Electronic warfare

Electronic warfare decreases the enemy's effectiveness in battle using electronics-based modules. It is often categorised as a 'force multiplier' because, without actually doing any damage itself, electronic warfare can make a fleet several times more dangerous.

There are basically 4 types of electronic warfare:

• Electronic Counter Measures (ECM)
• Tracking Disruption (TD)
• Remote Sensor Dampening (Damps, RSD)
• Target Painting (TP)

Electronic Counter Measures (ECM)

ECM is used to make the target (the 'jammed ship') lose all its current target locks. The jammed ship cannot target anyone for the duration of the ECM module's cycle (20 seconds), and will have to re-acquire its targets afterwards.

ECM success is chance-based and all-or-nothing. For example: if your module has an adjusted strength of 4 and the ship you are trying to jam has a sensor strength of 20, then your chance of success (20%) is lower than if you target a ship with a sensor strength of 12 (33%). If the module succeeds in jamming, the full effect will always be produced. If it fails, you have to wait 20 seconds before you can try again with that module. Note that you always have some chance of success.

The Caldari race has ships that get bonuses for using ECM modules. The tech 1 ships that have bonuses for ECM are: Griffin, Blackbird and Scorpion.

Note that, due to the low base strength of even the most powerful modules, these bonuses are, in practice, necessary to get any useful effect from ECM. In other words, if you're fitting ECM on a ship without ECM bonuses, you're probably making a horrible mistake.

There are 5 types of ECM modules: 4 racial jammers and a multispectral module. The racial jammers each have an increased sensor strength against 1 specific race (i.e., Caldari). The multispectral jammer has an equal (but lower than the racial) strength against all races.

The 5 types are:

• Gravimetric (Caldari, Blue). Basic Tech 1 module: ECM - Spatial Destabilizer I
• Magnetometric (Gallente, Green). Basic Tech 1 module: ECM - Ion Field Projector I
• Radar (Amarr, Yellow). Basic Tech 1 module: ECM - White Noise Generator I
• Ladar (Minmatar, Red). Basic Tech 1 module: ECM - Phase Inverter I
• Multispectrum (Non-racial). Basic Tech 1 module: ECM - Multispectral Jammer I

ECM - Ranges and falloffs

Item	Optimal Range	Falloff	Racial jam strength	Non-racial jam strength
Tech 1 Racial	26km	29km	3	1
Tech 2 Racial	32km	35km	3.6	1.2
Tech 1 Multispectrum	17km	19km	2	2
Tech 2 Multispectrum	21km	23km	2.4	2.4

Required Skills:

• Electronics I
• Tech 1: Electronic Warfare I
• Tech 2: Electronic Warfare IV

Note that using multispectrum jammers is a waste. They have way less range, use more capacitor and have less jam strength in general. If you have time and you know the race you are going to go up against, refit to jam that race specifically. If you're not sure, fit a mix of all racial types.

ECM Burst

The ECM burst module will try to jam everything in a certain radius. Just as the multispectrum jammer, it has the same jamming strength for each race. The biggest downside of this module is that you hit everything. Enemies, friendlies, neutrals. If you hit a neutral using this module while in high security space (0.5 - 1.0) you will lose your ship to CONCORD. This includes gates, stations, gate guns, etc. The other disadvantage of the ECM burst is that it only breaks the lock. People will be able to directly lock you again afterwards.

ECM Burst - Optimal ranges and falloffs

Item	Optimal Range	Falloff	Jam Strength
Tech 1	5km	5km	6
Tech 2	6km	6km	7.2

Required skills:

• Electronics I
• Tech 1: Electronic Warfare I
• Tech 2: Electronic Warfare IV

General rule 1: DO NOT USE IT ... unless you know how to work with it.

General Rule 2: DO NOT USE IT IN HIGHSEC. Scratch a neutral object and you will die.

Signal Distortion Amplifier

The signal distortion amplifier provides a percentage increase to the jam strength and ECM range bonus of your ECM modules. Using these will give you a greater chance to jam the target ship. These are passive modules, so you don't have to click them to activate them.

Signal Distortion Amplifier

Item	Scan Strength Increase	Range Increase
Tech 1	5%	5%
Tech 2	10%	10%

Required skills:

• Electronics I
• Tech 1: Electronic Warfare III
• Tech 2: Electronic Warfare IV

Tracking Disruption (TD)

Tracking disruption is used to decrease the optimal range and falloff and/or the tracking speed of gunnery weapon systems. The gunnery weapons systems are: Laser, Hybrid and Projectile. Decreasing the optimal range of a weapon makes it less effective at longer range: it won't be able to hit targets at great range that it could hit perfectly before. Decreasing tracking speed (the weapons' turning speed) makes it harder for the weapons to follow a moving target and hit it properly. Additionally, you can use scripts for tracking disruptors to focus on either decreasing targeting range and falloff or decreasing the tracking speed.

The Amarr race has ships that get bonuses for using tracking disruptors. The tech 1 ships that get bonuses for tracking disruption are: Crucifier and Arbitrator.

Tracking Disruptor (TD) - Optimal ranges and falloffs

Item	Optimal Range	Falloff	Optimal Range Modifier	Falloff Modifier	Tracking Speed Modifier
Tech 1 (No script)	40km	20km	-17.9%	-17.9%	-17.9%
Tech 1 (Optimal range script)	40km	20km	-35.8%	-35.8%	-0%
Tech 1 (Tracking script)	40km	20km	-0%	-0%	-35.8%
Tech 2 (No script)	48km	24km	-20.1%	-20.1%	-20.1%
Tech 2 (Optimal range script)	48km	24km	-40.2%	-40.2%	-0%
Tech 2 TD (Tracking script)	48km	24km	-0%	-0%	-40.2%

Required skills:

• Electronics III
• Tech 1: Weapon disruption I
• Tech 2: Weapon disruption II

Note: Tracking disruption modules don't work against missiles, and so aren't generally useful against missile ships (e.g. the Raven, Drake).

Remote Sensor Dampening (damps, RSD)

Sensor dampening is the counterpart of sensor boosting. The remote sensor dampener can be used to decrease the targeting range and/or the targeting speed (measured in scan resolution) of your targets ship. With this decrease the target can either lock at a smaller range and/or lock slower due to the locking time decrease. Additional you can use scripts for remote sensor dampeners to focus on either increasing the targeting range penalty or the targeting speed penalty. With the specific script loaded the other penalty is taken away.

The Gallente race has ships that get bonuses for using remote sensor dampeners The tech 1 ships that get bonuses for remote sensor dampening are: Maulus and Celestis.

Remote Sensor Dampener

Item	Optimal Range	Falloff	Targeting Range Modifier	Scan Range Modifier
Tech 1 No script	25km	50km	-15.2%	-15.2%
Tech 1 Scan resolution script	30km	60km	-0%	30.4%
Tech 1 Targeting range script	30km	60km	-30.4%	-0%
Tech 2 No script	30km	60km	-17%	-17%
Tech 2 Scan resolution script	30km	60km	-0%	-34%
Tech 2 Targeting range script	30km	60km	-34%	-0%

Skill requirements:

• Electronics III
• Tech 1: Sensor Linking I
• Tech 2: sensor Linking IV

Target Painting (TP)

Target painting is used to increase the target's signature radius, increasing the effectiveness of weapons against the target. This module mainly comes in handy if you need a large ship to hit a smaller ship. Normally, for example, a battleship has a hard time hitting a frigate, or only does minimal damage to it. Using the target painter on the frigate will makes it much easier for the battleship to hit it. Note that the target painter will help everyone shooting at that target, not just the painting ship.

The Minmatar race has ships that get bonuses for using target painters. The tech 1 ships that get bonuses for using target painters are: Vigil and Bellicose.

Target Painter

Item	Optimal Range	Falloff	Target Signature Increase
Tech 1	25km	50km	25%
Tech 2	30km	60km	30%

Required skills:

• Electronics III
• Tech 1: Target Painting I
• Tech 2: Target Painting IV

Additional module(s)

Sensor Booster

The sensor booster can increases the targeting range and/or the targeting speed (measured in scan resolution) of your ship when activated. With this increase you can either lock the target at a greater range and/or lock him faster due to the locking time decrease. Additional you can use scripts for the sensor booster to focus on either increasing the targeting range bonus or the targeting speed bonus. With the specific script loaded the other bonus is taken away.

Sensor Booster

Item	Targeting Range	Scan Resolution
Tech 1 No script	+25%	+25%
Tech 1 Scan resultion script	+0%	+50%
Tech 1 Targeting range script	+50%	+0%
Tech 2 No script	+30%	+30%
Tech 2 Scan resultion script	+0%	+60%
Tech 2 Targeting range script	+60%	+0%

Skill Requirements:

• Electronics II
• Tech 1: Long Range Targeting I
• Tech 2: Long Range Targeting IV

How to use EWAR

Now the basics of Electronic warfare use:

If the target is in range:

• 1. Turn Sensor Booster on. (If you have one. If you are in a gatecamp, this should be on already.)
• 2. Lock target.
• This step depends on the FC's orders and your location.
• 3a. If your orders are to orbit a gate, keep orbiting. If you get targeted you can jump through. (Unless you activated an Ewar module on someone or want to die a "Hero's" death.)
• 3b. If you are at your optimal range, align to a planet. If you are targeted you can warp away and warp back in. (Unless you want to die a "hero's death".)
• 4. Activate the electronic warfare module on your designated target. ECM, TD and damps should be spread out on the opponents. TP's should all be on the primary. (The designated targets should match the EW modules you have equipped: so don't put a TD on a missile boat. And it might be a good thing to open up a separate chat channel for all the EW people, so you can keep everything well spread.)
• 5. If the hit on the designated target is successful, put a second electronic warfare module (if you have it) on the another target in the opposing fleet.
• 6. There is no 6, let's jam it.
• 7. If you 'miss' a cycle (this is mainly for ECM) be ready to warp away if you get targeted.

If the target is outside range there are two possibilities:

• 1a. You messed up. You are in the wrong place.
• 1b. The target warped to a bookmark where only the longest-range electronic warfare can reach.

Remember, always be either aligned to a celestial (preferably a planet) to warp to or be in range of a gate to jump through.

Electronic warfare skills

As listed above, each kind of electronic warfare requires that you have an associated skill (along with Electronics III) before you can use it. Each skill reduces the capacitor need of the associated ewar module by 5% per level. The four skills are:

• For ECM: Electronic Warfare (although this skill is called 'Electronic Warfare' it only applies to ECM, not to the other three varieties of ewar)
• For TD: Weapon Disruption
• For damps: Sensor Linking
• For TP: Target Painting

Each kind of electronic warfare also has a second associated skill which actually makes it more effective. These skills require Electronics V and four levels in one of the skills listed above, so they're not something to worry about if you're a new player, but may be worth training if you are becoming a dedicated electronic warfare pilot. The four skills are:

• For ECM: Signal Dispersion - 5% bonus to strength of ECM jammers per level, requires Electronics V and Electronic Warfare IV
• For TD: Turret Destabilization - 5% bonus per level to the problems your TD modules cause the enemy, requires Electronics V and Weapon Disruption IV
• For damps: Signal Suppression - 5% bonus per level to the problems your dampeners cause the enemy, requires Electronics V and Sensor Linking IV
• For TP: Signature Focusing - 5% bonus per level to the effect of your painters on the target's signature radius, requires Electronics V and Target Painting IV

There are also two skills which increase the range of all four kinds of electronic warfare:

• Long Distance Jamming - 10% bonus to optimal range per skill level
• Frequency Modulation - 10% bonus to falloff per skill level

(Although it has 'jamming' in its name, Long Distance Jamming definitely affects target painting, tracking disruption and remote sensor dampening as well as ECM.)