Incorrect/unrealistic method of guiding anti-aircraft missiles

[HFXLegion]

Currently, the S-300PS and Patriot air defense systems in the game have an unrealistic missile guidance system. In reality, many systems guide their missiles according to the following principle: during the main flight phase, the missile is guided using command guidance or track-via-missile (TVM), switching to SARH a few seconds before reaching the target.

In the game, however, all such air defense systems use SARH (semi-active radar homing) throughout the entire guidance trajectory of the missile.

The current implementation of TVM does not involve switching to semi-active radar guidance in the final stage of flight.

 

Sources:

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIM-104_Patriot

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-300_missile_system

[Northstar98]

27 minutes ago, HFXLegion said:

the missile is guided using command guidance or track-via-missile (TVM), switching to SARH a few seconds before reaching the target.

Both systems have a purely command-guided midcourse phase (which doesn't involve the missile's seeker at all) and a terminal TVM phase (which is otherwise identical to SARH but the missile data links what it sees back to the FCR and the FCR in turn provides steering commands, instead of the missile generating its own steering commands as with SARH).

Mad_Shell's thread on the subject had more detail.

This issue though also applies to the RIM-66M-2 SM-2MR Block IIIA and the RIM-156A SM-2ER Block IV, which do use command guidance + terminal SARH (the initial, command-guided phase doesn't appear to be modelled and launch warnings appear from launch - if it were consistent with current ARH missiles, that launch warning should only happen in the terminal phase).

Edited yesterday at 09:32 PM by Northstar98

[HFXLegion]

I consider this to be an extremely important omission, as I am improving the HighDigitSAMs mod, whose name speaks for itself here 

What is the point of the S-300PMU-2 with a range of 200 km if the pilot's RWR immediately starts warning about the launch?

The same applies to the Patriot PAC-2 from CurrentHill, which, apparently, will sooner or later be added to the game following the current asset pack.