DCS: F-16 Viper Countermeasures Hacks

Here's a short video with some useful tips about countermeasures in the DCS F-16 Viper

Recommended Viper tutorials:

Wags: @MattWagner
Bogey Dope: @BogeyDope
Carbon: @Carbon_715
Tricker: @TrickerDCS

[indianajon]

Reflected is making an F16 well, guess I need to start learning the F16 then!

[reginald-duzo]

Huge tip I use in the viper to not have to edit my countermeasures every time I hop in the F-16.

If you go to DCS World main directory (Not saved games) > Mods > F-16C > Cockpit > Scripts > EWS > CMDS > Device, and edit the LUA file as to how you like your countermeasures, it will save those settings every time you hop in to fly.

Note: Every update it resets itself so keep a copy of the file to drag and drop in this folder every update.

[Vortex]

I loved Dan Hampton's book. Really insightful for DCS Viper enthusiasts.

We need missions in a DCS campaign based on the scenarios in his book!

[Thunder-DannyBee]

I always set up my countermeasures like this:

Program 1 - 4x chaff with 0, 5 second interval (CMS up)
Program 5 - 15x chaff and flares with 1 second interval (SLAP switch)
Program 6 - 4x flares with 0, 25 second interval (CMS left)

This way I have everything I need and don't have to switch programs.

I use program 5 whenever I need to be protected for a strafing or bombing run and I can't keep an eye out for manpads or whatever there might be, this way I'm protected for 15 seconds.

By the way Viper Pilot really is the best Viper book, I've read it so many times already and I keep coming back.

Also, can't wait for your Viper campaign :) Thanks for the insightful video!

[operator]

That Dan Hampton book was one of my all time favorites as well. I like this technique too that he talked about and that you showed how to set up.

[wash_out]

That’s why DTC is so important. No one wants to set stuff like CMS up manually EVER. Love your work mate!

[Carbon_]

Great video and Viper Pilot by Two Dogs is a great book and can gain a lot of valuable insight about wild weasel ops.

[Crunch]

Viper Campaign! We need more. Look fwd to purchasing yours when released.

[prichardgs]

As always Reflected- a great informative video!!!!

[Wolfhound_]

One thing that really helps and I miss in this video is DiCE, a program that lets you set the programs ONCE and keeps them, rather than needing to set them every time you get into the pit.
I used 2 different flare programs: One that releases a single flare every second for the run-in on known or suspected IR SAM /MANPADS positions, one that releases 5x2 to defeat launches.

[AviationPlus]

Programs are all based on the threats you are facing so you must know what threats you will come up against. I have set up my DTC in BMS that does well with any threat.

1 - 3 x 1 Chaff only
2 - 3 x 2 Flare only
3 - 3 x 2 Chaff and Flare
4 - Dont use
Slap - 6 x flares only
6 - Single Flare

[The_Tau]

I always preferer singles flares when in dog fights or ACMs, I can see what bandit is doing so I can preflare when he gets in fire position or dump flares when he fires Fox2, this way it also conserves the flares too. Also great for helping your wingman for SA if he asks for flares to spot who is who.

I use flare programs only basically in ground attack for preflaring so I dont have to think about flares and just focus on CCIP piper, and if I see smoke in the air I use singles flares again to dump even more flares. But that might be just DCSism

[lankypilot]

I'll definitely grab that book. Thanks, good luck with the campaign mate, can't wait :)

[robinb]

„Vipers in the Storm: Diary of a Gulf War Fighter Pilot“ by Keith Rosenkranz, if you want the cockpit perspective of a „regular“ F-16 pilot during the Gulf war. I read this when I was still doing Falcon 4.0 and there are plenty of references in there on the „switchology“, workflows and procedures going on in an F-16 … oh, never mind :-) I should watch the video to the end, before commenting 😂

[dfed]

You can just set the BQ number to 0 to stop it from dropping that type of counter measure. I prefer CMS forward for flares only and CMS left for chaff.

[rasse]

F16 campaign? 😱😱😱 I can’t wait for that. If you ever need someone to test a mission I would be more than happy to do so lol.

[somting]

This is quite funny, I had it set literally the opposite way round, with the sidewall being flares and chaff as the thumb button. Might change that now. The most frustrating part is that if you edit the lua to set custom programs permanently, it breaks IC, so it’s gotta be done in cockpit.

[audunskilbrei]

Am I the only one who feels that chaff does nothing? I mostly have to defeat radar missiles by running them out of energy. They rarely break lock and I'm not sure I've ever seen one go after chaff. I usually go full flare no chaff when I fly.

[KegaKega-vcdp]

So, the sequence and timings of chaff and flare is highly classified stuff. As one said, you’ll never find a reference to that, if so it’s a illegal sharing of information. Because of that, one would have to do tests in DCS to see what works the best there. I asked Grim reapers for that one time, but I don’t think he understood the challenge. Different timings, numbers will have different impact on the different systems in RL. In DCS I don’t know.

[pyrduck]

What is a typical flare/chaff loading you've found from your research? I typically do a 90/30 chaff to flare if I'm not expecting to run into many IR guided systems. Also, what is the NATOPS equivalent for the Viper?

I'm so excited for this campaign though! I flew your Speed and Angels campaign and absolutely loved it. So, I'm sure I will enjoy this one even more!