Hi
Are the ECM systems on the mig-29 and the F-15 effective at all in the game? I use them every time I fly into battle but it doesn't seem to help at all from what I can tell. Ground targets can still lock on to me as soon as Im in range, and the same goes for air targets. Is there something I'm missing aside from switching ECM to on?

ECM is supposed to lessen the range at which the bad guys can lock on and launch at you. But ECM will not reduce the range to zero. At some point the bad guys radar will have enough power due to the shortening range to "burn through" your ECM and see you.

How effective they are also depends on whether you are flying against AI or live. How you use them is critical online. Too much to type in one post, but know this: If you turn them on as part of your startup/takeoff/way before you are engaged/ or otherwise when not needed, you my friend are going to have a long & frustrating night.

All aircraft will burn through your ECM at about 12 miles. Like BRD said everything can still lock you, but they can't tell your distance. Flying online with your ECM on is a very good way of catching a missile in the face. People will fire "HOJ" (Home on Jam) and the missile will fly towards and kill the jammer A.K.A you! So be careful in how you use your ECM.

it strikes me that turning the jamme on and off now and then will be a good thing..now i myself is not completly sure how to use it effektivly but if you turn it off while HOJ missile is fired it will loose target and if you turn it on while a SST or TWS missile is on the way it will loose target if further than 12 miles away.


im always puzzled by the dilemme

turn on enemy will know you are there but not where and how far but they get direktion and can fire HOJ missiles without me knowing it

turn off enemy will have to find me with the radar but if they do they can lock me with TWS and fire and i wont know it


best thing i guess is to turn it on and off now and then.

quote:

Originally posted by general_kalle:
it strikes me that turning the jamme on and off now and then will be a good thing..now i myself is not completly sure how to use it effektivly but if you turn it off while HOJ missile is fired it will loose target and if you turn it on while a SST or TWS missile is on the way it will loose target if further than 12 miles away.


im always puzzled by the dilemme

turn on enemy will know you are there but not where and how far but they get direktion and can fire HOJ missiles without me knowing it

turn off enemy will have to find me with the radar but if they do they can lock me with TWS and fire and i wont know it


best thing i guess is to turn it on and off now and then.

Sorry mate, but this donesn't make very much sense.. First of all, you won't know that a HOJ missile is fired upon you until it goes active or burntrough, so how are you going to know when to turn it off?

Second; if a missile is tracking you, and you turn on your ECM, it's job just got 10 times easier. As many people more knowledgeable than me have said before; using ECM is like turning on a flashligh in a pitch-dark room; it's hard to tell the distance and colour of it, but EVERYONE can see it.

In other words, how you use ECM depends 100% on the situation you are in. Let's say you're in a huge BVR battle (prime-time 169th) with a relatively clearly defined front (you will know if there is if you keep on comms (also datalink will help if available,)) and you are en route to bullseye..
Reasons for using ECM? To mask your approach to the killing zone by blending in with the rest of them (in addition, an enemy player might be prone to favour hunting those not using ECM as he can range them, etc..)
Reasons not to use ECM? If you try sneaking onto your prey by flanking, flying very high, terrain masking, etc..

The trick is to have as much S(ituational) A(wareness) as possible; it will suddenly become very clear to you how far from you the front line is, and consequently when to turn off your ECM (if you had it turned on in the first place that is) as you gain experience in "feeling the battle." Again, teamspeak/ventrilo will do wonders. In general, I'd advice you to fly radar off, ECM on until you have a radar signal equalling 3-5 dark bars on the SPO-15 or "entering inner circle" on the TEWS, the turn off ECM and on radar simnply to deprive the enemy of information as much as possible. As mentioned, this depends a lot on circumstances; if the killingzone is large and there is a hight possibility of sneaky bandits; I'd keep the radar on and turn the ECM off earlier.. In 1 vs 1 fights I'd wait until 3 SPO darkbars before turning off ECM and on radar/EOS, since I'm likely to know exactly where my enemy is. For an online beginner I'd just say: don't use it all.. You won't forget turning it off, and kept on it won't do any more than giving you a slight tactical advantage if you're lucky.

Personally I have it turned off something like 99% of the time I'm flying online.
I can't explain it much better than that unless flying agains you and sharing tracks; or seeing you tracks from an online session. You simply need to gain SA; by getting better and more experienced at r\the game and participating in teamspeak/ventrilo servers.

Messy explanation I know, I'm drunk..