ThunderHQ / Nuclear Escalation
Understanding AI Air Defenses
The target might be easy to hit. Getting past everything protecting it is the hard part.
Look beyond the first launcher
Before attacking a depot, look for the SAMs, guns and convoy escorts around it. Getting past the nearest launcher can still leave you exposed to another site farther away.
Ships have their own overlapping defenses. The July changes improved their ability to engage low-flying targets and added SM-2MR missiles. Skimming the water on the way in won’t keep you safe by itself.
Back to contents ↑A quiet radar may still be alive
S-75 and HAWK systems can switch off their radars when threatened by an anti-radiation missile at medium to long range. That behavior was added in the October 8 update, so losing the emission doesn’t mean your missile destroyed the site.
Keep flying while you check the result. Don’t circle over the position waiting for a kill message. If you need another look, come back from somewhere you still have room to turn away, or ask a teammate to check.
Back to contents ↑Use terrain carefully
A hill can break the site’s view of you, but you still need room to fly. Avoid a route that forces you to pull up sharply in front of the next launcher.
SAMs on high ground can engage aircraft flying below them over water following the October 8 fix. Being lower than the launcher isn’t the same as putting terrain between you and it.
Back to contents ↑Attack the site blocking your route
- Go after the defense stopping you or a teammate from reaching the target. A distant radar isn’t worth your weapons just because it appears on the display.
- Check how your weapon locks and guides. An ARM needs a radar emission it can home on; a normal guided bomb won’t track a radar that way.
- Know which way you’ll turn after firing. If you’re still trying to get a lock as you close on the site, break off and try again.
- Tell teammates what you actually know: the site is destroyed, its radar is quiet, or it’s still firing.