Radar MEM mode and other quirks for Flanker, Migs and Eagles.

[Pilotasso]

These ideas have beem making some ricochets in my little cranium inside:

 

Why dont close combat modes have MEM mode when targets notch? Just like in BVR mode. Doesnt make sense to ommit this algoritm into all CAC radar modes.

 

I see too much nonsense online lately, like giving up the initiative at BVR to let attaking interceptors get close enough for an off boresight heat seeker shot.

 

I realy hate it to work that hard BVR, keep targets locked is already hard as it is, getting into a favourable position to fire well inside the no escape zone only to miss the entire load and then getting caught by these running targets.

 

I see lots of new people online being quite successfull running and shooting missiles off boresight against the tide of the fight.

 

We also need a real working heat seeker for F-15. Unlike the russian stuff, It has no backup whatsoever for its radar sensor and weapons. "Loose the radar lock, loose the fight", seems to be the motto here, and you know how bad it is since you cant see anything untill 13 miles with such a tight viewcone.

 

As the list of shortcoming to radars, not just the AMRAAM, seems to be pilling up adding to the inedequacies, specialy for F-15. Russian planes always keep lock WVR one way or another. Looking at statistics you can get proof of that quite evidently.

 

Me wants ASRAAM, anyone? :D

 

I havent been able to use close combat modes with the R-77 while looking down, even when radar is on. Why? I can use the R-27 range of missiles anyway, but I would realy like to shoot the ader first.

[Vadifon]

Why dont close combat modes have MEM mode when targets notch? Just like in BVR mode.

in the Russians CAC radar modes is reduced the influence when Target maneuvering within 70 to 110 degrees aspect how in BVR. but it is not removed

[Pilotasso]

Play the wonded bird drama to shoot off boresight someone who has got tactical advantage is not my idea of superior tactics. Its my idea of something that is missing or broken.

 

Its is not the purpose of this thread to complain about the AMRAAM again. We're talking about radar. After all this hapens for russian planes as well.

[Geier]

Agree. F15 radar in the LO seems to be more realistic than the russians ones.

But ED won't do anything.

[GGTharos]

Less realistic, actually ... it's a copy of the russian ones with a different 'skin'. There are a LOT of things missing from it ... a LOT. Starting with detecting MiGs in look-down between 60 and 80 nm.

[Geier]

... it's a copy of the russian ones with a different 'skin'.

Hm, Really? What about how works radar seeker and constant breaks the lockings at the range of 20-30 nm?

[GGTharos]

F-15 radar breaking lock is far less likely than a MiG-29, I'd say ;) In LOMAC, they break about the same. The difference is that it's far more annoying in the F-15 since it has to 'repaint' the picture - in LOMAC. Under the hood it's all the same radar model.

If you are more specific in your question perhaps we can discuss more in depth :)

[D-Scythe]

Hm, Really? What about how works radar seeker and constant breaks the lockings at the range of 20-30 nm?

 

Lock On only uses one "radar model" - this model is tweaked differently for the different fighters, so that explains why there are some minor differences between them. But to say that the F-15 radar is more "realistic" than the Russian ones is laughable - right off the top of my head, I know the avionics for the Su and MiG got a bit of a realism touch-up in V1.1.

 

Furthermore, the F-15's APG-63/70 radar uses a different type of antenna and is a generation ahead in terms of technology and user-friendliness. The planar antennas used by the West physically has numerous advantages over the cassegrain ones found in the MiG and Su. In fact, pilots who have flown with both radar type sets state that in terms of capability the MiG-29 radar is more comparable to an F-4.

 

Ergo, you can see why, ideally, the same radar model shouldn't have been applied to both the F-15 and it's Russian counterparts.

[Geier]

F-15 radar breaking lock is far less likely than a MiG-29, I'd say ;) In LOMAC, they break about the same. The difference is that it's far more annoying in the F-15 since it has to 'repaint' the picture - in LOMAC. Under the hood it's all the same radar model.

If you are more specific in your question perhaps we can discuss more in depth :)

 

OK. So the main difference is how the picture with targets changes per definite time?

[GGTharos]

For the most part yes - basically the F-15's radar has a wider FoV and TWS, those are really the two main differences in LOMAC. Other than that, they're basically the same thing.

[Frostie]

In fact, pilots who have flown with both radar type sets state that in terms of capability the MiG-29 radar is more comparable to an F-4.

Thats like saying the F-16 is comparable to the F-4, which version you talking about?

Im sure thats naive Western thinking for you.

A lot of Migs were exported with reduced power radars not to mention the 29S upgrade.:)

[Pilotasso]

The radar on F-16's is of the same generation as the F-15's, even if they provide very different ranges. The vast majority of radars equiping F-16's today are APG-66V2A and APG-68V5 and V9's.

There are still examples flying with basic APG-66's (from wich the others evolved) onboard of F-16A ADF/OCU but they are fast disapearing. These are still more davanced than the cassegrain radars but they still lack a true TWS (uses SAM mode instead) and have very poor ECM resistence due to the old signal processor.

 

The main difference between these radars are power output and the signal processors backing them up. The mech antenna is basicaly the same.

 

BAsic APG-66 can see another F-16 at 30 miles look down, take or give a couple miles. The other variants add a further 10-15 miles, though actual figures are still classified.

 

On another note the old basic APG-66 are very sensitive to maintenance and calibration. Thus 2 radars of these do not provide 2 equal ranges.