On this page
Unfamiliar word? Select a dotted-underlined term for its meaning.
What IDENT does
In real flying, a controller can ask a pilot to press IDENT on the aircraft’s transponder: the unit that sends a reply to secondary radar. This makes that aircraft’s reply stand out so the controller can pick it out. It does not declare the aircraft friendly or hostile. See primary and secondary radar for how those replies differ from radar echoes.
Use the game shortcut
- Finish typing in any text box before selecting the aircraft. If it is hard to find, open TRACK LIST and press its > button to move the view to it.
- Left-click that aircraft’s position symbol or identity letter on the radar map. Check its callsign in FLIGHT INFO, then press forward slash / or the number-pad divide key. Backslash is the separate CALL ATC shortcut.
- The view centres on the selected aircraft and changes the zoom. Look for four corner triangles around its identity letter. Keep the position symbol and the information beside it in view.
- The shortcut also opens ASMA and tries to contact air traffic control about that aircraft. Read the response or the message explaining why a call is unavailable. Follow the ATC guide for the conversation.
- Use the radar-map controls to restore the view you need. If ASMA says No track selected, left-click the intended aircraft on the map before pressing the key again.
Locate a contact from TRACK LIST
Open TRACK LIST, find the aircraft’s row and press >. The view centres on the aircraft and four corner triangles appear around its identity letter. This button does not select or hook the contact and does not start the slash shortcut’s ATC conversation. If you want to use /, finish typing first, left-click the aircraft’s position symbol or identity letter on the map, and check its callsign before pressing the key.
A highlight is not a pilot reply
The game shortcut draws the highlight directly on the selected track. Seeing those triangles is not proof that a pilot received a radio request or pressed a transponder IDENT button. It does not change the contact to friendly or hostile and does not authorise an attack.
If the cue disappears
The triangles are temporary and can disappear even while the simulation is paused. They can also clear when a display filter hides the contact or radar can no longer show it. A missing highlight is not proof that a pilot refused to reply. A faded-track warning means the game has stopped receiving fresh reports for that track; it is a different indication.
Sources & further reading
Further reading on the real-world concepts discussed here. These sources do not document Air Defender’s controls or behaviour.