🔥✨ What is the difference between flares and chaff, and in what situations is each used? ✈️🎯🚀

[Max Lony]

🔥✨ What is the difference between flares and chaff, and in what situations is each used? ✈️🎯🚀

[Eftwyrd]

Flares create a heat signature to decoy IR missiles which are typically short range

Chaff creates a false radar signature to decoy radar guided missiles which tend to be mid and long range

[Max Lony]

Originally posted by Eftwyrd:

Flares create a heat signature to decoy IR missiles which are typically short range

Chaff creates a false radar signature to decoy radar guided missiles which tend to be mid and long range

Is it ideal to carry both or just one?

[aka_nomdeplume]

Both for sure.

[𝒞𝒶𝓈𝓊𝒶𝓁 Sinner]

Adding to what they said, basically you use flares to avoid IR missiles, and you use chaff to (try to) avoid radar missiles.

IR missiles are generally easier to dodge, just lower throttle and turn while flaring, don't let them get on your tail to get within 2kms generally though. Depends on the BR.

Radar missiles can get tricky very easily, but you generally want to notch (turn 90* left or right away from the missile/attacker) and dump chaff. You may also want to lose alt, or just generally stay around tree top, again depends on the BR and what you are defending from.

[DirtDee]

Depending on your jet, vs the type of enemy heat seeking missile, you might also need to throttle back to cut afterburner if it was locked from your rear aspect, otherwise engines that output a huge heat source that even flares will not spoof a missile.

Also note that certain radar missiles have built in chaff resistance to where it'll keep going to your last trajectory while the seeker head cuts off in an attempt to ignore chaff so you should change attitude in conjuction with notching and maybe even speed, climb or dive immediately after chaffing