Programs
Bursts, salvos and taking turns.
A dispenser set, an ALE-47's say, fires to a program the crew or the threat
picks. program is one:
| field | default | what it is |
|---|---|---|
burst | 2 | Flares in each burst. |
burstIntervalS | 0.25 | Between the flares of a burst, seconds. |
salvo | 4 | Bursts in the salvo. |
salvoIntervalS | 1 | Between the starts of two bursts, seconds. |
alternate | true | Whether the dispensers take turns, or each leaves from the first. |
payload | "flare" | What each release throws: "flare" or "chaff". |
By default, then, eight flares over three and a quarter seconds, from both sides in turn: a pattern as wide as the aircraft, and as long as its speed carries it in that time.
// One flare a side, at once, and nothing more
<Countermeasures program={{ burst: 2, burstIntervalS: 0, salvo: 1 }} />// The same program, as chaff
countermeasures.current?.fire({ payload: "chaff" });fire(program) on the ref overrides the program for one press. stop()
drops what is still to come of it; the flares already out burn on. clear()
puts them all out.
program_releases(program, dispensers) in /physics gives the schedule
itself: each release's time from the press, and its dispenser.
Many at once
quality caps how many are drawn at once, the oldest dropped first, and how
many chaff clouds, and how many of the brightest flares light the scene:
| quality | flares | chaff | point lights |
|---|---|---|---|
low | 16 | 16 | 0 |
medium | 32 | 32 | 1 |
high | 64 | 64 | 2 |
ultra | 128 | 128 | 4 |
A flare burns about three seconds, so even low holds a long program. A
chaff cloud lasts about half a minute.