Radar warning receiver
A Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) is a system that informs the pilot about incoming radar radiation. In game the RWR is a clock display that shows the type of threat (detected by radar or tracked by radar), its source and its direction. Some RWR systems don't have the capability of giving a precise direction, and therefore only shows sectors.
If a radar is sending a single "ping" at you (a search radar is detecting you), the RWR will sound a short warning and show the direction it is coming from. RWR can show multiple pings at once from different directions and sources. If you hear a constant alarm and see a striped line coming from the ping towards the center of the RWR, a tracking radar has locked you and is constantly tracking your position (which usually precedes a missile launch). Finally, a faster alarm along with blinking warnings in the RWR indicate a missile launch, which requires inmediate action.
Some helicopter RWR sets in-game have what's known as MAW (Missile Approach Warning), which warns the user about a missile launch that's heading directly to the user's vehicle. A few of these helicopters have the ability to automatically drop countermeasures when a MAW warning is active.