►Electronic warfare.

[rgm84]

Greetings,


I am trying to get some tastes about the electronic warfare.

So, you keep your radars silent, and only turn them on when you search for enemy vessels.
And you turn on your radars to shoot, b/o you need your radars to lock your missiles on enemy targets?

Am I right?

You use the ESM to jam enemy radars when they try to locate you?

And comm link? Keep it on? Off?

So, it seems some of you, try to keep the whole electronic stuff as silent as possible, in order not to give <<free intel>>.

Pretty complicated for a newbie.

 

[Herman Hum]

In general, I practice EmCon [Emissions Control] and remain silent because the enemy can detect me at 110%+ of the effective range of my active radar. Sometimes, I use intermittent pulses to lure the enemy into activating his own radar. If I have a formation of ships, I might sacrifice one for the benefit of the others by employing it as a 'radar picket'. It will radiate and provide coverage for the group at great risk to itself. Not all weapons require active radar guidance, but many do.

Other sensors I might try are sonar. Some units have very good sonar range and can use it passively without revealing the identity of my ship. Another consideration is visual sensors and the light environment. If it is night, then you might wish to go active since visibility is low.

I am pretty sure that active Jamming in Harpoon by the enemy cannot be detected by your passive systems like ESM (unlike real life). ESM is Electronic Support Measures. It is a passive system and entails listening for electronic radar emissions. The only way you know if the enemy is jamming you is if activate a radar and see the little 'x' in the corner denoting EW degradation.

The Comm link is the communications link and is generally left on in most situations unless you happen to be playing under Full Reality setting. Communications between units cannot be degraded by jamming in Harpoon.

 

[rgm84]

Thank you, for all these details.

 

[Herman Hum]

One thing I forgot to mention was the fact that radar is often unable to identify or classify a contact. If you remember the Air Lane Raider AAR, you might recall seeing how I was able to pinpoint the enemy ships yet was unable to discern their identity until they activated their systems and opened fire. Often, it is the particular radar systems that reveal the identity of a target.

You might also keep this in mind when you consider the status of your own systems. If you remain passive, the AI may not be able to classify your identity or if you are hostile. Therefore, even if your position is known, you may still wish to remain passive to hide your intent. It is important to note how the various game versions are different at this point.

In H3, the AI cannot know your posture. The AI only receives the same information that a player would. It has no 'special' abilities; it cannot cheat. However, the AI in ANW and HUE immediately knows which units are hostile towards it. Your ship might be hiding within a herd of 100 ships and the AI in ANW and HUE will immediately be able to single you out as hostile. I understand that the developers wanted to make the AI more aggressive, but I do not agree with this change. This is NOT a bug, but a deliberate change by the developers. It is one reason why I play H3 and avoid ANW and HUE whenever possible.

 

[rgm84]

Thanks.