AGM-45A Shrike - Can target SNR-75V with Mk 49 guidance sections

[Northstar98]

Hi everyone,

The Mk 49 Mod 0 and Mk 49 Mod 1 guidance sections of the Shrike can target the SNR-75V [Fan Song-E] FCR of the S-75V Volhov [SA-2E Guideline Mod 3] SAM system.

The Mk 49 Mod 0 and Mod 1 target the H to I bands, from 6 to 10 GHz. The SNR-75V however operates in the G band, between 4.91 to 5.09 GHz.  This is corroborated by both online sources and the DCS .lua definition for the unit (see line 81).

As such, the SNR-75V's operating frequency should be below the range that the Mk 49 Mod 0/1 can target, by nearly a GHz.

Spoiler

I have seen some confusion about the G-bias on the Mk 49 Mod 1. This appears to be referring to "gravity bias", which is a trajectory shaping correction to compensate for pitch-down due to gravity.

In practice, this means that with the Mk 49 Mod 1, the Shrike should generally aim higher than Shrikes using other guidance sections throughout its flight, with the upside being increased accuracy (and this does appear to be the case in DCS - note how the Mk 49 Mod 0 generally flies lower and falls short of the radar, whereas the Mk 49 Mod 1 flies higher and hits the radar practically directly).

It does not refer to the guidance section being biased towards the G band (which is outside the range of what the Mk 49 Mod 1 can target, especially for the mid G band in the case of the SNR-75V).

I've attached a track for each of the different Mk 49 mods against a SNR-75V, note that both seem to guide without much issue despite the SNR-75 operating below what the Mk 49 should be able to target.

AGM-45A_Mk49-1_SNR-75V.trk AGM-45A_Mk49-0_SNR-75V.trk

Edited June 25, 2024 by Northstar98