AIM-54C-MK60 does not guide?

[AndrewDCS2005]

AIM-54C-MK60 launched by F-14B AI on me as target at 37nm distance. Missile takes 45 degree pitch up and goes for the stars (hitting 167kft ASL at apogee). While launcher had me ahead of him all the time (while dodging first fired Phoenix), looks like missile never guided. Looks like a bug to me.

Track and tacview attached (Iraq map, can try to repro clean on Caucasus if needed).

 

AIM-54C.zip.acmi AIM-54C.trk

Edited 21 hours ago by AndrewDCS2005

[AndrewDCS2005]

Tested a bit more and have another interesting track - first Phoenix was guiding OK for 2min 10s but then stopped while having me in sight just 6nm away. Why?

Second Phoenix was guiding only first 20s and then stopped. I don't think I was outside launcher's radar FOV.

At 30-40nm range and M3+ I'd expect Phoenix to be lethal vs my sloppy defense, but somehow, they just stop guiding. What is happening here?

 

AIM-54C-stop-guiding.zip.acmi AIM-54C-stop-guiding.trk

[Ivandrov]

It looks to me in both tracks you are notching the radar on the enemy Tomcat as soon as it fires a missile or in the one case you break lock by hiding behind the hill. If he's not STT'ed, the track is lost or put into memory. (There is some DCS goofiness with how the AI does things as far as RWR indications from their aircraft.) In both tracks, the first missile fired reacquires you using it's own onboard radar and then either doesn't have enough energy to reach you, or runs out of battery power.

Your defense here is actually excellent (Other than the dumping of countermeasures near missile launch), because of the trajectory and how slow the missile usually is, it becomes impossible for it to reach you if you turn 180 and burn.

It's about what I expect from the AI. It is a very difficult missile to employ against the small fighters. 

Edited 17 hours ago by Ivandrov

[AndrewDCS2005]

No the issue is that second shot was either not guiding at all (first track) or was guiding and then stopped (second track) - while target remained in the same configuration as few sec before while guiding. For example, what happened here (4m37s into second track)?

[Ivandrov]

I think I am looking at the bottom of your plane from this perspective. So, I would say you notched. The first missile is guiding onto you with its onboard radar.