Concerning AA missiles and countermeasures.

[Maschinengewehr]

Hey guys, just a couple quick questions about the topic.

1. Are the long range ASRAAM missiles radar or IR guided? If they are radar guided, shouldnt this mean that flares wouldnt work against them? Seeing as there is no ECM chaff in this game.

2. The in-game manual says that a 45-90 degree arc from the rear of an aircraft is the "weak" point in countermeasure coverage, but from what I've seen its the opposite. So where is the best place to launch an AA missile from a MANPAD at an aircraft? The side, front, underneath or above? Whats typically the optimal range to launch from?

Thanks.

[UBE Chief]

I can give a definitive answer for #2 - It's better to be within 500-1,000m before launching manpad AA, since it takes longer to fire a second shot than vehiclular AA. More dangerous, yes, but you're toting an AA launcher, not sitting pretty in an AA tank. Also, fire at the aircraft from the front - they have less time to dodge while using flares.

From what I've seen, if you have the ammo, taking out long-range aircraft with AA isn't too difficult. Seems like the farther away they are, the more flares they have to use before they run out and you smack them with a missile (I've gotten AA missile kills on AI from 7.3km away).

Otherwise, it appears that you have to use more than 2 AA missiles to get the results you need, regardless of platform.

[˗ˏˋKAIDONˎˊ˗]

Just a friendly reminder: It's called MANPADS, not just MANPAD, even if it's singular. It's still a system, after all.