Question On Missiles

[Kuroko]

Hi guys,

 

I've been playing DCS quite a lot lately, and have decided to give the A-10C and Black Shark a bit of a rest in favour of Flaming Cliffs 3, and with its greater focus on AAMs I had a few questions about missile modelling in the simulator. These questions also apply to SAMs, which is why I'm asking in the DCS: World board.

 

1. Are IR seeking missiles affected by humidity (water vapour in the air) and clouds? Can clouds be used for cover?

 

2. Are SARH and ARH missiles affected by side lobe clutter or radar glint?

 

3. Are either of the missile types affected by fusing problems, particularly in beam or low altitude attacks?

 

4. Are missile seeker gyro transversal limits implemented, or only gimbal limits?

 

Thanks for your help, and sorry for the newbie questions :-)

[Robin_Hood]

I'm sure someone more knowledgable will chime in, but I think the answer to most of those is no, unfortunately.

 

As far as I understand it, although the missiles flight models have been improved recently (AFMs), the guidance modelisation may not yet be up to par. Hopefully this may change with the arrival of fighter aircraft modules.

[Kuroko]

Thanks Robin_Hood, that is unfortunate. I guess then that BVR missile defence comes down to just notching, dragging, terrain masking and countermeasure use? I've had quite a few AIM-54Cs and AIM-120Bs detonate about fifty metres off my side while notching so I'd thought there were some fusing failures implemented, but I guess this could have just been the missile reaching its range limit.

 

I'm mainly asking for one Su-33 campaign mission which puts you up against F-14As with Phoenix missiles, and I'm trying to complete the mission properly - without using my wingmen as cannon fodder to run them out of missiles before moving in to pick off them once they're winchester. As it's set over the sea there's no terrain to use, and I can't drag too much or the strike package I'm supposed to be providing FORCAP for will be mauled.

[GGTharos]

Hi guys,

 

I've been playing DCS quite a lot lately, and have decided to give the A-10C and Black Shark a bit of a rest in favour of Flaming Cliffs 3, and with its greater focus on AAMs I had a few questions about missile modelling in the simulator. These questions also apply to SAMs, which is why I'm asking in the DCS: World board.

 

1. Are IR seeking missiles affected by humidity (water vapour in the air) and clouds? Can clouds be used for cover?

 

No, humidity in the atmosphere is not modeled.

 

2. Are SARH and ARH missiles affected by side lobe clutter or radar glint?

No, nor does it matter (because it isn't an effect that you can see anyway). They're affected by look-down situations.

 

3. Are either of the missile types affected by fusing problems, particularly in beam or low altitude attacks?

Nope. Again, who knows how much such missiles would be affected?

 

4. Are missile seeker gyro transversal limits implemented, or only gimbal limits?

Both. You can out-rate a seeker in some situations, but with modern missiles that is rather unlikely. Edited April 10, 2014 by GGTharos

[kk0425]

Just for clarification, does that mean clouds with a density of 9 or 10 (overcast) do not impede IR seekers?

 

Hehe. You've never locked someone using the EOS through a bunker before.

[GGTharos]

Correct. Code would have to be written to make all of this possible. Rather than band-aiding such a thing, hopefully the devs will instead do something more interesting in time. A lot of this stuff is just a matter of whether there's something more important to code (and we don't really get to decide what's important and what's not).

 

Just for clarification, does that mean clouds with a density of 9 or 10 (overcast) do not impede IR seekers?