Fly low to avoid radar

[Lal 10]

I guess the title is almost self explanatory, I was just wondering, will flying low with your chopper or plane actually make you invisible to the enemy AI radar-wise? I know the AI probably doesn't use the radar like human players but I figured maybe they were coded to act as if they didn't know you were there unless you show up on radar or they see you.

I'd love to hear if anyone knows this. Also, how low would one need to fly? I think they mention flying below thirty feet or something in the chopper tutorial.

[Guest]

I don't think flying low will help you much radar wise, but in general if you can fly low enough for any solid terain to cover you, (mountains, trees etc) you will be shielded from SAM and small arms fire.

However, flying low in an open area is a one way ticket to doom. The name of the game when flying a jet in Arma 2 is to stay extremely high. That way you have alot more time to react to a missile lock on, and innevitable death!

[Lal 10]

Ah allright, thanks! It's kind of weird of them to teach you to fly low to avoid radar in the tutorial if that doesn't work though, but for some reason it doesn't surprise me.

So is there a way to know when a missile has locked on to you? If so I haven't noticed.

There aren't any way to "dodge" or otherwise outmaneuver a rocket either is there? Sometimes when I fire homing missiles as infantry towards planes that fly fast overhead they will explode sort of "behind" the plane at the plane will keep flying. Is it just that they didn't take enough damage to crash or something or is it possible to fly so fast that you can avoid getting hit by AA missiles?

[mr burns 132]

So is there a way to know when a missile has locked on to you? If so I haven't noticed.

1.05 seems to have added some sort of accustic lock indicator, that´s at least what i take from yesterdays Wings of Steel MP game. Hovering above Stary Sobor suddenly this distinctive tone set in, i lowered altitude and it went away.

On other ocassions though i´d be flying my way and got shot out of nowhere by 2 AA missiles with no warning whatsoever at all :confused:

[Trapper 0]

Lal you can test the results of flying low in the editor. Place some enemy vehicles behind hills and fly towards them high and low. I'm sure they won't appear on your radar until you've a direct line of sight, and so will you.

[-Shifty- 10]

I don't think flying low will help you much radar wise, but in general if you can fly low enough for any solid terain to cover you, (mountains, trees etc) you will be shielded from SAM and small arms fire.

However, flying low in an open area is a one way ticket to doom. The name of the game when flying a jet in Arma 2 is to stay extremely high. That way you have alot more time to react to a missile lock on, and innevitable death!

Wrong

I'm an experienced AV8B pilot and flying high @ any altitude will get you killed. Once you get to 600m or higher anybody can see you that has a radar and you're a perfect target. So either while climbing or descending you'll get a nice present, you have to drop to engage anyway.

Also, you don't get a lock-on warning, there's no RWR (Radar Warning Receiver) and no missile lock either.

Flying low is key, and there are specific routes I always take when crossing the flat Stary Sobor / Vybor / Lopatino / Kabanino region so the terrain protects me.

Also, terrain makes you invisible to radar, so anything between you and the radar will hide you.

[Lal 10]

Allright! Thanks everyone! My radar use and survivability has improved :p

[-Shifty- 10]

I just did some testing today. For a change I went OpFor and took the ub3r-ridiculously overpowered Tunguska (10k wow that hurt my wallet) and I shot down several harriers and AH64s.

What was amazing was it only took one shot!

So a few notes I took were quite interesting. Once a vehicle was behind a hill I couldn't lock onto them, however, I could lock onto them before they went under the radar and it would stay locked. The moment they'd pop back up the radar would be ready and I could fire.

Basically, once you've been spotted and probably locked, make sure you circle around before you come back up into the radar. Or you're toast.

[76 0]

However, flying low in an open area is a one way ticket to doom. The name of the game when flying a jet in Arma 2 is to stay extremely high. That way you have alot more time to react to a missile lock on, and innevitable death!

Choppers are meant to be flown the complete opposite of what you've described.... NOE Flying or Nap Of the Earth Flight

:)

[maturin 12]

Ah allright, thanks! It's kind of weird of them to teach you to fly low to avoid radar in the tutorial if that doesn't work though, but for some reason it doesn't surprise me.

So is there a way to know when a missile has locked on to you? If so I haven't noticed.

There aren't any way to "dodge" or otherwise outmaneuver a rocket either is there? Sometimes when I fire homing missiles as infantry towards planes that fly fast overhead they will explode sort of "behind" the plane at the plane will keep flying. Is it just that they didn't take enough damage to crash or something or is it possible to fly so fast that you can avoid getting hit by AA missiles?

The F-35 can outrun pretty much any missile in the game, but all planes are vulnerable when a SAM comes at them from head-on.

[CarlGustaffa 4]

Example of NOE, and how even the pros can make it go wrong:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4CQfaBGWSo

[-Shifty- 10]

"Oh ye of little faith"

wuahahaha!

I thought apache blades were lined with something so they could cut through branches easily.