AWACS

Hello.

I have a problem where the airborne own AWACS aircraft and someone sees own / alien on the MFD in Russian machines and sometimes not. Do you have such a problem? I note the patch key 2 and I (radar). Excuse my English.

Hi UVP/Mechan,

So sometimes you see own and enemy aircraft on the MFD and sometimes they disappear for some seconds?

If all tracks disappear sometimes, then

- you are out of range of the AWACS or

- the AWACS flies not high enough, loosing radar coverage or

- you are flying too low and mountains block the data link (you need line-of-sight to the AWACS)

If some tracks disappear and come back

- those aircraft are at the edge of detection, e.g. flying to low / behind montains or far away from the AWACS

I have seen the AWACS data disappear and re-appear in FC2 as well for no obvious reason.

In multiplayer AWACS and EWR data send to russian birds are not showing on the MFD. Happens only to clients not to hosts.

Does any one of you guys know the detection ranges of both the E-3 Sentry and A-50 awacs? At least some real data ranges, because it seems that none of these 2 awacs aircraft can detect anything that is further than approx. 250+ km from it, even if the target flies as high as 35000 feet (10km).

Just happened to find the following info about the newer A-50 Awacs radar and it's maximum capable detection range (400mi, most probably for the larger and higher flying targets):

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ain-defense-perspective/2013-09-06/russian-air-force-shows-upgraded-awacs-and-plans-new-one

I also read that the E-3 Sentry should be able to detect targets as far as 250 miles (approx. 400 km away).

Another question, and i'm sorry if i ask much: Is it realistic that the A-50 can detect and track targets flying even lower than 5 meters AGL (just tested in game) from 80km and more without any kind of disturbance/clutter, while the E-3 Sentry has quite some difficulty finding aircraft targets below 40 meters AGL? The difference seems quite high between these 2 radars. So, is the E-3 Sentry that bad?

Here are some small results that i managed to get within the game and found out the detection ranges on a very low and high flying aircraft (A-10C), of both the A-50 and E-3 Sentry:

E-3 Sentry: maximum detection range:

- 55km, on an A-10 flying at 50 meters AGL over water.

- 230km, on an A-10 flying at 10000 meters MSL.

A-50: maximum detection range:

- 125km on an A-10 flying at 50 meters AGL over water.

- 250km on an A-10 flying at 10000 meters MSL.

I also read that the E-3 Sentry should be able to detect targets as far as 250 miles (approx. 400 km away).

As always, it depends on weather impact and the RCS (which again varies with the aspect) of the target. A B747 would be visible while flying high, a F-16 probably not.

The data put into the simulation algorithms are vague and from official sources. In reality, they may differ from the results shown in the sim, and in both directions.

Another question, and i'm sorry if i ask much: Is it realistic that the A-50 can detect and track targets flying even lower than 5 meters AGL (just tested in game) from 80km and more without any kind of disturbance/clutter, while the E-3 Sentry has quite some difficulty finding aircraft targets below 40 meters AGL? The difference seems quite high between these 2 radars. So, is the E-3 Sentry that bad?

The E-3 should barely care about the altitude the target's at within that range. There are other issues with the simulated E-3 which might make it seem like it's not seeing things. Here's an example:

Fighter sized targets should be visible 250nm out. Period.

However, the E-3 in game has no intelligence, no track memory, so once something 'drops off the scope' because it's in the notch, terrain masking, or the E-3 rolls and pulls that target out of the coverage zone, it will 'forget' that target. It will reacquire it later, but it will call it as a pop-up, rather than continuing to remember where it was and where it was going.

Does any one of you guys know the detection ranges of both the E-3 Sentry and A-50 awacs?

Last time I checked it was

E3 - 210nmi @ 25k ft

E2 - 180nmi @ 25k ft

A50- 175nmi @ 25k ft

The detection range goes up at even greater altitudes.