Ground-to-air threat guide
Contents
Learning objectives
- Recognize key air-to-ground threats
- Avoid known threat envelopes
- Set and respect a hard deck
Learning files
Anti-aircraft artillery
BMS Anti-Aircraft-Artillery are several threats systems that can engage you at low to high altitudes.
Heavy (85mm+) AAA systems are found in AAA battalions which primarily use large-calibre guns firing altitude or proximity fuzed shells (think traditional "flak"). These are often bolstered by the use of a ‘Fire Can’ fire control radar which shortens their bracketing time (the time in which it takes for AAA fire to range and close in on your aircraft) against targets that enter their envelope. If you see explosions bracketing your plane, you should immediately change your altitude and start jinking until out of range.
Smaller calibre (20-40mm) AAA guns and SPAAG (Self Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun) systems such as the ZSU-23-4 ‘Shilka’ are deployed with other battalions for close-in protection. Once you enter the range of these systems, it can be hard to avoid their fire while in range and line of sight. Using terrain masking or stand-off attacks are the only safe way to avoid them.
An ‘A’ on the RWR designates that a Fire Can or SPAAG is tracking your aircraft.
- Most dangerous: If you enter the systems engagement range. SPAAGs are exponentially more dangerous the closer you are to them.
- Best method of engagement: Stand-off attacks with ATGMs or lofting/high-altitude attacks with bombs. Anti-Radiation missiles can be employed against Fire Cans, but are unlikely to hit a SPAAG.
IR SAMs and MANPADS
IR SAMs are normally found in HQ, mechanised and tank battalions. Normally these systems are used in conjunction with AAA and mobile Radar SAMs to provide a tighter cone of cover around their parent battalion. Systems include the SA-9 and SA-13 vehicle mounted launchers, and the SA-7,-14,-16, and -18 MANPADS.
While limited compared to their Radar guided counterparts, IR SAMs help to fill gaps that Radar SAM systems can leave at close engagement ranges since they have short acquisition and travel times.
There is no warning when an IR SAM is fired, except for looking for and seeing the launch. The SA-13 will show up on the RWR because it has a ranging radar, but you will still not get a launch warning. Defeat the missile by breaking into or away from it and using flares. The best way to avoid them is by staying high (usually above 10000ft AGL).
- Most dangerous: Just below 10-15,000ft.
- Best method of engagement: Mavericks or cluster bombs from outside engagement range of system.
Radar SAMs
The most common SAM threat. Radar guided SAMs come in single vehicle systems, typically attached to HQ battalions and some armoured battalions, and long range systems deployed by an entire air defence battalion.
The single vehicle systems are generally shorter ranged and are designed to work as point defence for a battalion, similarly to the IR SAMs described above, but with more range. These vehicles contain both search and fire control radars as well as multiple missile rounds. Examples include the SA-8, -15, and -19 (Tunguska). These missiles are typically very quick and manoeuvrable but with limited range and ceiling. Stay away from them; if they fire they are very difficult to defeat.
The second type are area and theatre defence SAMs. These are generally static or merely mobile, needing to set up in an area before they can fire. These battalions commonly consists of a Fire Control Radar (in reality also one or more search radars, but we don’t have those in BMS) and several launchers, in addition to some support vehicles.
In early models, like the SA-2, -3, -4, -5, and -6, and also the SA-10, there is only one, central, fire control radar that guides the missiles. If you kill that one vehicle, no more missiles can be launched. Later variants of the SA-6, i.e. the SA-11 and SA-17, however, have equipped every launch vehicle with its own radar, meaning that the battery can still fire until you have destroyed every single launcher.
Common to all radar SAMs except the SA-10 is that they will very clearly (and loudly) announce that they’ve launched a missile at you. It is important to look for the missile launch, however, as you have no other indication of where the missile itself is, and seeing it is vital to avoid being hit by it. Use ECM to degrade the range at which a SAM can be launched at you, but if one is launched, use chaff to try to break the radar lock. Unlike in real life, in BMS missiles cannot reacquire a target once the lock is lost.
- Most dangerous (mobile systems): Low-medium altitude. Very short engagement and missile flight times.
- Most dangerous (air defence battalions): Medium-high altitude where you cannot easily use terrain masking to break or avoid locks.
- Best method of engagement (mobile systems): Mavericks or cluster/guided bombs from outside/above engagement range.
- Best method of engagement (air defence battalions): Anti-Radiation missile attack on FCR with follow up cluster-munition attacks on launchers.
- Best method of engagement (against SA-10): NOE terrain masking with lofted HARMs or guided bombs from behind terrain.
- Best method of engagement (against SA-11/17): Staggered HARM launches (so multiple HARMs don’t target the same launch vehicle), lofting guided bombs from high altitude or from behind terrain.
SA-11 Gadfly
The SA-11 is basically an SA-6, except each vehicle has an integrated FCR (it's that green rectangle on the left side of the vehicle above), and the missile is more maneuverable. This is to say it is one of the deadliest SAMs you will encounter in BMS.
The missile maneuvers at mach 2.64, has a max engagement envelope of 45,000 feet, with a minimum envelope of about 100 feet. The max range is about 10 miles, and max effective range is about 7 miles.
Because each vehicle is it's own radar, you will need to destroy every vehicle in a battalion for effective SEAD.
These are mobile units which will often be encountered as a pop-up threat, making SEAD extremely dangerous. The SA-11 is a brigade air defense asset .
Defense Procedures (in order of effectiveness):
- Avoid weapon envelope and do stand-off attacks with HARMs and AGM-65
- Terrain mask, it's a semi-active missile that will break lock if you obstruct line of sight to the radar emitter
- Mask + pop-up lofting attack with CBUs
- Emergency jettison, cat 1, 9-10 g break turn and a lot of chaff
SA-8 Gecko
The SA-8 is a regimental and battalion level air defense asset which is extremely common in the Syrian (as well as Russian) ground forces. The SA-8 is one of the most effective SHORAD (short range air defense) systems. It should be respected just like the SA-11, but the main difference is that it's max effective range is only about 7 miles, and will more likely fire on you at 5 miles, It's minimum engagement envelope is about 600 feet, meaning it is possible to do a NOE attack on them. Like the SA-11, each vehicle has an integrated FCR.
They are arguably more dangerous than the SA-11 due to the mere fact of their number in modern equipped Russian-style armies: there will be dozens present in a large scale offensive.
Defense Procedures (in order of effectiveness):
- Avoid weapon envelope and do stand-off attacks with HARMs and AGM-65
- Terrain mask, it's a command guided missile that will break lock if you obstruct line of sight to the radar emitter
- Mask + pop-up lofting attack with CBUs
- NOE approach and pop-up attack
- Emergency jettison, cat 1, 8-9 g break turn and a lot of chaff
The Relevance of These Two Systems
SO what? Well, the combination of these two systems (SA-11 at brigade and SA-8 at battalion/regiment) means that the Syrian army may be protected at all times and it will be impossible to SEAD the entire army and then bomb them into oblivion. This is unlike the Serbian and Korean armies, the most dangerous mobile systems you would encounter was often a SA-9/SA-13, and these could be avoided by simply staying above 14,000 or so. This is not possible against the SA-8/SA-11, you will have to destroy these vehicles in order to attack into an area they are protecting - you cannot avoid the weapons envelope easily. NOE approach is effectively impossible with the SA-11 and very difficult with the SA-8 - not to mention the fact that the density of the enemy assets would mean certain death by ground fire or MANPADs.
Another key point is that it restricts our engagement areas. We can no longer spread packages out over 30 or 45 miles and separate them from SEAD cover because the lethality of these systems means that SEAD must be performed immediately.
As it is very difficult to defeat these systems, you must avoid the envelope if possible. If you DO get ambushed, immediately jettison your stores and perform a max G break away from the missile while employing all of your chaff. Both the SA-8 and SA-11 are highly resistant to ECM and will do followup launches, so you will need to think very carefully in the few seconds before you perform a defensive maneuver to figure out the best way out of the envelope or to terrain to mask behind.
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