Active A2A missiles adjust course through mountains / without line of sight

[de.Impact]

Problem:

If you hide from the missile and the shooter aircraft behind a mountain after getting launched on, the missile keeps the lock. If you change direction while in cover, the missile changes the optimal intercept cource, even while the shooter aircraft and the missile have no line of sight to the target. The missile should either go straight or intercept last known target course after either missile or shooter aircraft loses line of sight.

 

If the target e.g. pulls up while in cover from the missile and the shooter aircraft, the missile pulls up aswell.

 

Works so far with AIM-120C / Aim-54A / R-77. Tracks are attached.

 

Notice the green line turning red means terrain obstruct the view between units.

 

1. After shooter aircraft lost line of sight, the missile still changes direction. It goes to the right at first, then changes its course to the left, even target is behind cover.

https://i.imgur.com/BNlEP0l.mp4

 

2. Same shot. After missile lost line of sight, the missile still changes direction.

https://i.imgur.com/3tc0Nuu.mp4

 

3. Same shot. Notice at the end: The mirage pulls up while in cover, missile keeps intercept course by pulling up aswell.

https://i.imgur.com/YvrZ0fW.mp4

 

This especially shows with the Aim-54 due to its long time of flight. Testing was done in Persian Gulf map.

 

All tracks and gifs here are made im singlepayer/Mission editor, so the missiles desync should be not the issue.

 

When reproducing, make sure you dont notch the missile and always stay hot aspect while behind cover. Notching works aswell while masked.

tracking through mountains Aim-54A.trk

tracking through mountains R77.trk

tracking through mountains 120C.trk

Edited May 4, 2019 by [de].Impact

[dorianR666]

wow

[razo+r]

I've already had a different missile flying through terrain so this doesn't surprise me anymore...

[Airhunter]

Happens all the time. The terrain database in 2.5 probably still uses the old pre 2.5 data.

[Exorcet]

This needs a fix if it's happening. This was actually reported before as missiles tracking without radar guidance but it wasn't so obvious that they were tracking the actual target and not the last position in that report, at least when I tested. This clearly shows the problem, so I guess the missiles were broken afterall.

[de.Impact]

Another gif showing the missile starts turning after losing line of sight to target. Target starts turn after losing line of sight. Shooter aircraft is lower than the lofting missile, so it cant update target position.

Trackfiles for left and right turn after flying behind the mountain are attached.

 

Again single player testing without any network desync.

Right turn:

https://i.imgur.com/VxZOHqK.mp4

 

Left turn:

 

https://i.imgur.com/gUWXhlZ.mp4

 

aim54 right.trk

aim54 left.trk

Edited May 4, 2019 by [de].Impact

[Worrazen]

That's the stuff I wondered many times, never got myself indepth about it, saw it on a video a week ago with missile going through the terrain at the top of the mountain.

 

 

I don't think we need to like cause doom and gloom, visually DCS has been improving lately so it's all in progress and geometry is all changing and each weapons has to be able to work with it, so I'm sure it'll be done sooner rather than later in sense of a proper fix, not a rushed one.

 

 

Then it's depth of simulation of the weapons individually is probably playing a part too I'm speculating, what do weapons do when they lose lock/LOS, do they fly to the last known position? , do they fly in the direction of the predicted position from the last known data? do they have any timeout's on the requirement before they go wander or blow up? Do they just self-destruct immediately? So if these things aren't fully clear they'll have to be sorted out.

 

 

I'm sure it's not on the bottom of the todolist, this thread will make the urgency more clear around this area, it's one of the whole points of a simulator, being able to hide behind obstacles and terrain is a huge part of realism and it's should be an area of good care.

Edited May 5, 2019 by Worrazen