(Answered) Anti-Radiation Missile Bonuses

[OmniscientQ]

The printed rules for Anti-Radiation Missiles states that they operate as normal NARC-capable ammunition with the exception that they receive a -1 bonus to accuracy and a +1 bonus to the cluster roll when targeting a unit with any kind of electronic warfare suite. The errata on this website also states that this effect occurs when targeting a unit tagged by a NARC or iNARC beacon. So do ARAD missiles only get their "special" -1 and +1 when targeting an iNARC'ed target, or can they take the superior -1 and +2 normally provided by an iNARC pod? For regular NARC pods, do you have to pick between -1/+1 and the normal 0/+2, or can you get the best of both worlds?

[Welshman]

The ARAD bonus applies when targeting a unit with any kind of active ECM on it. This includes an ECM suite and hostile NARC pods. It is using the ECM signal to home in on.

It does not stack with any other bonus. If you use an ARAD pod and fire it at a target without ECM, you just waste the ammo.

[OmniscientQ]

That wasn't exactly the question. I know the bonuses wouldn't stack. But there are three different bonuses to choose from, depending on the target, since the ARAD missiles are described as being "NARC missiles with extra benefits".

1. Targeting a unit that mounts ECM, BAP, C3, or Communications Equipment: -1 to hit, +1 cluster roll.
2. Targeting a unit tagged by a NARC pod: -0 to hit, +2 cluster roll.
3. Targeting a unit tagged by an iNARC pod: -1 to hit, +2 cluster roll.

Obviously, if the target you're firing at has a C3 slave and hasn't been tagged by a NARC pod, you use bonus #1. But what happens if that C3 unit is hit by a regular NARC pod? Do you use bonus #1 or bonus #2? Does attacker get to pick? The defender?

If a scout 'mech that mounts BAP gets tagged by an iNARC pod, are you limited to bonus #1, or can you override it with the superior bonus #3, since the ARAD missiles are NARC-capable missiles? If the unit doesn't mount any electronics gear but gets tagged with iNARC?

[Welshman]

ARAD missiles are always -1 to hit, +1 cluster. They don't change if NARC pods are attached to the target.