SEAD missions and suggested weapons

Hi guys,

I'm actually playing a dynamic campaign and I still struggle to understand what weapons are best suitable for SEAD missions. While it's perfectly clear how to engage targets with Laser Mavericks and JTAC illumination, this solution is never available during dynamically generated campaigns. The weapons usually assigned from the mission editor are usually IR Mavs or HARMs, but I can't figure how to gain the best results with both so I have some questions:

1) IR Mavs: first of all, in real combat situations (I mean for missions, not training) when should I pick IR Mavericks and what kind of targets are they meant for? Most of the times, if the target is not marked and the waypoint is not precise, try to lock on a target with the IR seeker is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It's actually really dangerous because I need visual to locate the target and if it's a SAM, as you may imagine, it's like poking a lion with a stick.

2) HARM: I understand that some limitations are related to not really accurate mission briefings, but without range information I actually find really hard to understand if the source of the radar beam is the target I'm looking for (sometime happens that similar launching platform are nearly aligned but one of them is definitely not my target). Is it just me or briefing like "give SEAD support to xyz" is not enough to figure out mission threats and targets?

Last but not least, what is the perfect scenario for a SEAD mission?

Thank you in advance and sorry for the long post.

In the current mode implemented with the HARMs we don'have a way to identify distance to the threat. The mode we have is SP (Self-Protect) and is designed for an unknown threat that pop up and is needed to be dealt with.

You can "simulate" other modes at this time by placing waypoints on SAM systems. As the HARM is fleshed out we will get two other modes and with them the ability to see range. I think PB is still tied to waypoints, but I could be wrong there.

IR Mavs are used mainly to get a "visual lock" on a target. For IR MAVs you want to ensure you have proper separation from your target. You can even put the aircraft in AP while going heads down to find targets via the MAV screen on the DDI.

In real life, ground forces will talk an aircraft on to the target to make life a bit easier. We should also see improvements once the new thermal rendering engine (TRE) is done. I just made up the acronym but ED can use it if they like.

For HARMs, in real life they have a low PK rate. This is due to many factors, most commonly of which is the radar operator turning off the radars. The idea behind the HARMs is to suppress air defenses and not necessarily destroy them. Newer HARMs available today counter the radar operators use of turning off the radar - that is not what we have modeled in DCS today.

Ideally for missions, today, you will have pre-briefed air defense threats and waypoints to go along with them. You would use a combination of HARMs/MAVs/Bombs to suppress or destroy the air defense threat for your package.

Ideally if you’re performing SEAD then you’re looking to suppress enemy air defenses so by firing a harm at a tracking station in a real environment would cause them to turn off their search radar effectively suppressing them but not necessarily destroy them. In DEAD you are looking to kill the tracking station and perhaps launch sites probably to attrit the enemy so a mav may be a more suitable option.

Last but not least, what is the perfect scenario for a SEAD mission?

SEAD is a support mission, since you are suppressing the air defences for a reason. It may be a deep strike, interdiction or counter-air. Your success is dependent on whether the package you are defending accomplishes their mission without casualties. You do not have necessarily to destroy the air defences, but most often than not you have to, since we do not have stand-off electronic suppression available. But your munition is scarce, therefore you use any tricks available in your bag, including baiting the air defenses into firing so your wingman can quickly engage it (hard to do if you have just an AI wingman or flying alone) or to just deplete their missiles.

Best SEAD missions are when you are flying in a highly coordinated group of people, trying to ensure that everyone is alive by the time you end the session. I have yet to find this fun in DCS lately though, as single-player missions miss this element, public servers are everyone-for-himself and haven't had much time to search for / engage with small groups. But I'm up for teaming up whenever schedules are aligned.

EDIT - May I recommend a great book on modern SEAD - Dan Hampton's "Viper Pilot".

Viper pilot.

Just bought.

Thanks

I second that. Viper Pilot is the best book on SEAD/DEAD execution in a post-Vietnam environment that I found (not that I found a lot of others on the subject). It touches rather lightly on Desert Storm, but the bulk of the book describes 2003 Iraqi Freedom missions, mostly SEAD, and it isn't shy of narratives of actual action, with radio comms.