On this page
Unfamiliar word? Select a dotted-underlined term for its meaning.
Check these in order
- Open ACTIVE OPS and find the fighter by callsign. Check its actual task and status. If you only pressed ENGAGE but never chose a target, finish the target-selection steps.
- Read the latest ASMA messages. If TASK ASSIGNED appears, compare its target with the one you intended. This heading can be omitted when you use the other fighter in a pair; check both fighters’ actual tasks before repeating the order. A weapons-hot notification alone is not an engagement order.
- Check G, R and H in the fighter’s ACTIVE OPS row. G shows remaining cannon rounds; R and H are the remaining missile counters. The missile names depend on the aircraft: a Tornado F3 uses R for Skyflash and H for Sidewinder. Read the aircraft examples and older-save exception before treating R as a particular weapon or guidance type. These are weapons aboard this fighter, not stock at its base.
- Check the fighter’s fuel and current state. If it is returning home or taking fuel, follow the fuel guide and the current task instead of assuming it is still attacking.
- Follow its position and the latest reports. It may still be turning towards the target, reaching a usable firing distance or completing the intercept’s communication sequence.
- Look for MISSILE LAUNCHED and any later outcome report. The fighter can wait while an earlier missile’s result is being assessed instead of immediately firing another.
Closer does not always mean it can fire
The game checks distance and direction as well as ammunition. A missile has a minimum and a maximum firing distance. The fighter also needs to point sufficiently towards the target, and the angle from which it approaches can matter for the weapon it carries. Two symbols looking close together on the scope is not proof that a shot is available.
No missiles is not the same as no weapons
If R and H are both zero, check G too. Cannon ammunition may remain, but cannon use needs the fighter to get into a suitable close position. To replace used weapons, follow the rearming guide. A tanker supplies fuel, not ammunition.
Read a refusal as well as a launch
| Message | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| ENGAGE REJECTED / NO WEAPONS REMAINING | The fighter has neither missiles nor cannon rounds left. Read whether it is returning to base or remaining there. Check the refusal guide before another order. |
| TASK REJECTED | The requested mission was refused. Read the reason, then recheck the contact you selected. |
| WEAPONS HOLD — friendly military aircraft detected | The game stopped weapon use against a friendly military contact. Recheck your selected target and the flight’s resulting task; do not try to defeat that protection. |
| QRA LAUNCH BLOCKED | A fighter still on the ground could not start the task. Use the fuel and weapons checks at its base. |
| MISSILE LAUNCHED | A weapon has been fired. The message does not yet tell you whether it hit. |
When the waiting may be normal
A training lesson may be finishing required reports, or a flight may be coordinating which fighter acts first. Follow TALLY, JUDY and identification reports and the lesson objective. Repeated orders can interrupt the sequence you are trying to understand.
If the checks do not explain it
Keep a saved game and a short clip showing the order, target and messages. Include version, difficulty, tension state, aircraft type, callsign, actual task, fuel and G/R/H counts. Say whether a missile had already launched. Send those details with the problem report; there is no one waiting time that proves every engagement is stuck.
Do all four fighters fire at once?
- Four fighters assigned to the same ENGAGE target do not guarantee four missiles at once. During normal ENGAGE, the game waits if a friendly missile is already travelling towards that track. This check is shared by the fighters attacking that track; it is not a separate allowance for each fighter.
- Open ACTIVE OPS and check each fighter’s callsign, actual task and G/R/H weapon counts. Follow the missile and the later ASMA outcome report. A missile launch is not a hit, and the number of spoken FOX calls is not a reliable count of missiles fired. After a missile ends, another shot still depends on the current task, ammunition, firing position and waiting checks explained above.
- Choose the enemy track you actually want attacked. If TASK ASSIGNED appears, confirm the target it names. This heading can be omitted when you use the other fighter in a pair; use the flight checks above. Do not rapidly swap targets just to force extra launches. A group order coordinates tasking; it does not promise an immediate shot from every member. In a training lesson, also follow the required reports and sequence. If those checks do not explain the behaviour, keep a clip and saved game for a problem report.