air or ground) and try and rely on jamming and chaff alone to break the lock or B) they have 2 coming at me spaced out just right so that as I defeat the first one I'm left with no time to spoof the 2nd. Those warnings and RWR blips make all the difference.

[Demebelek 0]

Here is very usefull instruction how to program your EWS LINK and another thing which you should do before you press "Fly" button LINK

Edited January 22, 2009 by Demebelek

[MigBuster 2,875]

Frankly, in F4 the IR missiles are 10x deadlier than the radar ones because of the lack of warnings combined with their shorter range giving you less time to react. I find my best bet is to make sure no enemy plane gets into range to use an IR missile in the first place, take em all out BVR!

 

Sound advice - thinking about avoiding missiles from close range was no doubt fine for "Iceman" faced with naff exported AA-2s - but with modern missiles in this sim is a big NO!

 

They rarely miss - and faced with 2 or more close in bandits with missiles you are dead even if you know where they all are! - the flares in the sim are useless and probably not as good as they should be against the older IR missile types!

Edited January 22, 2009 by MigBuster

[Wayneb 0]

Thanks guys....no example in the manual i presume

 

Short versions:

If alarms off, throw chaff and break....

If wingman gives warning throw a flare and break + pray.

 

Preacher, when ever you have time to give me a more indepth explaination - please feel free to do so.

 

Wayne

[JediMaster 451]

The main issue is spoofing a missile you don't have eyes on is VERY hard. If you're lucky enough to see it launch in front of you, you'll probably be able to break its lock. If not, radar missiles show on the RWR and help you find them with your eyes. IR missiles are just the hand of God swatting you from the sky.

[Preacher 0]

Spoofing a missile you do with your jammer, its fairly effective against incomming active and semi-active missiles before the last 4second no escape bracket.

 

The hardest missiles to escape from is the IR missiles where you dont ever see the bandit, R-77's, SA10's and SA17 launchers. If you ever get these spiking on your RWR, turn tail and run (some exceptions on the R-77 threats)

 

Why? SA10 & 17's fire more than one missile that turns at well over your planes max hard turn(9G) or even optimial turning circles and these missiles maintain good speed near the 90%max range distance, if you are lucky to avoid the first you'll have lost too much speed to even consider the second, third or even fourth in some occasions.

 

You'll have to judge your actions at the time of the spike, from what you're doing, what you're supposed to be doing (mission), where you are (altittude and/or terrain), friendly flghts (and where they are in relation to you and the threat circle) and hostile flights (what they're doing, what direction they're comming etc etc)

 

If you're in the EU, have a look at http://185th.co.uk/ <-- these are the guys that taught me to fly, unfortunately i dont fly properly anymore but excellent squad to get yourself started.