Hey guys, I need some advice on how to play CAS with the F-15E against the German nonsense called IRIS-T.
The first issue is that its radar doesn’t even show up properly on RWR – it just flickers for a moment, which makes no sense. Second, all it takes is me popping up above terrain for just a few seconds, even 14–16 km away, and the missile still nails me. It feels like it’s being guided by mind control or something.
From what I understand, the system should work like this: first phase, radar guidance – meaning RWR should warn that I’m being locked. Second phase, the missile switches to IR guidance. So it shouldn’t be possible for the launcher to just get a quick radar lock, fire, and then let the missile magically find me with IR at 14 km.
What tactics do you guys use, especially when you don’t know exactly where the system is? I tried climbing up to 20 km, scanning for it, then diving back down and hiding behind mountains :D – but even then, the missile still chased me down and killed me at around Mach 1.1.
Phase 1 – Mid-course guidance
After launch, the IRIS-T SLM missile flies using its inertial navigation system (INS) aided by GPS corrections.
The Tactical Operations Centre (TOC) monitors the target via radar and sends radio datalink updates to correct the missile’s trajectory.
Therefore, the radar must track the target long enough to allow the missile to receive these updates and get into the zone where its IR seeker can engage.
Phase 2 – Terminal guidance (fire-and-forget)
In the final phase, the missile activates its infrared (IR) seeker, which autonomously locks onto the target.
From this point, the missile no longer depends on the radar or datalink—it is fire-and-forget.
Even if radar tracking or datalink communication is lost at this stage, the missile can still successfully engage the target. IRIS-T SLM
I just die, all jokes aside. If it looses radar data link, you have a better chance of survival. They can be flared without the radar tracking you. I do like throwing my gbu glide bombs at the radar unit from a range to clutter their radar screen. Don’t bother on a flat map without much terrain to hide behind. Knowing where the radar unit is before you spawn in is a great help.
I get what you’re saying and I agree, but I still have a few problems with it:
The radar doesn’t show up on RWR, even though it’s a search radar and should always be visible there.
The missile is guided via datalink. So if I see a target on radar for a few seconds at 10+ km, it shouldn’t be possible for the missile to just instantly find and hold the target. It should work more like a Fox-3 – meaning if the target changes direction quickly, the missile might not reacquire. But in the game, this seems completely missing. It feels like the missile just locks the target the instant it’s fired and never lets go, no matter what.
Basically, in the game the radar feels like a WH killer rather than working the way it should.
This problem is entirely different to you saying RWR should give you warning that you are locked buddy.
Theres also IOG at play.
They do.
Youve either ran into some weird issue or are forgetting something.
I tested SLM extensively with several people and breaking LoS with radar and then changing direction works perfectly; that is as long as you at some minimal distance so that the terminal IR doesnt kick in at 9km range.
You’re not correct. RWR on Western aircraft works with two rings – an inner and an outer one. For IRIS-T, at the very least, the outer ring should be showing.
By design, RWR should display when the aircraft is being illuminated by some kind of radar source. If we’re talking full realism, IRIS should actually appear as an “unknown emitter,” since when the F-15E was developed, IRIS didn’t even exist. Internal is corect cant be detecting fire.
The inner ring represents a direct threat to the aircraft – meaning the aircraft is being actively illuminated by a fire-control radar. For ground-based SAMs, that would be the targeting radars of systems like S-200/300/400/500 or Buk/Kub, and on the Western side things like Patriot or Iron Dome. And of course, the same logic applies to FOX-1 and FOX-3 engagements.
Hey man, if you think that RWR doesnt work correctly ingame, feel free to bug report it.
Im just telling you how it is in game.
I might be wrong but im 99% sure you also dont get “locked” warning if you are being engaged by tomcat untill the Phoenixes/Fakours go terminal. Same with AMRAAMs, same with R-77 and same with SLM with only difference being that once it goes terminal it doesnt give warning either as it is IR terminal.
Just want to point out that this is incorrect, while the TOC preforms the calculations and provide bigger picture, DL to the missile is made by the launcher.