Game Version: 1.09 – Build 1776
Database Version: DB3K v514
Severity: Medium–Major
Subject
Aircraft remain stuck in “Engaged Defensive” state after SARH threats are gone
Description
Since the recent changes to the missile evasion logic with regard to active target illumination radars, I’ve noticed problematic behavior related to SARH missile engagements (both Surface-to-Air and Air-to-Air). In Build 1776, some aircraft remain stuck in the Engaged Defensive state for extended periods, even though there are no missiles still in flight and no illumination radar is active anymore.
I am aware that an earlier beta version had a bug where aircraft could enter an Engaged Defensive state despite being hundreds of nautical miles away from the threat. That specific issue no longer seems to occur in Build 1776. However, there are still noticeable and disruptive anomalies.
Typically, the aircraft initially react correctly by turning away from the perceived threat. The issue is that they sometimes remain in this defensive state for several minutes after the threat has clearly subsided. In some cases, flight members behave inconsistently: the lead aircraft (#1) may return to its original course, while the wingman continues flying aimlessly in Engaged Defensive mode for minutes.
In other situations, the originally threatened aircraft transitions back to On Patrol or On Course relatively quickly, while bystanders that were much farther away remain stuck in Engaged Defensive behavior for a long time and continue to fly away from the combat area.
Another complication is that this behavior is difficult to capture reliably in savegames. When loading a save, the issue often disappears or is overwritten by a new state evaluation, making it hard to preserve in a single snapshot. From my observations, the problem becomes significantly worse in larger and more complex scenarios. In dense engagements, aircraft may spend a long time in afterburner while stuck in defensive logic and then go RTB due to fuel exhaustion.
In my smaller test scenario, I can fairly reliably trigger Engaged Defensive maneuvers that persist for 1–2 minutes after the threat has faded. This could still be considered WAD to some extent, as pilots may build in a safety buffer. However, in larger scenarios, the behavior seems to persist much longer, giving the impression that something in the finite-state machine governing threat resolution and state transitions may be off and should be reviewed.
This issue has become particularly noticeable while building Cold War–era scenarios, where SARH missile usage is frequent.
Frequency
Intermittent but frequent, especially in complex or large-scale scenarios with many SARH launches
Steps to Reproduce
- Load one of the attached scenarios.
- Allow SARH missile engagements to occur (Surface to Air).
- Wait until all missiles are dodged or miss their targets, and no illumination radar is active.
- Observe that some aircraft remain in Engaged Defensive mode for an extended period.
- Note inconsistent behavior between lead aircraft, wingmen, and distant bystanders.
Attached Files
Auto-Evasion_Engaged Defensive SARH.zip, containing:
- Auto-Evasion_Engaged Defensive_Pre Engagement.scen
- Auto-Evasion_Engaged Defensive 1.save (Post Engagement 1)
- Auto-Evasion_Engaged Defensive 2.save (Post Engagement 2)
Additional Notes
- The issue does not always persist after loading a save, making it difficult to capture reliably.
- Behavior appears significantly worse in complex scenarios with many simultaneous engagements.
- Aircraft may burn excessive fuel in afterburner while stuck in defensive logic, leading to premature RTB.
- The issue may be related to state-reset or threat-clearance logic in the post-SARH engagement phase.
- I can attempt to generate additional test cases or saves if required, though reproducing the exact state consistently is challenging.