What is a SAM threat ring in DCS?

It is a circle on the map around a SAM or AAA site. The ring shows how far that system can search, track, or shoot. In DCS Planner the launch ring is on by default; search and track rings stay off until you turn them on.

What SAM ranges does DCS Planner use?

The rings come from the planner's DCS-backed SAM/AAA catalog (28 SAM systems and 8 AAA systems). Launch, search, and track values are the catalog numbers for that system, not a generic planning guess.

What is the difference between max range and NEZ?

Max range is the catalog launch figure. The launch ring the map fills is the engagement window: when a dedicated track range exists, that window is the shorter of track and launch. On the SA-11 that is 19 NM (track 19 NM, launch 27 NM). NEZ is the planner's rule of thumb at half the engagement range: inside it, evading is very hard. NEZ is not a DCS table.

How do I plan a route around SAM rings in DCS Planner?

Drop waypoints, place SAM and AAA units from the catalog, and keep the ingress and egress outside launch rings you cannot defeat. Use the terrain profile, AGL, and MSA along the legs, then the 3D radar view for terrain masking. The 2D rings themselves are circles; they do not hide behind ridges.

Can I export SAM threat overlays from DCS Planner?

A .miz (and CombatFlite .cf) carries the SAM/AAA units. Draw circle or polygon overlays if you want those rings as Mission Editor drawings. LotAtc .env and the Tacview overlay carry drawings, not the SAM units. The kneeboard spider card paints the same rings on a PNG.

Guides

DCS SAM Threat Rings & Route Planning

SAM threat rings are circles on the map: how far a system can search, track, and shoot. DCS Planner draws those rings from its DCS-backed SAM/AAA catalog, then you bend the ingress around them.

This page is the threat-ring detail for the step-by-step DCS mission planning workflow.

How SAM engagement ranges work

A SAM or AAA site in DCS has more than one range. Search is how far the radar can detect. Track is how far it can lock. Launch is how far the weapon can fly. Those numbers are not the same, and the useful shot is often shorter than the catalog maximum.

DCS Planner stores search, track, launch-min, and launch-max from its DCS-backed catalog. On the map it can draw three rings: SEARCH, TRACK, and a launch zone (the engagement window). The launch ring is on by default. Search and track stay off until you turn them on in the unit layers. Select one site to see the inner launch-min ring: the dead zone inside which that weapon will not fire.

The filled launch ring is not always the raw launch-max. When a dedicated track range exists, the engagement window is the shorter of track and launch. On the SA-11 the catalog launch is 27 NM and track is 19 NM, so the launch ring is 19 NM.

The planner also stores a no-escape zone (NEZ) as a rule of thumb: half the engagement range. Inside that circle, evading the missile is very hard. NEZ is not a DCS table. It is the app's 50 percent rule, used as a planning aid next to the catalog launch figure.

The 2D rings are circles on flat range. They do not hide behind a ridge. For terrain masking, use the 3D radar view.

IADS layers

An IADS is layered so one system covers what another cannot. DCS Planner does not simulate a living IADS. It lets you place the layers the mission actually has, then read the rings together.

The SAM encyclopedia groups land systems by engagement range: long-range, medium-range, short-range, and MANPADS. AAA is a separate catalog. Early-warning radars sit with ground vehicles. Short-range SAM, MANPADS, and AAA are the inner belt people often call SHORAD.

Examples from the same catalog this page uses:

long-range SAM: SA-5 (SA-5 Gammon): launch 138 NM and SA-10 (SA-10 Grumble): launch 65 NM
medium-range SAM: SA-2 (SA-2 Guideline): launch 23 NM and SA-11 (SA-11 Gadfly): launch 27 NM
short-range SAM: SA-8 (SA-8 Gecko): launch 9.7 NM and SA-15 (SA-15 Gauntlet): launch 6.5 NM
MANPADS: SA-18 (SA-18 Grouse): launch 2.8 NM
AAA: ZSU-23-4 (ZSU-23-4): launch 1.4 NM

Place EWR as ground units when the brief has a detection network. The catalog names are 1L13 (Box Spring), 55G6 (Tall Rack), AN/FPS-117, AN/FPS-117 Dome, and Dog Ear (9S80M1). Those radars do not draw a SAM launch ring. They are the search picture, not the shooter.

The units catalog currently lists 28 SAM systems and 8 AAA systems. That SAM count includes ship-borne profiles (SA-N-6, SA-N-9, SM-2, and SeaSparrow) as well as the land batteries. Open a system in the SAM encyclopedia for detection, tracking, and launch figures.

Planning a route around the rings

Build the route first, then put the threats on it. See DCS Flight Plan: Waypoints, Headings & Routes for legs, headings, and airframe limits. A typical picture is an ingress that stays outside launch rings you cannot defeat, a short exposed dash only where you must, and an egress that does not recross the same belt.

Talk the threats the same way the package talks the target: bearing and range from bullseye. See DCS Bullseye Explained (BRAA vs Bullseye).

After the course exists, check the ground under it. DCS Planner samples terrain along the route: AGL clearance, a terrain profile, MSA, and peak markers. Raise the altitude or move the waypoint if a ridge sits on the nose. Use terrain to hide from a search radar you cannot avoid, then confirm that masking in the 3D radar view. The 2D rings will still look like full circles.

Placing SAM/AAA with real DCS ranges in the planner

Open DCS Planner and pick a theater. From Units, choose a SAM or AAA system and click the map. The launcher draws rings from the catalog for that type. Import a .miz, .trk, or CombatFlite .cf if the sites already exist, then edit them inline.

The palette badge is launch-max in nautical miles. The map launch ring is the engagement window described above. Toggle SEARCH and TRACK when you want the outer radar picture. The encyclopedia pages for these examples use the same numbers:

SA-5 (SA-5 Gammon): long-range SAM; launch 138 NM; search 184 NM; launch ring 138 NM; NEZ 69 NM
SA-10 (SA-10 Grumble): long-range SAM; launch 65 NM; search 86 NM; launch ring 65 NM; NEZ 32 NM
SA-2 (SA-2 Guideline): medium-range SAM; launch 23 NM; search 86 NM; launch ring 23 NM; NEZ 12 NM
SA-11 (SA-11 Gadfly): medium-range SAM; launch 27 NM; search 65 NM; launch ring 19 NM; NEZ 14 NM
SA-8 (SA-8 Gecko): short-range SAM; launch 9.7 NM; search 19 NM; launch ring 9.7 NM; NEZ 4.9 NM
SA-15 (SA-15 Gauntlet): short-range SAM; launch 6.5 NM; search 13 NM; launch ring 6.5 NM; NEZ 3.2 NM
SA-18 (SA-18 Grouse): MANPADS; launch 2.8 NM; search 2.8 NM; launch ring 2.8 NM; NEZ 1.4 NM
ZSU-23-4 (ZSU-23-4): AAA; launch 1.4 NM; search 5.4 NM; launch ring 1.4 NM; NEZ 0.7 NM

Those figures change when the catalog is rebuilt from DCS. Do not treat them as a printed PDF. Open the planner or the encyclopedia if you need the current value.

Exporting threat overlays

The rings you see on the map are a planning view. What leaves the planner depends on the file:

A .miz writes the SAM and AAA units (plus drawings and bullseye) for the Mission Editor
A CombatFlite .cf carries the same units and drawings
Circle, polygon, and other drawings export to .miz, LotAtc .env, and the Tacview overlay. Draw those overlays when GCI needs the rings on a scope. LotAtc .env does not carry the SAM units themselves
The kneeboard spider card paints the same SAM and AAA rings on a PNG around bullseye

Export does not turn every map ring into a LotAtc drawing. Place the units for the mission file; draw overlays when the controller file needs circles.

Open the planner

FAQ

What is a SAM threat ring in DCS?: It is a circle on the map around a SAM or AAA site. The ring shows how far that system can search, track, or shoot. In DCS Planner the launch ring is on by default; search and track rings stay off until you turn them on.
What SAM ranges does DCS Planner use?: The rings come from the planner's DCS-backed SAM/AAA catalog (28 SAM systems and 8 AAA systems). Launch, search, and track values are the catalog numbers for that system, not a generic planning guess.
What is the difference between max range and NEZ?: Max range is the catalog launch figure. The launch ring the map fills is the engagement window: when a dedicated track range exists, that window is the shorter of track and launch. On the SA-11 that is 19 NM (track 19 NM, launch 27 NM). NEZ is the planner's rule of thumb at half the engagement range: inside it, evading is very hard. NEZ is not a DCS table.
How do I plan a route around SAM rings in DCS Planner?: Drop waypoints, place SAM and AAA units from the catalog, and keep the ingress and egress outside launch rings you cannot defeat. Use the terrain profile, AGL, and MSA along the legs, then the 3D radar view for terrain masking. The 2D rings themselves are circles; they do not hide behind ridges.
Can I export SAM threat overlays from DCS Planner?: A .miz (and CombatFlite .cf) carries the SAM/AAA units. Draw circle or polygon overlays if you want those rings as Mission Editor drawings. LotAtc .env and the Tacview overlay carry drawings, not the SAM units. The kneeboard spider card paints the same rings on a PNG.