Arma 3 How To Turn On Radar
Marie Ota
Hi, I am currently having an in-game issue where I cannot seem to enable the radar in the scroll menu. I've tried launching my game with and without mods, but with no luck - the option simply does not appear in the scroll menu when I am inside a plane.
Since getting the Jets DLC for Arma 3, no matter how many times I restart my game, reinstall it, validate files, and change controls, I can't turn radar on or off when I'm in planes. The option to toggle it literally isn't even there. I've tried every control preset, I don't know what to do anymore, the option literally doesn't appear anywhere no matter what I do. I have hundreds of hours on Arma, so I'm familiar with how the control scheme works, so I don't know what to do, and I don't see any threads about this from Googling.
I've been conducting a little bit of 'science' recently on an Arma server which I help to administrate, and I've noticed that the RHS vehicles which we have implemented do not seem to have the correct lock on warning signals that usually come with the vehicles when used in the editor, for example. As far as I am aware, I fully understand how the lock on warning system works, ( take for example the Mi-24VT which I was testing, where the warning appears in the top centre of the cockpit, lighting up depending on which threat you are dealing with ). While this works in the editor, I have found that this is not the case on our server. I'm struggling to think of reasons why this would be the case, except for the fact that on our server, radar is deactivated by default. Could anyone with a little more knowledge than me perhaps confirm/deny whether or not this is the cause of the issue? It seems logical, but at the same time, other modded/vanilla vehicles still have lock on warning tones despite having the radar disabled.
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When the Liberation modset was finalised it was decided to include Shacktac as a required mod. This was to level the playing field for everyone. New players would not need to go find another mod and would not be missing the data that it provides and SL/TL would know that the team members would have access to that information. Experienced players could always turn it off in the settings if it is not wanted.
Every individual battery has four launch tubes which each contain a single radar-guided, surface-to-air missile, combined for a total of four missiles per launcher. It can be "controlled" with a UAV Terminal, and is always paired alongside unarmed AN/MPQ-105 radar sites which are designed to work in tandem with the launcher.
This is because aside from data link capability, the Defender does not have any sensors by itself. Instead, the AN/MPQ-105 remotely provides the Defender with an active radar. This allows it to acquire and launch its SAMs against distant aircraft without having to expose the launcher's position (electronically).
With smart positioning of each radar site, a single Defender battery placed in the centre of this "network" can cover an entire area extending out to 16 km. However, it should be noted that this does require each radar site to be within range in order to share information with the Defender.
At the same time, each radar site is incredibly vulnerable to hackers and being detected by anti-radiation passive radars the moment they are activated. This makes it paramount that crews at each site only turn on their radars when an attack is expected, and always have armed escorts nearby to deter potential saboteurs.
The Defender is data link-capable with all sensor-equipped vehicles and aircraft but is specifically designed to interface with the AN/MPQ-105 radar. It is able to receive (not transmit) target location information from any site within 16 km range of the Defender's current position.
Note that while the launcher itself is theoretically capable of locking onto targets at an unlimited distance by daisy chaining AN/MPQ-105 radars or Cheetah SPAAGs, it is actually limited to a hard range cap of 16 km. Beyond this distance, it will not be capable of locking onto a target even if it can track the target via data link.
The AN/MPQ-105 site is the primary component of the Defender system and provides the launcher with the ability to lock onto targets. Targets can only be acquired if they get within bounds of the radar antenna's detection cone (represented by the teal cone on the SENSORS panel).
Note that although ground targets technically remain "invisible" to the radar due to terrain clutter, any targets that begin moving at speeds of 100 km/h or greater will immediately become visible on the AN/MPQ-105's radar.
The AN/MPQ-105's Passive Radar can only detect Active Radar threats that are within bounds of the radar antenna's facing direction. Targets outside of this cone will not be visible on the SENSORS panel.
As soon as Arma 3 Jets DLC appeared on the horizon, we began to think about its so-called 'platform features' (improvements available to everyone that owns Arma 3). One of the key items on our wishlist was the 'radar' (also sometimes known as 'magic radar' to its detractors!). While its ease-of-use was convenient in some ways, Jets DLC represented a splendid opportunity to add more depth to detection and targeting gameplay. Now - after many, many hours of development, and the commitment of the whole team (and Electronic Warfare Task Force in particular!) - we're almost ready to distribute our new approach to our Arma 3 service members.
So far, Arma 3 has only featured jets designed for Close-Air-Support (CAS). However, since these were the only fast-movers available in the vanilla game, these fighters quickly turned into jacks-of-all-trades, serving as dog-fighters or interceptors, just as much as they were used as CAS aircraft. We felt that simply adding the new and faster fixed-wings planned for Jets DLC would not change our aerial ecosystem, in terms of emphasizing the specialties of different types of jets. So, for the sake of both authenticity and gameplay, we needed to introduce new mechanics that would promote meaningful diversity.
In large part, the new Sensor Overhaul enables our CAS fighters to be better at tracking and engaging ground targets, and ensures that air-to-air combat (e.g. dog-fighting) is best left to our new air-superiority fighters. Additionally, by turning anti-air platforms into a true menace for anything that moves above the tree-tops, we present pilots with a very strong motivation to co-operate with ground forces, which fits into our vision of Arma 3 as a combined arms military sandbox. Our goal was to design a whole new food-chain! However, we also needed to place that goal in the context of Arma 3.
Somewhere in between a shooter game and a simulator, our series holds a unique place in the gaming scene. To a significant extent, what works in real life most likely also works in Arma. Players should expect a better outcome if they deploy real world tactics in game. At the same time, we don't want players to have to read a full manual before being able to perform more advanced actions. Thus, when we worked on the design of our Sensor Overhaul, we needed to tackle the tricky question of how to abstract the usage and behavior of radar systems to be suitable for Arma gameplay.
By way of example, let's dig into just one element we found to be very interesting for gameplay: the difference between passive and active sensors, and the possibility to switch radars on and off. 'Passive' sensors, like IR, detect target's emissions or reflections from other sources (e.g. visible light). This means the target will not be able to tell who is 'looking' at it. On the other hand, 'active' sensors, like radar, rely on the reflections of a transmitted signal (imagine pointing a flashlight at someone during the night).
With your own source of energy you're no longer limited to a target's own emissions / environment. Yet, the obvious drawback is that others may be able to detect who is 'shining', and where that signal comes from. In gameplay terms, this new system - including the option of switching the radar on and off, or ability to detect someone's active radar - gives players an interesting choice between going for enhanced situational awareness or lower profile. Together with other new features, players can now make decisions about how much information they want about battlefield, balancing that advantage against the risks of gathering it.
In short - instead of the old radar that used to combine behaviors of Infrared Search and Track and an actual radar - we now have a selection of individual sensors with more authentic behaviour. To get a broader view on the new features, let's take a closer look at the new sensors one by one.
These new features and radar types stand to make significant changes to the experience of targeting (and being targeted!). We thought it may be helpful to offer some advice on how to use (and avoid being used by!) the new sensors. The best way to avoid detection is to stay out of the enemy sensors' line of sight. Learning ranges, fields-of-view and blind spots of individual vehicle sensor suites will help you stay out of enemy's reach (and/or get into their comfort zone at the same time). Knowing the enemy's sensor types and qualities will take you a step further. Basic ideas that you may find useful in combat include:
Now let's examine the new radar display UI a bit further. For all the new rules and behaviors described above, the small radar or compass circle on top of the screen was no longer enough. While having nice radar displays directly in the modelled cockpit would perhaps have been most ideal, that was unfortunately not feasible (discussed further on our forums). Although our goal is always to be UI-minimalistic, we needed to come up with another UI solution. Hence we took some 'jets-y' inspiration from Multi-function Displays (MFD) and decided to combine several other existing elements together.
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