AIM-9 uncage

[escaner]

The uncage behaviour of the AIM-9 is not right in some cases.

 

 

WITH TARGET NOT LOCKED IN RADAR

The AIM-9 is caged to boresight by default.

 

* When the missile detects a heat source of an airplane and it is then uncaged, it behaves correctly following it. Recaging brings the seeker back to boresight. This looks good currently in the sim.

 

* When the missile does not detect an airplane and is uncaged, it currently remains caged to boresight, but it should wander off following the heat source he thinks is a target, as it does in the A-10C and in the video below. Recaging the missile should bring it back to boresight caged.

 

WITH TARGET LOCKED IN RADAR

The AIM-9 is caged to the radar lock by default.

 

* When the missile detects an airplane heat source at the radar lock and is uncaged, in the sim it currently recages to boresight. Instead, it should uncage and follow the heat signature that it is detecting on its own. This is the correct procedure to launch an AIM-9 and make sure that it is detecting and tracking on its own the target that you want and not another heat source.

 

* When the missile does not detect a heat source at the radar lock and it is uncaged, currently it stays caged. Again, the heat seeker should uncage and wander pseudo-randomly following the minor heat source changes as in the following video.

 

Please, look at this engagement from the series Jetstream. After firing a simulated AMRAAM (Fox 3 callout) to the target, the guy tries to follow on with an AIM-9. He switches over to AIM-9 and uncages the seeker unsuccessfully (it wanders off to the right). Recages to re-try, and uncages again. He does that at least four times, each try the seeker wandering off to the right. Actually I think he tries twice more and the seeker wanders upward in those last occasions, but not that clear.

 

[SCU]

Good post. I too think some improvements are needed to the Aim-9 behaviour. It's possible that some Aim-9 variants behave differently than others (like aim-9x & aim-9m), but I trust the research team at ED can properly investigate whether that's true or not.

 

Also I wonder why you think in the video you linked that the pilot is trying to uncage? I don't think it would be very useful because, as you said, in a radar lock the aim-9 automatically follows the heat source on its own; not requiring the pilot to uncage manually.

[escaner]

Also I wonder why you think in the video you linked that the pilot is trying to uncage? I don't think it would be very useful because, as you said, in a radar lock the aim-9 automatically follows the heat source on its own; not requiring the pilot to uncage manually.

 

Look at the video, at time index 39:13 the pilot changes weapon to AIM-9 because the circle of the AIM-9 seeker appears on the target designation box. If it were caged, the seeker would be forced into some position (in that case the radar lock) and could never move on its own. But it it wanders off, therefore it is uncaged.

 

As I explained, uncaging the AIM-9 before launch is a common practice and considered the right way to shoot the missile to make sure that it is capable of tracking the expected target on its own. That is how the pilots with actual kills explain their engagements, the literature is plenty of references to this procedure. Look this video, how Larry Pitts explains it too:

 

https://youtu.be/AFX-U0gZRfE?t=18m5s

 

"I chose to select a heat seeking missile, an AIM-9 Sidewinder. When I selected that missile, I got a good tone from it, I uncaged it to make sure the seeker is tracking his burner plume..."

[Banzaiib]

+1 great description OP

[SCU]

As I explained, uncaging the AIM-9 before launch is a common practice and considered the right way to shoot the missile to make sure that it is capable of tracking the expected target on its own. That is how the pilots with actual kills explain their engagements, the literature is plenty of references to this procedure. Look this video, how Larry Pitts explains it too:

 

https://youtu.be/AFX-U0gZRfE?t=18m5s

 

"I chose to select a heat seeking missile, an AIM-9 Sidewinder. When I selected that missile, I got a good tone from it, I uncaged it to make sure the seeker is tracking his burner plume..."

 

Well it seems like you've done your homework, thanks for the explanation :thumbup:.

I hope that ED tweaks the AIM-9 behaviour at some point to match more that of the real one.