I have a problem in ARB. Yes, I can, Notch. However, I can’t tell when there are tonnes of missiles coming in and my RWR is covered with a bunch of missile launches. How do I identify which one is notched in the RWR? As I see it, some missiles will relock themselves with DL. I am using the Su-30SM; after notching probably 2 or 3 missiles from completely different directions, it will lose its speed so much that it just stalls and is hard to notch the rest of the missile coming toward it. This happens a lot, especially when I end up being the last guy on the team. Multipathing isn’t very reliable when the enemy is right on top of you and on hilly maps. I am also trying to get the Su-30SM2. Will it solve the problem with bad engine power?
It sounds like you are playing correctly in general.
Without MAWS it can indeed be very tricky to figure out when and for how long you should notch. To my knowledge there is no perfect secret trick to this. I think this is just something you get better evaluating as you play more. You will generally get a feel how long a missile launch tends to take and how it looks on the RWR when a missile misses. However, with the Su-30SM2 you may be able to track missiles on your radar while notching, which can help.
However what you can consider is changing your positioning. If you are getting launched at from multiple different directions then something wrong happened even before the launches. When you are the last man standing it is of course a different matter. Generally I like to flank high to the left or right, as to place enemies on one side. However, if you are getting launched at by multiple enemies then going straight up or down can help you notch all missiles in a pinch (up or down is perpendicular to missiles from all directions if they are in a similar altitude).
As I see it, some missiles will relock themselves with DL
This is true, but it is worth knowing the specifics. ARH missiles can fall back to DL if their own seeker does not see you, but they will prioritize their own seekers. This means that ARH missiles fooled by chaff will not relock you even if the shooter keeps you hardlocked. If you see an ARH missile visibly fall for your chaff you are safe.
However, there is one more mechanic you need to know about (if you do not already). ARH missiles can perform something called “Angle gating”. If they see a radar signature (your chaff) abruptly moving slower than expected they will look forward where your plane is supposed to be to ‘relock’ you. Because of this you need to constantly change altitude or speed while notching to make sure the missiles only sees chaff and not your plane. This is somewhat similar to how you would flare an AIM-9M.
This video is well worth watching if you are interested in getting really good at notching:
