Spurts

Yeah, I know the pylons can't account for all of it. The profile question is because the excerpt you gave said 450kt>45deg>17,000ft>vertical>record but "the profile didn't feel right... changed the profile... beat the records" so it was never "hold 45deg to altitude"

"Pre-Order was delayed" translates to "We haven't set up the system to take your money and put a check box on your ED account to gain access to the module when it is released"

That's not how I interpreted your statement. everything here can be as simple as changing R1 in my listed equation. because in the end that is how games do radar vs RCS is the R1*(RCS/1)^.4 equation, and FC3 aircraft use the old FC3 (i.e. LO-MAC) sensor setup. The Devs have said this. I remember playing LO-MAC and it seemed like the F-15C radar was the most complex thing in the game because it had so many modes and features, but I am under no illusion that back in 2004 they were programming Rmax=((PsG^2lam^2sig)/(Pemin(4pi)^3))^.25 then computing range gates and determining doppler gates by measuring the shift in the return chirp. There is a reason it is called a Simplified Systems Model, because the Systems are Simplified. They don't need to go through everything I said if R1*(RCS/1)^.4 works and you can adjust R1 for PRF, RWS/TWS, etc just by putting factors on them. You still can get the exact same performance from a UI level under 99% of conditions. "IF (Vclosure<150kt) THEN (Drop track)" is a lot easier to program than calculating a doppler gate from a shift in the chirp and having it filter out as ground clutter. If anything, the FC3 Eagle shows how much detailed functionality you can get out of an SSM, it's incredible.

I said that it was a PFM from the outset, and having "detection and lock ranges vs RCS" be "all there" doesn't invalidate what I said about HOW it functions. You still get the right range under normal operations but how you get there is different. It simplifies the math. Not sure why you think that is a "myth about FC3" aircraft. I don't think I ever said it is bad either.

It can be after the Tadpole, I'll be getting that one anyway

I don't go on PvP servers but I have seen enough videos of every 4th gen jet beating the pants off of every other 4th gen jet to know that it is 100% the pilot and how they employ their aircraft that make the difference.

Varies with Mustache size and time spent in the A model

This little bit right here speaks volumes. Even pilots in RWR equipped planes with all the training and experience in the world would KNOW that until the RWR screams the tones for LOCK and LAUNCH then you are safe and even then you have a minute to figure things out. Enter a war where the RWR (if you had one that was tuned for the signals of that missile) only screams LOCK about 16s before you explode and you have nothing on radar yet.

I wonder what profile they used Also, you may be able to get rid of the weight of the pylons, but not the drag

@Nahen It is publicly known that FC3 has PFM (the best) and SSM (the worst). Now, the SSM of the APG-63 might be seamless from the UI perspective but what processing that is happening to determine what to put on the display is not. SSM radar functions in a "Target RCS is x and based on R1*(x/1)^.4 display the target when range is within Y" level of simple. The advances System Models (don't recall their actual acronym) go through a "Using this frequency, PRF, and output power, a target with RCS of x would give a return power of Y at the current range. Place that return in the right range and doppler bins and then run it against SNR requirements. Once SNR thresholds are met then......" etc etc until the raster scan throws light on a screen to make a target symbol. From a UI perspective under nominal conditions there are no differences, but the differences start to show in failure-to-track modes and edge cases.

Just missed the memo that Army Air Corps became it's own branch in '47. I agree that the F-4E is the right one to do first because it is once of the most widely used jets in history, but I will end up waiting for the one I can trap.

I didn't know if anyone else here would know who Gums was.

Because it is stable in roll, it has a high mounted wing with sweep (even when forward) so when sideslip begins with no other input the sweep makes the "down" wing make more lift and a zone of high pressure builds under the wing-body joint to push that side back up. I have done the same thing in a Cessna 172, a power on stall with full throttle, full aft yoke, and no rudder or aileron input. It snapped to the left, corrected wings level and pulled up level. In the case of the Cessna 172 with no sweep, the wings have dihedral to increase roll stability.

Because the Tomcat doesn't stall. Once above 30 AoA the Normal Force (aerodynamic force acting 90 degrees from center of pressure) stays stable, so even at 45 AoA you would still have 71% of max lift, and the Tomcat makes a ton of lift. It is stable because you are at the limit of the tails, they can't pull the nose any higher, so as long as you have attitude and thrust you will never fall. Go to higher altitudes where you do not have enough thrust and you will fall, and likely spin, then likely die 5 minutes later.

Here is a recent quote on the A-10 from that A-7 (and A-37, F-101, F-102, F-16 pilot)

lol

Never thought about it before, but what should it do then when I have it wing mounted as I roll into a target and the pod is looking "above" me?

Well that explains it then.

Funny you mention CAS being done with bombs. An A-10 driver I spoke to talked about how in the recent conflicts A-10s were just slow F-16s. They did CAS with JDAMs from 15,000ft using a TGP.

The Harrier definitely has that special something that makes it a joy to fly.

Sorry, I think we got some wires crossed. You asked if this parameter cannot be applied to older missiles. The older missiles I are not on the new API yet so I interpreted your comment to mean some parameter of the AIM-120, but looking up a few more comments I see what you are referring to... I think. But yes, the "active_radar_lock_dist parameter " is not in the AIM-120 API and is handled different at a code structure level. Older missiles have to use that parameter until they are brought to the new API. Clear as mud?

Eh, an A-7 driver I know who was around for the A-10 eval would say otherwise. Remember the A-10 was slower than a P-47 and had about as advanced of a cockpit. A-7 had color moving map navigation, great range, and precise bombing capability.

Not until they move to the new API.

The AIM-120 is on a different API than other missiles. At its core, it just works differently for now.

I have not had a problem telling crew chief to pull chocks after engine start on the Tarawa