ALQ-131

[bobs15tee]

What ia a ALQ-131 I'm assuming it a jamming pod but can't fined a lot of info on it.

[Xoho]

ALQ-131 and 184 are both jammers that are possible to equip on the a10c.

[bobs15tee]

cool thats what I thought but not much info
Thanks

[Soruin]

They allow you to try to jam the radar of other things. You control it via the panel just under the HUD to set it between its modes... AA, SAM1, SAM2 and AAA. Your countermeasure controller will automatically set it to the right mode, but you have to manually activate it I believe.

In practice it can delay or prevent an enemy locking you up, with the caveat that it makes it super obvious that you're there to anyone else with a RWR.

I think a lot of people don't bother taking it because it just adds weight + drag, and it's effect isn't that great if you are flying in normal conditions, that is, not flying within attack range.

That said, if you need to do a low pass through a valley past a bunch of AAA it just might save your bacon.

Also the 184 has the same effect as the 131, its just lighter. There's no real reason to take the 131 over the 184.

[Xoho]

Originally posted by Gnaerrokk:

They allow you to try to jam the radar of other things. You control it via the panel just under the HUD to set it between its modes... AA, SAM1, SAM2 and AAA. Your countermeasure controller will automatically set it to the right mode, but you have to manually activate it I believe.

In practice it can delay or prevent an enemy locking you up, with the caveat that it makes it super obvious that you're there to anyone else with a RWR.

I think a lot of people don't bother taking it because it just adds weight + drag, and it's effect isn't that great if you are flying in normal conditions, that is, not flying within attack range.

That said, if you need to do a low pass through a valley past a bunch of AAA it just might save your bacon.

Also the 184 has the same effect as the 131, its just lighter. There's no real reason to take the 131 over the 184.

Unfortunately in DCS it doesn't really make a massive difference in my experience. AI SAMs will still lock you up and fire on you at their max firing range as usual, aircraft will burn through just before they fire, and even the mig21bis can filter out the interference when you get near firing range. And most if not all aircraft with radar can lock onto a jamming target, just without range info until you get within ~20-25nm.

[Freakshow]

Not sure how effective ECM pods are against AI, but in multiplayer I find it useful for these reasons. Firstly, if you are traveling in a group/near other friendlies, the enemy jets with their radars in TWS mode can't track you or any jets within a certain radius of you. They can LOCK any of you, but they can't soft lock in TWS mode. At least, the Russian planes can't, which is what I primarily fly. I figure it works the same for both sides, but I shouldn't assume.

Secondly, while it does make you stand out like a sore thumb and, yes, the enemies can spot you from much farther away, they aren't able to tell what distance you are. People 100 miles away may try and lock onto you, and their computer in their jet will think it's close enough to launch a missile your way.

It can be very annoying if used correctly and can help to draw out the enemies earlier than usual for the reason of them not knowing when it's the best time to lock.

[Troll Norris]

IMHO the jammer works well but it is not something superduper protecting tool. You have to combine it with the other defence tactics. Also some AAA or SAM can target you by electro-optical system and launch Ir guided missile or ground comanded missile.

[bobs15tee]

cool good info