How to deploy ECM and Countermeasures

How do I employ flares and chaff? There isnt a training mission for it. I remove the joystick and click the DISPENSER to ON, not bypass, and then the ECM to RCV, then to XMT when i want to jam

will that automatically deploy flare and chaff when im fired on? or do I need to do something more?

ECM hasn't been implemented yet and comes later in early access. If you set the dispenser to ON, you can only deploy CM after selecting a specific program on your EW page. Select your EW page on one of the DDI's and check the Status of the ALE-47, wich should be on standby. Press mode to cycle through the different modes. For now only Manual works, Auto and Semi are not implemented yet. So press mode 1x to bring up MAN 1. 1 means, that there is program 1 selected. To cycle between programs, select the ALE-47 by pressing the specific button on the DDI and then press the STEP button wich should now be marked on the DDI. If you want to change the programs (set the number of flares and chaffs that shall be dispensed), press ARM on the DDI. Now you can adjust your CM programs.

If you want to deploy just a single chaff/flare, you have to set the Dispenser to BYPASS.

Cheers

Setting the Dispenser switch to BYPASS will dispense 2 flares or chaff per press.

Setting the Dispenser switch to BYPASS will dispense 2 flares or chaff per press.

Ah, you're right. My fault.

Setting the Dispenser switch to BYPASS will dispense 2 flares or chaff per press.

is it 2 per or 1 per? i always thought 1 per.

If I am not mistaken, there is one drawback to using bypass mode. If you are shooting off flares and chafe using that mode, the computer does not track or count how of each are left. Using any of the normal modes, even manual, and the system maintains a running count of the remaining countermeasures.

Bypass mode fires two countermeasures per button press. CMS Forward drops two chaff, CMS Aft fires two flares.

The computer does count the number of released countermeasures in bypass just fine. The EW page will not show remaining countermeasures in Bypass mode (seemingly because CM count only shows when ALE-47 is boxed, which you can't do in Bypass), but counts do show on the SA page. I'm not sure if this is realistic or not.

Growling Sidewinder did areally good tutorial

can you set up the EW RWR before take off?

when i open EW it is crossed out

tata

can you set up the EW RWR before take off?

when i open EW it is crossed out

tata

You can only configure it once there's weight off wheels right now, so... no.

There's another chaff/flares thread here-

https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=278617

These are the keys I use to pop chaff/flares, first I switch the dispenser on with RShift D, then manually hit D and E to pop them, simple as that. I haven't a clue what all the other keys are for, but the bottom line is i don't need 'em anyway, I'm kool..

I think there's an option to "auto-pop" them (whatever that means), but I haven't experimented with that yet.

(PS- just type the 4 letters "disp" into the control search box, it works better than typing the full word)

Below: my Hornet popping away in the Gulf.

(noob note- chaff is small bundles of foil, so don't wrongly assume they're not popping if you can't see them, look more closely and you'll see a bundle just leaving the tail like in this shot)

can you set up the EW RWR before take off?

when i open EW it is crossed out

tata

When in the jet, no, not at the moment. I believe the inability to edit dispenser programs when on the ground is not realistic and will be fixed at some point, IIRC.

You can also edit the config file found at Mods\aircraft\FA-18C\Cockpit\Scripts\TEWS\device\CMDS_ALE47.lua

Editing this file will let you set the default values for every program and the wall dispenser switch that will load every time you jump into a Hornet.

thnx Bunny

Theres a reference to on the ground editing being a dev item for the hornet roadmap, I think its coming. it does seem dumb you cant do it until in the air.

Setting the Dispenser switch to BYPASS will dispense 2 flares or chaff per press.

Thanks a lot for the tip