Ifrit RCS

[Blast335]

So the Ifrit is supposed to be like the F22 and super stealthy, why do I still get spotted from a million miles out? Is it because of the external weapons? If I don't use external weapons will that actually help any or is the dynamic RCS not that advanced yet?

[Rogal Dorn]

The current RCS is displayed and updates as you change weapons, I believe it's the bottom right. Your RCS does not update as you expend munitions, though.
Also, temper your expectations as a radome medusa can spot a slick vortex (RCS 0.001 m^2) at around 45 km and a slick Ifrit (RCS 0.002) a bit further away. If anything has spotted you everything can see you, and currently lower RCS makes you more vulnerable to ARH (scythe missiles) if you can't break all RADAR contact as they go terminal later thus giving you less time to adjust notching and jam.

It does give you very real advantages though, especially to things that don't have data link capability like SARH (I think).
1. The lower your RCS the closer you have to be before something detects you with RADAR
2. The above compounds with methods to make RADAR detection harder such as notching and flying at extremely low altitudes, making them more effective outside the situation I described earlier where a powerful RADAR such as a radome is via datalink guiding ARH until it goes terminal.

[Classic Rando]

Keep in mind, the RWR showing you a ping doesn't necessarily mean you've been spotted since your RWR can pick up emissions from double the source's detection range.

[FreeFormSage]

Once you're in a plane, you can select enemy units, and if they can attack you, it'll display both a detection bubble, and an engagement bubble. I'm not sure yet, but it sure FEELS like those bubbles are dynamic and reflect your current aircraft.

Keep Classic Rando in mind. You can pick up radar emissions over twice the distance you can be detected by them. That's one thing SORELY lacking in the current configuration that standard RWRs have: Indication differences between
Picking up emissions
Showing up on their scope
Being locked
Being fired on

We only have
"One's this way"
And
"It's your ass"

Originally posted by Rogal Dorn:

The current RCS is displayed and updates as you change weapons, I believe it's the bottom right. Your RCS does not update as you expend munitions, though.
Also, temper your expectations as a radome medusa can spot a slick vortex (RCS 0.001 m^2) at around 45 km and a slick Ifrit (RCS 0.002) a bit further away. If anything has spotted you everything can see you, and currently lower RCS makes you more vulnerable to ARH (scythe missiles) if you can't break all RADAR contact as they go terminal later thus giving you less time to adjust notching and jam.

It does give you very real advantages though, especially to things that don't have data link capability like SARH (I think).
1. The lower your RCS the closer you have to be before something detects you with RADAR
2. The above compounds with methods to make RADAR detection harder such as notching and flying at extremely low altitudes, making them more effective outside the situation I described earlier where a powerful RADAR such as a radome is via datalink guiding ARH until it goes terminal.

It doesn't update as you expend munitions? That's awful. That needs to be fixed ASAP, and included in my hopeful request of getting us pylons we can punch off in-flight specifically in order to clean up our RCS.

I don't know what you mean about the Scythe Missiles, though. You said "Currently lower RCS makes you MORE vulnerable to ARH."

Was that a mistype? How would being MORE stealthy make you MORE vulnerable to a radar guided weapon?

[Rogal Dorn]

Originally posted by FreeFormSage:

I don't know what you mean about the Scythe Missiles, though. You said "Currently lower RCS makes you MORE vulnerable to ARH."

Was that a mistype? How would being MORE stealthy make you MORE vulnerable to a radar guided weapon?

I explained it in my post. The Scythe does not go pitbull until a lower range due to lower RCS, making losing it harder as you have less time.

[FreeFormSage]

You did. Saw it elsewhere.

As there, that needs to be fixed /QUICK/. Stealth as a vulnerability is /wild/.

[TheG0thicPrince]

Originally posted by FreeFormSage:

You did. Saw it elsewhere.

As there, that needs to be fixed /QUICK/. Stealth as a vulnerability is /wild/.

What do you mean by fixed?
It makes complete sense as it is.

[yourdoom9898]

Originally posted by Rogal Dorn:

Originally posted by FreeFormSage:

I don't know what you mean about the Scythe Missiles, though. You said "Currently lower RCS makes you MORE vulnerable to ARH."

Was that a mistype? How would being MORE stealthy make you MORE vulnerable to a radar guided weapon?

I explained it in my post. The Scythe does not go pitbull until a lower range due to lower RCS, making losing it harder as you have less time.

This objectively isn't true, and is a misreading of your Launch Warning Receiver. Your LWR, as long as the missile can be seen, will continue to tell you about a incoming missile until it's defeated. The LWR also is a little bit of space magic and can instantly identify if a missile has lost your lock while still being on a intercept path (notified by the solid yellow color readout), vs when the missile is trashed (and is dropped from the LWR).

Scythes go pitbull at 10km, full stop. However, if you're already in the process of spoofing it in a notch or in the ground clutter radar return, it'll lose you, continue flying forward, and then reacquire at a shorter distance than you can dodge. The response is to just wait for the Scythe to get within pitbull range and just jam it completely until it loses you.