AIM-9M Sidewinders should lock onto hot maritime targets

[DmitriKozlowsky]

I think that DCS and RAZBAM should acknowledge that Sidewinders M & X should be able to lock onto hot naval targets and engage them. This was proven by Navy and Marine trials time and again at Pt.Mugu and over China Lake (which ironically has no water).  Now normally, Navy/USMC Navair do not recommend AIM-9 use due to warhead performance and cost, but small boats and corvettes can be engaged. In DCS: AV-8B, AIM-9M seeker seems to reject surface targets. But will lock on to taxing aircraft. 

[JetCat]

Wow using Sidewinders to sink ships. It can´t get any more easy and comfortable than locking on the diesel exhaust of some enemy gunship with the AIM-9

Edited November 4, 2021 by JetCat

[DmitriKozlowsky]

1 hour ago, JetCat said:

Wow using Sidewinders to sink ships. It can´t get any more easy and comfortable than locking on the diesel exhaust of some enemy gunship with the AIM-9

 

Sink ship. No! Not enough bang. But it should do a mobility kill on a corvette, and disable gunboats. I noticed that a healthy Molnya corvette, is very liberal in use of AK-630 CIWS. But a single double rocket hit from APKWS , single AGM-65D/H/L/Le shuts up Molnyas CIWS, a Zuni, and speed or renders it dead in the water. Insurgent gofast boats do sink often, but not always. Their DSHK goes silent.  AGM-122 is just a rebuilt AIM-9B from expired stock. Only seeker is different, being a passive radar guided. Warhead remains same weight. That annular blast fragmention, is as effective against SAM radars as against aircraft. 9M and 9X , in real life trials, did lock on to ground and surface hotpoints, guided and hit. Often with direct impact.

Submarines, on surface, also make enticing targets. Submarine hulls are designed to withstand water pressure and underwater detonation shockwaves, which spread pressure differentials across the hull. But at same time sub hulls are brittle, when there is a direct impact or above water detonation next to the hull. How ED programmed BDA for surfaced submarines, I do not know. I have no idea what kind of water hydrodynamic properties DCS uses when calculating damage to naval targets.

 

 

[Baltic Pirate]

On 11/1/2021 at 12:43 PM, DmitriKozlowsky said:

I think that DCS and RAZBAM should acknowledge that Sidewinders M & X should be able to lock onto hot naval targets and engage them. This was proven by Navy and Marine trials time and again at Pt.Mugu and over China Lake (which ironically has no water).  Now normally, Navy/USMC Navair do not recommend AIM-9 use due to warhead performance and cost, but small boats and corvettes can be engaged. In DCS: AV-8B, AIM-9M seeker seems to reject surface targets. But will lock on to taxing aircraft. 

Yes and no. It depends fully on the heat signature emitted and missile limitations. If you have a gas turbine powered FAC, certainly the exhaust is hot enough to create sufficient IR signature, but try locking into a water cooled diesel exhaust right at waterline of a slow moving naval auxiliary, not going to happen. Now Tarantul class has an upward exhaust and with two 11000hp COGAG system. That would certainly give a IR signature that would be seen by a missile seeker head.

AGM-119 Penguin is an ASM and equipped with a passive IR-seeker. Alas the possibility to use say AIM-9 could work, in theory.

[DmitriKozlowsky]

47 minutes ago, Baltic Pirate said:

Yes and no. It depends fully on the heat signature emitted and missile limitations. If you have a gas turbine powered FAC, certainly the exhaust is hot enough to create sufficient IR signature, but try locking into a water cooled diesel exhaust right at waterline of a slow moving naval auxiliary, not going to happen. Now Tarantul class has an upward exhaust and with two 11000hp COGAG system. That would certainly give a IR signature that would be seen by a missile seeker head.

AGM-119 Penguin is an ASM and equipped with a passive IR-seeker. Alas the possibility to use say AIM-9 could work, in theory.

I have tried time and again to lock on to Molnyas, with 9M and 9X. From F/A-18C, AV-8B, and A-10C. No joy, no lock. Sidewinder will lock onto idling or taxing helicopter, parked aircraft with engines running.

[DSplayer]

This is more of a DCS weapon issue instead of an AV-8B issue. I don't think RAZBAM can't really do anything.

[AlphaJuliet]

ED should provide this sort of functionnality with their new IR model.

There is nothing we can do about it right now.

Cheers