SAM

A Surface to Air Missile site (SAM) is, as the name would suggest, a ground based system dedicated to launching missiles at your aircraft. This page covers the various SAMs in DCS, their characteristics, typical deployments (as used by real-life militaries), and tactics for mission makers and pilots to be aware of.

SAM Concepts

All SAM components must be in the same group in the Mission Editor in order to function. All SAMs have limited ammunition. Placement of an Ammunition truck (such as the Ural-375) of any kind nearby a launcher will allow it to reload. The reloading process has no associated animation and occurs in real time, so small manpads may take 3 minutes to reload, while big SA-10s take nearly an hour. SAM components should generally be placed close to each other. However, many SAMs (especially later radar based SAMS) are able to spread units as far as 25nm from the command post, enabling dispersed configurations.

SA-2 Guideline

Typical Layout of an SA 2, with optional Shilkas and Igla team to cover against low approaches.

The SA-2 is a Soviet Radar guided medium range (~20 nm) high altitude SAM system developed in 1957, but continues to see use to this day. The missiles are given remote commands from a ground operator, effectively making them Semi-Active Radar Homing.

Components

Unit	Typical Qty	Function	Loss effect
SAM SR P-19	1	A basic search radar. Provides intelligence to where aircraft are, but cannot provide missile guidance by itself.	Degradation of SAM threat range to visual.
SAM SA-2 TR SNR-75 Fan Song	1	Tracks single aircraft at a time, providing a missile firing solution. Cannot locate aircraft beyond visual range without a search radar.	SAM unable to fire or track, effectively disabled.
SAM SA-2 LN SM-90	6	The actual missile launcher, fires remote-commanded missiles.	SAM unable to fire without missiles, effectively disabled.

Strategy

Soviet doctrinal placements of units are in a flower pattern, with sensors/logistics units at the center and launchers arranged an a circle around them spaced no more than a few hundred feet apart. However, this is a very easy arrangement to spot from the air, so guerrilla forces throughout history have been known to use other arrangements for the sake of concealment.

One of the easier systems to evade, the tracking radar is easily fooled via notching and chaff bursts of at minimum 4 per second. Missiles have no guidance of their own: defeat the track radar to defeat the missile. It is also completely unable to track targets below about 4,000 ft AGL, leaving it vulnerable to low runs. As a result, sites should also include short range anti-air able to engage at low altitudes, such as AAA guns and MANPADS.

SA-10

One of the most dangerous SAMs in the game, this fucker chews up aircraft and spits them out for breakfast. This mobile system fires fully active radar homers at ranges in excess of 30 nm.

Components

Unit	Typical Qty	Function	Loss effect
SAM SA-10 S-300PS CP 54K6	1	The Command Post, enables units to work together.	Degradation of SAM data link.
SAM SA-10 S-300PS SR 64H6E "Big Bird"	1	Search radar, capable of locating aircraft and missiles.	Loss of search radar capability, ability to fire at missiles and defend itself against SEAD.
SAM SA-10 S-300PS SR 5N66M "Clam Shell"	1	Search radar, capable of locating aircraft at extremely low altitudes	Loss of search radar capability, ability to find low-flying aircraft.
SAM SA-10 S-300PS TR 30N6 "Flap Lid"	1	Track radar, can track up to 6 targets and guide 2 missiles to each of them.	System loses the ability to fire missiles, effectively disabling it.
SAM SA-10 S-300PS LN 5P85[C or D]	6	The actual missile launcher, fires fully active missiles.	SAM unable to fire without missiles, effectively disabled.

Strategy

Being a mobile system, it can be placed in a wide array of configurations. Soviet emplacements frequently reuse old SA-2 and SA-3 sites, resulting in similar layouts. That said, this system can be widely dispersed, so long as all components are within 25nm of the command post. This is a very expensive and strategically significant air defense system, and absolutely should be backed up with shorter range systems and AAA.

The SA-10 is not a system to be taken lightly: it can track you and up to five other friends from near ground level to high altitude, shoot down HARMS and other missiles, and do so at a quick pace. Keeping terrain between yourself and the missile site is about the only real evasion technique. SEAD flights might consider taking down the "Big Bird" (RWR code "BB") antenna first, to shut down its ability to kill incoming missiles.

SA-15 Tor

The SA-15 is a Soviet radar guided mobile short range SAM system. It consists solely of the SAM SA-15 Tor 9A331 vehicle, which combines the search radar, track radar, and launcher all in one vehicle.

Strategy

Being a mobile system, it is capable of tracking targets on the move, though it must stop to fire. This capability makes it a great escort for convoys, and it can easily evade SEAD missiles by turning off its radar while moving.

This unit likes to fire two missiles at a time. Fortunately, the missiles are only Semi-Active, so defeating the emitter will make them go stupid. Unfortunately, it tends to wait until you're really close before it fires. The missiles do not attempt to avoid ground collision, so a steep dive will drive them into the ground.

SA-18 Igla

The SA-18 is a Soviet Infrared guided mobile short range SAM system.

Components

Unit	Typical Qty	Function	Loss effect
SAM SA-18 Igla Comm	1	The guy with the binoculars, who will visually acquire targets and tell the launcher operator who to shoot.	Degradation of SAM threat range.
SAM SA-18 Igla MANPAD	1	The guy with the launcher, who is responsible for actually firing on targets.	SAM effectively disabled.

Strategy

Can be found anywhere two guys with a tube can reasonably hide. As such, they are particularly dangerous, especially to planes who lack a Missile Approach Warning System (as seen on the A-10C or JF-17). Best avoided by staying out of range (4-5 miles, below 25,000 ft). If you must cross into its engagement circle, fly fast and drop flares at a rate of about 1 per second, and keep your head on a swivel.

While real life MANPAD teams are numerous and more than happy to surprise pilots, this is a bit of a "Fuck You" button that can make missions extremely unfun if not used judiciously. As a result, goon mission makers tend to embed these in known hostile positions to keep strike craft on their toes, or in locations to catch out people who have strayed from briefed courses/altitudes.

MIM-23 Hawk

American Medium Range SARH SAM system. While phased out of US service, it remains employed throughout the world. Despite its origin as an American SAM, Iran was sold some during the Iran-Contra affair, and is a frequent Redfor threat in the Persian Gulf. The Hawk modeled in DCS is a Phase I design, first fielded in the 1980s.

Components

Unit	Typical Qty	Function	Loss effect
SAM Hawk PCP	1	Platoon Command Post, enables units to work together.	Degradation of SAM data link.
SAM Hawk SR AN/MPQ-50	1	High Altitude Search Radar, a search radar for finding targets at high altitudes.	Loss of search radar capability.
SAM Hawk CWAR AN/MPQ-55	1	Low altitude Acquisition Radar, a search radar for finding targets at low altitudes.	Loss of search radar capability, ability to find low-flying aircraft.
SAM Hawk TR AN/MPQ-46	1	Tracking Radar, guides missiles to target.	Loss of ability to launch, effectively disabling the system.
SAM Hawk LN M192	6	Launcher, fires missiles	Loss of missiles, effectively disabling the system.

Strategy

As a SARH launcher, the best way to defeat the missile is to defeat the track radar through notching and chaff, or by simply running away. Low approaches are of limited effectiveness so long as the CWAR is alive.