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120 Air Combat Basics
The Defense Network
Modern military forces link their early-warning and tracking radars via an interlinked
network. This allows one search (or tracking) radar to share data with every other
user on the same network. Consequently, the SAM launcher may not have to
transmit from its own radar, instead relying on guidance from other tracking
devices located elsewhere on the net. It may appear that all enemy radar sites are
located several kilometers ahead of you, but you may be directly over
the enemy launcher!
“Blinking,” whereby different tracking radars on the network take turns tracking
the target and guiding the inbound missile, is a very common practice. No one
radar stays on long enough for your forces to counterattack, and the heading of
the radar warning continually changes on your radar warning receiver. When
caught in such a SAM trap, you must visually locate the incoming missiles, take
the appropriate evasive maneuvers described later in this chapter, and get out of
the trap as quickly as possible.
Countering Against Enemy Air Defenses
Successfully penetrating the enemy air defense network is difficult. The following
suggestions will help you punch through, engage the target, and make it safely
home again.
Don’t Get Shot At
It may seem rather obvious, but the best way to avoid being hit by a missile is by
preventing the enemy from ever launching one. Fighter jets are often portrayed as
modern knights roaming the skies in search of a duel, but are in actuality more like
cats. Skillful hunters and powerful killers, they try to slip by silent and unseen
while stalking unsuspecting prey. Try to avoid enemy air defense concentrations
whenever possible. If possible, flight paths should be routed toward known weak
spots or other areas which have been heavily attacked.
Also, don’t wander from the instructed flight path. Other aircraft and ground forces
will usually be working to keep a corridor open for you. Straying out of this corridor
and into enemy SAM traps is usually fatal and is a common problem for
simulation pilots.
Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses
The Su-27, being rather large, isn’t particularly stealthy. The pilot, therefore, must
rely on tactics to mask his presence from the enemy. Perhaps the most effective
way of preventing the enemy from firing is simply to shoot first. This generally
means detecting the bad guys early, making a discreet approach, firing first and
getting out fast. By launching a fire-and-forget anti-radar missile, such as the Kh-
31p, the targeted SAM is forced to switch off its own radar to have any chance of
surviving. In air-to-ground terms, strike forces should generally be accompanied
by a SEAD escort: two or more aircraft equipped to engage enemy air defenses
and radar sites.