Using the jammer to avoid dying
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I think the jammer primarily works to the front and back, it’s not a magical 360 degree shield. So if you notch then you’re not really doing much for your jamming.
Then again, against most threats the jammer is not going to be strong enough to just get you straight to a merge either, the enemy will burn through and/or maybe fire IR missiles as well.
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Jammer protects your nose and six. There is a point where you must decide if you go on with jammer or turn it off and try notching or if you are at MAR turn away and pump. Notching with jammer expose the vulnerable side of your 3/9 .
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Against SAMs of unknown position, it is sometimes better to leave the jammer off. If there is a launch, it is usually outside of the burn through range. Most radar guided SAMs will give a launch warning on the RWR. After the launch warning, turn the jammer on and dispense chaff and this should give you time to pump and get back outside the SAM’s range. If pointed at the SAM the jammer should break the SAMs radar lock then you have time to turn and run. If he locks you again during the turn then the jammer will be pointed back at him at your 6 o’clock as you gain distance from him.
Against most known radar threats, the jammer will allow you to get closer to them.
The Vault shows the burn through ranges against an F-16 for several SAMs and AC radars and has a diagram in the back showing the jammer area of effect.
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Jammer can be used to defeat radar guided missiles. Especially medium range AAMs.
When enemy launch missile you can switch it on and missile should loose track.
Whene enemy launch missile in HOJ mode simply turn off the jammer and missile will loose track too.
Jammer should be also able to deny radar ranging for AAA decreasing precission, however i am not sure if it works in BMS. -
The jammer is not a magic device that prevents missiles from killing you. As mentioned, missiles can be fired in your general direction and on HOJ mode… you’re dead. Enemy aircraft can burn through your jamming and fire a missle… you’re dead.
Knowing when to use it, when to keep it on, when to turn it off, when to modulate it, that will keep you alive.
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Jammer can be used to defeat radar guided missiles. Especially medium range AAMs.
When enemy launch missile you can switch it on and missile should loose track.
Whene enemy launch missile in HOJ mode simply turn off the jammer and missile will loose track too.
Jammer should be also able to deny radar ranging for AAA decreasing precission, however i am not sure if it works in BMS.I’m not sure ever worked HOJ in any Falcon and it would be unreal for most of SAMs…
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The jammer is not a magic device that prevents missiles from killing you. As mentioned, missiles can be fired in your general direction and on HOJ mode… you’re dead. Enemy aircraft can burn through your jamming and fire a missle… you’re dead.
Knowing when to use it, when to keep it on, when to turn it off, when to modulate it, that will keep you alive.
When enemy fires in HOJ mode you simply turn off your jammer and missile should loose track. From what i recall missiles cannot switch between (semi)active guidance and HOJ in flight, so when one fires missile in HOJ mode it should loose track as soon as you turn off the jammer.
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When enemy fires in HOJ mode you simply turn off your jammer and missile should loose track. From what i recall missiles cannot switch between (semi)active guidance and HOJ in flight, so when one fires missile in HOJ mode it should loose track as soon as you turn off the jammer.
Indeed!! However, how do you know if the missile is fired on HOJ? Or do you just guess? So would you turn your jammer on, then off, then on again as you evade the missile? Then maybe turn it off again at the last stages of missile evasion in case the missile is HOJ?
I guess the last bit of that question is that if a missile is fired at you on HOJ mode and it’s tracking your music, you turn off your jammer and it loses you…. will turning your jammer on again while the missile is in flight mean that the missile re-acquires you?
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I would say no, it shouldn’t be able re-acquire once its solution is lost, be it HOJ or SARH.
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Indeed!! However, how do you know if the missile is fired on HOJ?
When enemy launches missile while you have your jammer on its most likely HOJ launch.
When enemy launches missile while your jammer is off its certainly not a HOJ launch. -
When enemy launches missile while you have your jammer on its most likely HOJ launch.
When enemy launches missile while your jammer is off its certainly not a HOJ launch.As I can judge is no HOJ modeling in Falcon, always was just a planned feature.
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thank you all for your words and guidance, this is very helpful and informative.
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is there any event wherein the ECM jammer creates more exposure?
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always technically.
that is, it makes your position pretty obvious omnidirectionally. it’s easy to see something that’s literally blasting “HELLO I AM HERE JAMMING YOU NOW” in every direction.
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Hmmm…. so is it advisable to blip your ECM a couple of times when evading a missile?
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how do you know if the missile is fired on HOJ?
When enemy launches missile while you have your jammer on its most likely HOJ launch.
When enemy launches missile while your jammer is off its certainly not a HOJ launch.I thought the question was more like “how do you know a missile was fired at all, since HOJ gives no launch warning?” Or does it give a launch warning?
I suspect the only way is to see the smoke trail coming off the ground and assume the launch is on you? You would have to be looking at the right direction at the moment of launch?
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It all depends on the underlying sensor being used by the missile. As Molni alluded to, there are values in the DB that determine how effective a jammer is against a certain type of sensor, the general strength of a jammer, and to your other pieces, how effective and at what speed a notch maneuver is against certain sensors.
Some sensors (read radars) can reacquire after they lose a track (Otherwise why would a Mad Dog ever work?), this is I believe based on the coast value assigned to the sensor in question to an extent. In the code I have, there is a provision for when a Radar Missile loses it’s track, goes active to find a new target, and sets the new target as its own. There is also nowhere in the code base I have that even mentions HOJ, even as a potential for the future, nor have I seen anything in the database that would indicate a sensor or weapon is capable of doing so. But there are plenty of changes since the code I have was written, so take from that what you will.
Back to your question…some Radars are penalized a mere 1-3% by jamming, and others considerably more. The same applies to notches, some are as high as 80% penalty, whereas others are hardly affected at all. Look down penalties also apply, or at least they exist in the DB.
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From what I understand HOJ has very ineffective intercept geometry - it uses something like pure pursuit, hence missile in HOJ has much reduced range.
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…. Some sensors (read radars) can reacquire after they lose a track (Otherwise why would a Mad Dog ever work?), …
I could be 100% wrong, but I don’t think this is how (or why) Maddog works at all.
There is no ‘reacquisition’ necessary at all to affect a Maddog. Maddog is fired from BORE mode …. no lock or track file required. You point your nose to an area where you expect an enemy jet to be and launch. At some point, the Maddog’s radar goes active. If it finds a target to lock within it’s FOV/LOS, it acquires that target, otherwise, it will just go ballistic.
Edit:
Slight clarification on when the Maddog goes active:
@Dash1:
OSB #19 toggles SLAVE or BORE. Radar missiles can be set to SLAVE or BORE. When set to SLAVE the missile is slaved to the FCR and when set to BORE the missile is pointed six degrees below the gun cross and will fire without command guidance. It will switch on its own radar and go autonomous right after launch. That’s a MADDOG shot as it will go after the first thing it ‘sees’.
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I was referring to the concept from the code perspective, not the functional perspective from an end user launch. From the code perspective, it looks more or less the same whether it loses target or is fired without a target. The weapon does a check to see if it HAS a target, and if it doesn’t, it goes into active search mode.