HOJ indication?

[SharpeXB]

When you fire an AIM-120 at long range and watch the countdown time for it to go active. If the enemy turns on their jammer, won't the missile automatically go into HOJ mode? Do you get a cockpit indication of this in the F-15? Then you would know you no longer need to guide the missile, right?

[blkspade]

When you fire an AIM-120 at long range and watch the countdown time for it to go active. If the enemy turns on their jammer, won't the missile automatically go into HOJ mode? Do you get a cockpit indication of this in the F-15? Then you would know you no longer need to guide the missile, right?

 

What happens in-game currently is simply just a lost lock before pitbull. In most cases, due to current missile performance, a 120 fired outside of burn through range wouldn't intercept the target anyway. If target continues on the same course maybe you might get lucky and have them fly right into it.

[SDsc0rch]

how is the AMRAAM "supposed" to work in that situation??

[lunaticfringe]

1. "Turning on" jammer doesn't actually do squat, given that (last time I saw confirmation on its functionality) it took, what, fifteen seconds for it to actually "do" something post-activation. Unless the jammer is activated well prior to the shot taking place (a good 10 miles of flight time), and the missile was shot outside of current parameters, or from a massive altitude perch with the accordant room to make the intercept, the weapon will be inside of burn-through before the resulting effect matters.

 

2. As to what the weapon is going to do in that situation in RL, while I know a number of folks who actually know the answer to that question, it's not for public consumption. Based on what I do know about AMRAAM's functionality with a lost lock after going active, it's going to go MADDOG and run it's most recent intercept geometry, remaining active and looking for something to blow up.

 

This stems from the knowledge that said function is a software solution to a tactical-skill-time problem. It exists because of concern for mis-sort in flight and element tactics at the pre-engagement phase, essentially giving the chance for missiles with overlapping responsibility the opportunity to engage targets in the same general vicinity if their original directed opponent blows up in front of them. Thus, when your garden variety AIM-120 loses what it was looking for, it continues the hunt.

 

That said, any dynamic of support prior to weapon active (that is, first timeout) is *likely* going to hinge on the quality of data stemming from the shooter. Since we don't know the full details of what that update link carries, you're not actually going to be able to model it. Thus, I can confidently buy into a model allowing the weapon to go active and hunt along the intercept corridor. But just going dumb? That's not the design methodology.