GROUP DCS Radar Detection, RCS, and Lookdown Penalties 2023-07-16

# dcs-charts

A central repository for all of my DCS charts, if you want notifications when new versions are released create a Github account and click the watch button in the top right corner of the page: https://github.com/Quaggles/dcs-charts

## Table of Contents

[Aircraft Radar Detection Ranges](https://github.com/Quaggles/dcs-charts#aircraft-radar-detection-ranges)

[Aircraft Radar Lookdown Detection Penalties](https://github.com/Quaggles/dcs-charts#aircraft-radar-lookdown-detection-penalties)

[Aircraft RCS and IR Values](https://github.com/Quaggles/dcs-charts#aircraft-rcs-and-ir-values)

# Aircraft Radar Detection Ranges

## Chart Description/Methodology

A chart showing the detection ranges of all air to air radars in DCS, all values are hand tested with the conditions listed at the top of the chart, I wrote a script to give me a [realtime debug window](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/287928410687406080/1035942996622979082/unknown.png) showing me the target aircraft ranges and lookdown angles so I can test them all quickly without having to open the F10 map and use a ruler.

Modules that model Probability of Detection (Mirage 2000C and JF-17) add an extra level of complication, to measure those I have an [array of 10 aircraft flying directly towards me](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/287928410687406080/1035943238256836628/unknown.png) while I'm in active pause, as they get closer I wait until I detect 1%, 50% and 100% of jets per sweep and record those ranges. All target aircraft have no payload/stores and fly at an aspect angle of 180 degrees (Directly head to head)

## Changelog/Summary DCS 2.8.6

* The F-15E has been added. It has a monster of a radar, in my opinion in RWS/TWS it's the most performant radar ingame in the types of situations you will commonly encounter, the Tomcat slightly beats it out in PD-STT but that is a somewhat niche radar mode and you can't PD-STT from that range.

* Remember the chart represents ranges against a target with no stores attached, the F-15E and Mirage 2000C increase the target RCS when stores are added increasing detection range. If you fly against fighters loaded with just 6 air to air missiles the detection range can increase by 10nmi or more.

* NCTR ranges have been added to the chart, the F-15E can NCTR in STT from at least twice the range of the F-15C, Hornet and Viper. Note the F-15E seems to have no NCTR range limit in TWS.

## Changelog/Summary DCS 2.7.16

There has been a lot of discussion about lookdown penalties recently so I thought I'd test it all and share my results so the discussion goes beyond anecdotal experiences

All ED modules have a massive penalty that will come into effect around 1.5° and 2° lookdown angle in all PRFs ([Exact formula discovered here](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoggit/comments/who13a/dcs_2716_aircraft_radar_lookdown_penalties_chart/ij7du4h/)), as an example with the Hornet as soon as you pass that angle your detection range drops by 33% from 48nmi to 32nmi. Beyond that 2° cutoff there is no further penalty, even down to 15-30° lookdown. This behaviour has not changed since at least February 2022 (See chart notes for more details)

JF-17 also has a pretty sharp penalty in RWS HPRF past 2.5° dropping detection range by ~20% and a minor MPRF penalty that's only noticeable past 7.5°, Velocity Scan has no penalties. Most other modules have either 0 or minor penalties that won't be particularly noticeable in real world gameplay.

# Aircraft RCS and IR Values

Values gathered from https://github.com/Quaggles/dcs-lua-datamine

Click to expand...

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