Matrix Games Forums

What's the difference between a SEAD and DEAD load out/mission?

DEAD - Destruction of Enemy Air Defences
SEAD - Suppression of Enemy Air Defences

DEAD implies Hard Kill i.e ordnance on target
SEAD can be accomplished by Electronic Warfare, but does not exclude kinetic weapons as well.

The load out differs for each airframe depending on capabilities.

The way how i see it, you'd do a SEAD strike on a SAM Btn, and a DEAD strike on a AAA Btn. A HARM destroys the targeting radar of a SAM, so those launchers are then suppressed and cant fire. AAA can use a targeting radar to make their accuracy better but can still fire without one, so for AAA you're targeting the guns themselves (so its DEAD) but for SAMs its just their target acquisition radar. For example the radar you want to destory for an SA-3 Btn is a Low Blow. Take that out and you dont have to worry about that SAM Btn anymore.

What we all want to be able to do is have the HARM target the specific radar that you want knocking out as there is normally a search and illuminating radar with each SAM Btn but Command doesnt enable you to do this...yet. I've heard they'll be implementing this in a future update.

You also want to make DEAD IR guided missiles shooters…

Also, depending on the mission at hand, you may or may not then want to attack the disabled missile launchers- cluster bombs seem to have been the weapon of choice in the Vietnam War for going after SA-2 sites, once the Radar trailer had been destroyed by a Shrike ARM.