On this page
Unfamiliar word? Select a dotted-underlined term for its meaning.
Before choosing ENGAGE
Read the target’s identity, the latest messages and your current objective. Use IDENT and ENGAGE explained if you still need to investigate the contact. ENGAGE is not a way to make a slow identification sequence hurry up.
Give the order from AC Control
- Left-click your own fighter’s track. Check its callsign so you know which flight you are ordering.
- Open the AC Control tab in the aircraft window. If you have opened the other aircraft’s information, close it and select your own fighter.
- Choose ENGAGE. The yellow instruction shows that the game is waiting for a target; the order is not complete yet.
- Click the intended target’s track on the map, outside the panel. Check the target’s track number rather than choosing only by colour.
- If TASK ASSIGNED appears in ASMA, check that it names the right flight, ENGAGE and the intended target. This heading can be omitted when you use the other fighter in a pair; check both fighters in ACTIVE OPS as described next. If the game reports a rejection or blocked launch, read the reason instead.
- Open ACTIVE OPS with G when you are not typing in a text box. Follow the flight’s actual task, status and weapon counts. Use the firing checks if the task is accepted but no shot follows.
Other routes to the same task
| Where you start | What to choose |
|---|---|
| Right-click menu | First enable ENABLE RIGHT CLICK MENU at the bottom of the fighter’s AC Control tab. Right-click the fighter, choose ENGAGE, then select the target. See retasking a flight. |
| ASSETS aircraft row | Use ENG, then choose the target and check the response. The shorter label still means an engagement task. See the ASSETS controls. |
Does this affect just one fighter?
The order can also task the other fighters launched with the one you selected. Check the whole flight in ACTIVE OPS. A member that is refuelling or otherwise busy may not react at the same moment. See which aircraft an order affects.
Can I cancel?
Before selecting the target, choose CANCEL in AC Control or press Escape. This cancels the pending selection. Once the task has been accepted, those controls do not undo it: give a suitable new task or use RTB to bring the flight home.
An order, a launch and a result are different
You do not press a separate button for each missile. The fighter uses its weapons when the engagement conditions are met. MISSILE LAUNCHED reports a launch, not a confirmed hit. Read the later messages and follow the target before deciding what happened.
If the order is refused
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| ENGAGE REJECTED / NO WEAPONS REMAINING | Check the named fighter’s G/R/H weapon counts. The alert says RETURNING TO BASE or REMAINING AT BASE. A tanker cannot replace ammunition; use base rearming. |
| TASK REJECTED | Read the reason, then recheck the contact you selected. A friendly military aircraft is protected from this attack order. |
| QRA LAUNCH BLOCKED | Check the named base and its servicing supplies. |
| Hawk T1A: point defence at Critical tension only. | The Hawk’s combat tasks are unavailable below Critical tension. Use another suitable fighter; TRG and transfers remain separate tasks. |
| A task against a Red Arrows aircraft does nothing | The display team cannot be assigned as an ID, ENG, SHADOW or escort target. This refusal can be silent. Recheck the selected contact before repeating an order. |
An order being accepted is not evidence that the target should be attacked. Check the difference between investigating and engaging.
What should I check after a target is destroyed?
Do not assume the whole enemy group has been dealt with. A fighter can receive another target, help another fighter, resume a stored task or return to base. Open ACTIVE OPS and check each fighter’s callsign, task and status. Compare the latest reports with the contacts still on the scope. Before another attack order, check fuel and remaining weapons. If you need to change the task, use the task-change steps and confirm the response. Record both fighters’ tasks if members of a pair behave differently. A destroyed target does not guarantee automatic attack on every remaining aircraft.