jarraya
Posts: 321
Joined: 9/10/2007
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quote:
ORIGINAL: FlyingBear
ESM has an advantage over the radar in terms of path loss, since the radar has to detect a signal that travels from the radar to the target and back while the ESM detects a signal that has only gone one way from the radar to the target. Thus the conventional wisdom that ESM detects radar before radar detects target, which is often correct.
However:
1. Radar sensitivity can (partially) offset the path loss difference; can apply to sophisticated radar vs. simple radar warning receiver.
2. Antenna gain can (partially) offset the path loss difference; large, highly directional radar antenna vs. small omni-directional radar warning receiver antenna.
3. Coding gain can (partially) offset the path loss difference; LPI radar vs. not-overly-sophisticated ESM.
4. Combinations of 1, 2 and 3.
5. Cases where detection range is limited by radar horizon rather than by the radar equation for both radar and ESM, meaning both detect each other at the same time. Often the case for ship vs. ship detection using any but the most primitive surface search radar.
So for the OP's question: Judgement call based on knowledge of the radiating platform capabilities and related factors. Not always easy to determine.
Obviously radar and ESM is one of the most difficult things to get right in the game (I can imagine only sonar is more complicated). Understanding that, my experience is the same as Primarchx, an ESM detection means you've been detected. I even ran a few Super Etendard vs. Type 21 Frigate in the editor and I found that the planes get an ESM reading almost exactly at the same time they are detected, even though they are flying at 20,000ft and well within the radar ring. Exactly the same for the boat, they get an ESM reading of the Agave radar practically (within seconds) of being detected.
Because of this limitation I don't think ESM helps players much in the game except than to tell you that you've been detected. However, there's probably a lot more that can be done, and I wanted to propose to the devs some mechanism whereby a unit that has been painted by a radar can tell the player what units it believes are tracking it. If there can be some visual way of doing this, then the player can make tactical decisions about where to send units or where not to send units.
I got this idea from a book on SpecOps that described how radar coverage contours are analysed. Basically, an overlay for each radar is mapped with terrain, and therefore radar blind spots can be identified. Then, terrain masking can be really used because the units who are masking will know when the radar paints them. Of course there's no way to know, 100% with ESM if the enemy detects you, but at least if you can tell what's on a unit's RWR or ESM you can decide.
Thoughts?
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Question for players - radar detection - 
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