Using an automated technique to determine a pattern for IR flares can significantly improve the efficiency and also the overall result. A case study has been performed where a flare sequence has been determined for a helicopter when the threat missile is launched from a sector rear of the helicopter. Two different missiles are used in the computations. The problem is nonlinear and several local extreme points may exist. Another difficulty making the problem not suitable for standard optimization techniques is the lack of a differentiable model and the use of binary and integer variables in combination with continuous variables. The chosen method is a genetic algorithm and the results show some difficulties in need of some more attention, but the results are also very promising.