# How often do chaff and flares actually work? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 19, 2020, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-chaff-and-flares-actually-work/928426 "2020-12-19T23:20:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-chaff-and-flares-actually-work/928426/1 "2020-12-19T23:20:30Z")
I realize this is hard to analyze since it depends heavily on the type of missile and also the fact that there’s been relatively little air combat in the modern post-Vietnam age. But how often does an airplane spitting out chaff and flares actually work to spoof away an incoming missile? (without use of other ECM) 30 percent, 50 percent? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-chaff-and-flares-actually-work/928426/2 "2020-12-19T23:30:46Z")
I’m sure it depends on who the adversary is. Are we talking an adversary with US-level tech, or some two-bit nation that’s still maintaining a stockpile of 1970-era heat-seekers? As long as the low-tech nations represent a significant fraction of the likely plausible enemies, keeping around countermeasures that will fool them sounds worthwhile. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-chaff-and-flares-actually-work/928426/3 "2020-12-20T02:34:27Z")
The answer to this depends heavily on the missile in question, distance, and a host of other factors. Very early missiles (Falcon, early Sidewinder)would probably be defeated just with flares but anything built since the eighties require a combination manuevers, EA (ECM), and flares/chaff. If you’re talking Gen4/5 aircraft and AA missiles then all three have to be used in order to survive an encounter.