Electronic warfare: Difference between revisions

{{related class|EWAR (CORE class)}}

{{Weapon Systems Links}}

* Electronic Counter Measures (ECM, or "jams")

* Remote Sensor Dampening ("damps")

* Target Painting

Each of the four player races specializes in one of these types of EWAR, and has ships specially bonused to that EWAR type. All four of these types of EWAR are generated by mid-slot modules with similar (but not identical) fitting and capacitor requirements.  

Additional forms of electronic warfare are [[Tackling Guide|tackling modules]] to hold the enemy in place, and [[Capacitor Warfare Guide|capacitor warfare modules]] to drain or steal capacitor.

== Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) ==

[[File:Icon ecm gravimetric.png|left]]ECM causes the targeted ship to lose all of its current target locks (often called 'jamming' the targeted ship). The jammed ship cannot target anyone or anything for the duration of the ECM module's cycle (20 seconds), and can only re-acquire its targets after the ECM module fails to jam its target or stops cycling. ECM is often considered the most powerful of the four types of EWAR, because it renders an opponent virtually helpless, disabling their interactions with other ships and with their environment.

However, there is an important, unique downside to ECM: the success of each ECM module cycle is a matter of chance, with a probability that depends on the jam strength of the ECM module and the sensor strength of the target (with larger targets generally harder to jam than smaller ones). That probability is also affected by the distance to the target; the jamming strength of ECM modules is not reducecd in their optimal range, but the strength decreases through falloff with same formula as [[turret mechanics|turret falloff]], such that ECM is only half as likely to work at (optimal + falloff). Taken together, all this means that sometimes you will jam the opposing ship, and sometimes you won't, and each cycle of your ECM modules is like a roll of the dice.

*[[Griffin]] (Tech I frigate)

*[[Griffin Navy Issue]] (Faction frigate)

*[[Kitsune]] (Electronic Attack Ship)

*[[Blackbird]] (Tech I cruiser)

*[[Rook]] (Combat Recon Ship)

*[[Falcon]] (Force Recon Ship)

*[[Scorpion]] (Tech I battleship)

*[[Widow]] (Black Ops battleship)

The first five modules in the table—Tech I, meta, and Tech II—also exist, with slightly different names, for specific targeting of Minmatar (Ladar), Gallente (Magnetometric), Anarr (Radar) and Caldari (Gravimetric) sensors. Multispectral ECM modules are likewise available in meta, Tech II, faction and storyline variants. For racially specific modules, the color of the module indicates the race that it targets. Multispectral ECM modules are white.

The UniWiki's [[ECM Guide]] covers ECM mechanics in more detail, including a mathematical analysis of jamming probabilities for different scenarios.

=== Burst Jammers ===

Tech I Burst Jammers are also available in Compact, Enduring, and Scoped meta versions. Because they require so much capacitor, Burst Jammers can only practically be used on large ships. And, importantly, most of the Caldari ECM ships listed above are not bonused for Burst Jammers, only for targeted ECM; the [[Scorpion]] is the only ship in EVE that receives a Burst Jammer bonus (to range). Burst Jammers are especially dangerous to use in high-security space, because if there is anything non-engageable within the module's effect radius—including neutral ships, gates, stations, even asteroids—CONCORD will respond by destroying your ship.

| 30 || 1 || 5% || 5% || III

| 'Hypnos' Signal Distortion Amplifier I (meta 4)

| 29 || 1 || 10% || 10% || III

* {{sk|Electronic Warfare}}: 5% less capacitor need for ECM and ECM Burst systems per skill level.  

=== Countering ECM: Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM) ===

ECM is directly countered by Sensor Boosters, Remote Sensor Boosters, and Signal Amplifiers. All of these modules provide a bonus to all four types (Gravimetric, Magnetometric, Radar and Ladar) of sensor strength, along with bonuses to targeting range and scan resolution (locking time). Sensor boosters and remote sensor boosters are active, mid-slot modules, and can be fitted with an ECCM Script that doubles the sensor strength effect at the expense of the targeting range and scan resolution effects. As their names suggest, a sensor booster affects the fitted ship, while remote sensor boosters are used to assist other ships. Signal amplifiers are passive, low-slot modules that affect the fitted ship. Signal amplifiers cannot be scripted. Ships that are frequently the target of enemy jamming, such as logistics and other EWAR ships, will often fit a sensor booster or signal amplifier to counter enemy ECM.

 

== Weapon Disruption ==

 

Weapon disruption is used to interfere with the range of enemy weapons and their ability to hit moving targets. As a result, weapon disruption can allow pilots to evade being hit by weapons that might otherwise damage them. There are two types of weapon disruption:  

* Tracking Disruption (TD) which specifically affects the range and tracking of enemy [[Turrets|turrets]]

* Guidance Disruption, which affects the travel and explosion characteristics of enemy [[missiles]].  

These two types of weapon disruption are associated with two different modules: Tracking Disruptors and Guidance Disruptors. That means that EWAR pilots fitting weapon disruptors have to choose which type of module to fit: Do I want my modules to interfere with [[Turret Damage|turret damage]], or [[Missile Damage|missile damage]]? (Or should I fit some of each?)

*[[Crucifier]] (Tech I frigate)

*[[Crucifier Navy Issue]] (Faction frigate)

*[[Sentinel]] (Electronic Attack Ship)

*[[Arbitrator]] (Tech I cruiser)

*[[Curse]] (Combat Recon Ship)

*[[Pilgrim]] (Force Recon Ship)

Weapon disruption—and specifically tracking disruption—was long considered the weakest form of EWAR in fleet PvP, as most of the PvP meta was focused on missiles and drones, which tracking disruption doesn't affect. But the introduction of guidance disruptors, and a shift of the PvP meta away from droneboats, has led to a resurgence of weapon disruption in PvP. Wings of [[Crucifier|Crucifiers]], in particular, have become popular components of SovNull fleets.

 

Like other EWAR modules, Tech I tracking disruptors are available in Scoped, Compact, and Enduring meta versions.  

The chart above shows disruption penalties like EVE's infoboxes do, as negative "bonuses". The Range Bonus numbers are simple; range disruption cuts down the range of an opponent's turrets. The Tracking Speed Bonus numbers are less intutitive, because their effects depend on the tracking characteristics of an opponent's guns. To put these numbers into perspective, an EVE University Derptron ([[Atron]]) pilot that has tackled a typically fit [[Stabber Fleet Issue]] (SFI)—an empire faction cruiser especially good against frigates—might have 10-15 seconds to live, because the SFI's guns apply most of their typical damage even at high transversal. If the Unista's [[Crucifier]] fleetmate, however, applied two scripted tracking disruptors to that SFI, it could drop the turret damage taken by the Atron to nearly zero. Tracking disruptors work poorly on drones (because drones track so well), and so that SFI's drones would still probably take down the Atron eventually. And the SFI could counter the disruption by fitting Tracking Computers or Tracking Enhancers. But it is easy to imagine how tracking disruptors might affect the outcome of a fight involving turrets.

 

[[File:Icon missile guidance computer i.png|left]]Guidance disruptors reduce the range and precision of enemy [[missiles]]. Missile range disruption reduces both missile speed and flight time; by making enemy missiles fly slower, and for a shorter period of time, missile range disruption dramatically reduces missile range. In this way, missile range disruption is analogous to the optimal range disruption offered by Tracking Disruptors. Missile precision disruption, by contrast, is unique. By decreasing the explosion velocity of enemy missiles, precision disruption makes it harder for a missile's explosion to keep up with small, fast-moving targets. (It makes it easier for a small ship to speed away from the explosion.) And by increasing explosion radius, precision disruption makes the missile explosion more diffuse, decreasing the amount of damage dealt. Unlike tracking speed disruption, missile precision disruption is not affected by range or flight vector. But like tracking disruption, it does favor small, speedy ships. Unscripted, guidance disruptors affect both range and precision, but they can be fitted with scripts (either the Missile Range Disruption Script or Missile Precision Disruption Script) to double one effect at the expense of the other.  

=== Weapon Disruption Bonuses ===

 

There is just one Electronics Superiority rig set that specifically enhances weapon disruption:  

* {{sk|Weapon Disruption}}: 5% less capacitor need for weapon disruptors per skill level.  

* {{sk|Long Distance Jamming}}: 10% bonus to optimal range for targeted EWAR modules per skill level.  

* {{sk|Frequency Modulation}}: 10% bonus to falloff for targeted EWAR modules per skill level.  

=== Countering Weapon Disruption ===

 

== Remote Sensor Dampening ==

 

*[[Maulus]] (Tech I frigate)

*[[Keres]] (Electronic Attack Ship)

*[[Celestis]] (Tech I cruiser)

*[[Lachesis]] (Combat Recon Ship)

*[[Arazu]] (Force Recon Ship)

=== Remote Sensor Dampening Bonuses ===

 

There is just one Electronics Superiority rig set that specifically enhances remote sensor dampening:  

* {{sk|Long Distance Jamming}}: 10% bonus to optimal range for targeted EWAR modules per skill level.  

* {{sk|Frequency Modulation}}: 10% bonus to falloff for targeted EWAR modules per skill level.  

=== Countering Damps: Sensor Boosters ===

 

== Target Painting ==

 

*[[Vigil]] (Tech I frigate)

*[[Hyena]] (Electronic Attack Ship)

*[[Bellicose]] (Tech I cruiser)

*[[Huginn]] (Combat Recon Ship)

*[[Rapier]] (Force Recon Ship)

:: ''Special note:'' [[Golem]] (Marauder) is a Caldari ship bonused for target painting. This is an exception to the normal 1-1 correlation between racial faction and electronic warfare type.

=== Target Painting Bonuses ===

 

There are no rigs specific to target painting. Only the one generig EWAR rig has an effect:  

* {{sk|Long Distance Jamming}}: 10% bonus to optimal range for targeted EWAR modules per skill level.  

* {{sk|Frequency Modulation}}: 10% bonus to falloff for targeted EWAR modules per skill level.  

=== Countering Target Painters===

 

All four types of EWAR can be generated by electronic warfare drones. Variants of the small, medium and large combat drones of each race provide that race's EWAR specialty effect instead of the usual damage effects. For example, the Gallente EWAR specialty is damps, and so three sizes of Gallente EWAR drone—the small Hobgoblin SD-300, medium-sized Hammerhead SD-600, and large Ogre SD-900—apply damps to targets. The magnitude of each drone's effect is much smaller than that of an individual EWAR module, and stacking penalties make it such that lots of EWAR drones don't have much more of an effect than just two or three drones. As a result, EWAR drones are almost never used in serious combat. The one exception to this would be the Hornet EC-300 ECM drone, because its chance-based effect is not subject to stacking penalties. Industrial ships, and other ships hoping to escape combat, can sometimes use Hornet EC-300's to break the lock of a warp disrupting or warp scrambling attacker, and this can sometimes provide a window for the industrial ship's escape. Nevertheless, this narrow exception illustrates how much less broadly useful EWAR drones are compared to EWAR modules.

More information on EWAR drones is available in the [[Drones_102#Electronic_Warfare_Drones|syllabus for Drones 102]].

[[Category:Fitting]]