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.

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

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!

„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 😂

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Looking forward to that campaign!

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

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.

Interesting topic...i did in similiar way from beggining of this video

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.

Does the Pilots head move with your head in VR? One of the most needed features is the Mission Editor needs to have a 3d view. Im tired of putting things on the side of a hill and not knowing it until I fly the mission.

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.

Tbh, I never really understood the usefulness of pre-definable countermeasure programs. Just like you said, when I know my enemy, I don't want to waste the wrong type, I only want to pump out either chaff OR flare, not both. If I (for whatever reason) want to actually use chaff AND flare at the same time, I just tap the corresponding buttons alternately. For me, the same applies for quantity: I like full control of how many countermeasure is being dropped. This is one thing I like about the FC3 aircrafts: because of simplification, they have "drop chaff" and "drop flare" buttons (there's of course also continuous options for those who prefer them). With high fidelity modules, I set up chaff-only and flare-only programs whenever I can. I'm sure there's a good reason countermeasure programs (multiple per aircraft) exist, I just don't see it.

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.

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!

What I've noticed Growling Sidewinder doing is he will just turn off the countermeasure that he doesn't want to use at that time. If he's BVR and/or facing SAMs, he would just turn flares off. When he gets into a merge, he turns the flares back on and maybe turns the chaff off. This is quite a bit easier than doing custom programs, but it could also be slower than using different actions for different measures. My home "cockpit" (in quotes because it's basically a HOTAS and some MFDs on a table) doesn't have a slap switch, so either I have to map one or I could just use the switches. Just REMEMBER to turn them on when you need them!

Have you talked with C.W. Lemoine? He is a KZfaqr who flew the F-16 and has made a few DCS F-16 Viper videos.

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.

My warbird brain watching this and trying to contemplate it lol

Hey this is completely off topic but have you considered doing a campaign in the community A4? Its a solid mod that seems perfect for your style of campaigns.

When you talk about your upcomming Viper campaign, do you mean the one, that comes with the Kola Map, or are you creating a second Viper campaign?

OMG

Easiest would be, setting your dispenser to bypass (BYP) instead of using any programm. This way, CMS fwd and aft control flare / chaff manually: One press = One dispense.

It's a shame the towable decoys aren't available in DCS. Would certainly add more survivability to weaselling.

didnt even know you could program countermeasures, That will be mighty helpful when theres actually decent campaigns to use it in🤣

The fist button is the panic flare button, it is usually set to dispence a lot of flares in cases like when the pilot sees an IR missile tracking at the last moment All the other programs are usually programmed as per pilot's preference. I use program 1 (cms fwd) for 1 chaff and program 6 (cms left) for 1 flare.

i never use programs, i just go thumb left when i need them, and active what i need when i need

ironic that you use the panic button for the program with more planning and the normal switch for the immediate program

Just go with knowing the threats and personal preference on what to use. You’re not going to find documentation on what to use.

I think the RL programs used for countermeasures is a closely guarded secret which I hope nobody actually posts in the comments. Please don’t ask for stuff like that. You’re going to get someone in trouble. Or worse…