Matrix Games Forums

I had a CL Boise TF parked in Manila as a bait for Jap bombers. No ship in the TF had radars.
The TF was attacked four times in a turn. Three attacks were detected by radars (I had three SCR-270 radars in Manila in LCUs).
However, the fourth raid was only spotted.

Does that mean that if all radars fail to detect an air raid, then you revert to visual spotting? If so, Japs still have a small chance late war to sneak an air raid undetected, even if an Allied base have several radars present.


Morning Air attack on TF, near Manila at 79,77
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Raid detected at 36 NM, estimated altitude 10,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

Morning Air attack on TF, near Manila at 79,77
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Raid detected at 67 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 22 minutes

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Manila at 79,77
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid detected at 89 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 30 minutes

Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Manila at 79,77
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Raid spotted at 36 NM, estimated altitude 8,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 11 minutes

In a word, yes.

Just like many device 'effects' in the game, the radar stats give the chance for a raid to be detected and how far out. No idea how the actual radar stats translate though, apart of max range giving more time for CAP to get in position.
Also depends on how high is the strike coming in (no in your case, of course), simply due to Earth's curvature.

The chance is there to simulate the attacking raid taking advantage of factors like temporary malfunction, operator error, attacking planes using a terrain feature to mask their approach etc.

Even in 1945 I believe some kamikaze raids were not detected or detected late. I would like to believe the game takes into account weather conditions, and it looks like there was bad weather in the area that day. It could be that the attack came in from behind a rain squall or the radars were in a rain squall, and the raid was not detected (i.e., bad weather reduces detection by 10% or some such). Just a thought, but I can't think of much that is 100% guaranteed in this game. Making everything less than 100% guaranteed allows for things like that mass of aircraft on the radar screen to the north of Oahu being interpreted as being a flight of B-17s from the West Coast and not warranting any action. Relish some randomness.

From pictures I have seen the SCR-270 was a lightweight radar that could not do a 360º sweep. It looks like the operator would have to crank it in the direction attacks were expected from. In that case there are lots of holes in radar coverage with 3 early radars.

What BBfanboy said.

Weather and ground reflection played a huge part. Even in the early 1960 when i first started working on them it was a problem.

From https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/re ... dar-3.html

DESCRIPTION: Six-vehicle mobile, long wave early warning aircraft detector. Azimuth and range supplied. Set is equipped with "A" scope. (like an oscilloscope)
USES: To establish a screen of warning which provides information of approaching aircraft as early as possible but with a sacrifice of accuracy in range, azimuth and elevation. IFF equipment RC-150 is used.
PERFORMANCE AND SITING: Maximum range on a single bomber flying at indicated heights, when set is on a flat sea level site:

Altitude, feet 1000 5000 20,000 25,000
Range, miles 20 50 100 110

The FAQ has this info about radars:

"While radar can have a range in excess of the 40NM hex, it does not extend outside the hex.

Instead, if the radar has a range of more than 40NM, it gets a number of extra chances to detect the raid equal to the number of hexes it could have reached. (range of 120NM would get 3 chances to detect raid, while a 40NM radar only the one).

Radar detects Airplanes. The longer the range the sooner it does so. The higher the effect the more accurate the data and the better your CAP will perform. There really isn't much more to it."


However, there is no hint if detection chance is linked to hex geography, current weather and raid composition. No info if chance is a capped percentage or variable percentage. It seems you have to accept that some raids will go in undetected no matter how many radars you have in a hex.

Interesting FAQ, but they seem to have forgotten that the bases are considered to be in the center of the hex and therefore the range to a hexside is only 20 NM. An aircraft flying at 300 Kts is covering 5 miles a minute!