Noob Help ECM?

[goulash]

Can someone possibly do a very quick paragraph regarding use of ECM Or link to a good read / YouTube vid on the very basic understanding.

Just want a better understanding of what this does on each platform in game, when to use, and more so, when to switch off.

Nothing special, the very basics will do for now and I can research the rest as I get time to.

Thanks in advance

[Primarchx]

ECM (and here we'll discuss Offensive ECM) degrades enemy radar performance. Because it is an active system an ESM set (electronic support measures) can be used to locate it, like radar. It's effectiveness has a lot to do with the power and sophistication (generation) of both the ECM set and the opposing radar system. A big, modern ECM system may overwhelm an old, weak radar system to the point of ineffectiveness beyond a very close range. Given that EM radiation travels in straight lines, ECM is more effective when the radar emitter it pointing at the source of jamming. ECM is also range-limited - at some point the power of the jammed radar will overcome that of the jammer (called burn-through).

In the game ECM seems to work best when the jamming platform and any units it is trying to protect with ECM coverage are in a tight axis with each other with respect to the threat radar. The more out of alignment they are the less effective the jamming. This can be pretty tricky when dealing with multiple threat radars coming in from a wide arc of directions.

Jamming effects in the game:
* The word JAMMED appears by a platform: This unit is under some level of effect by a hostile jammer.
* The word JAM appears by a platform: A unit currently using active Offensive ECM.
* ECM-emitting platforms can be detected and located by ESM, similar to radar.
* Radars effected by ECM may have difficulty locating targets beyond a certain range.
* Radars effected by ECM may have difficulty maintaining contact with targets beyond a certain range.

[Jorge_Stanbury]

Is ECM 360 degrees effective?
or does it needs to be heading to the radar?

[Primarchx]

My experience with Command ECM indicates that it's unidirectional (effects radars on all bearings to the ECM platform). Remember that a radar not pointing toward a jamming unit is generally unaffected.

ORIGINAL: Jorge_Stanbury

Is ECM 360 degrees effective?
or does it needs to be heading to the radar?

[goulash]

Thanks folks. Helps much and I will look it up further. I'm sure someone will do a vid soon anyway but I wanted some basics and then I will have a play in game. Never seen the word jammed yet appear in game though.

I know to try and avoid using active sensors for stealth reasons. Like I said, i am fairly Noob at it all although Dangerous waters is a game I really enjoyed.

[bsq]

What is described above appears to be basic noise jamming be that barrage, spot or swept spot. These do indeed rely on the simple power equation and overwhelm a radar with brute force. They mask the jammer or protected units by placing a noise spike into the system which wipes out part or most of the operators display. The newer jammers use deception techniques either by generating a set of false targets (to confuse someone trying to locate it) or a single false target to 'seduce' the tracking circuitry of a radar so that the various gates and loops believe that the false target is the real one. This latter categories does not need to be more powerful than the victim radar.

Not sure which are modeled in the game...

[Jorge_Stanbury]

you might be using only the top notch navies (US and friends) if you have not seen yet the word "jammed"

try picking the less technologicaly advanced side and you will see it plenty of time; moreover, if you are using semi-active missiles; "jammed" means you just lost the missile

assuming AA is already taken care, you can potentially send a jamming aircraft as a lead plane, followed by strike groups with anti-radiation missiles on the same bearing, this can be dangerous for the EC plane (as heat seakers will still work), but will work

[Primarchx]

JAMMED active missiles area actually not too badly effected from what I've seen thus far, though their basket may be smaller.

SARH, Command and TVM guidance is more susceptible to Jamming as frequent losses of contact raise the chance that there's not a precise fix on the target at the moment of weapon impact.