HQ-7 question

[lobmobster]

Been trying to figure out how the hq7 works, sometimes when the search radar is destroyed the individual launchers will give up entirely and become harmless, but sometimes they don't. I can't figure out the pattern. Treating every single launcher like an individual sam site would take 2 or 3 times as long to capture the base, so I would rather not do that.hq7 spotted.trk

In this track flying 40km away seemed to work, but sometimes it doesn't. I guess it's possible the launchers shutting down entirely is unintended behaviour, in which case we might have to tone down the number of sams if it gets fixed.

[antiload]

The HQ7 acts like the BuK system in regards to individual launchers having the capability to launch but at a reduced range. Don't know if it's bugged but like to think it's just within the guidance system as the HQ-7 missile is a semi-automatic radar-guided (SACLOS) command-guided infrared image system. Maybe the individual launchers can't always detect the threat. 

Edited Monday at 12:46 PM by antiload

[Kang]

I'll admit I never really understood how the HQ-7 works. Basically the Crotale it was copied from is rather confusing already with different variants seemingly having vastly different guidance methods.

Can anybody use the opportunity and explain to me what exactly the HQ-7 in DCS is?

[Silver_Dragon]

By my info...

Ship Based
Country / Name / Guidance / Gen / Air Range (Nm) / ATA rating / Targets @ Missile director / Surface Range (Nm) / Damage / Penetration / Envelope Flight Patch / Speed / Signature / IOC / Remarks
PRC / HQ-7 / Cmd/2 gen / 0.5 - 6.5 / 1.0 / 1@2 / 0.5 - 6.5 / 17 + D6/3 / 2 / VLow - Med / 1475 / VSmall / 1990 / -
PRC / HQ-7A / Cmd/3 gen / 0.5 - 8.1 / 1.5 / 1@2 / 0.5 - 8.1 / 17 + D6/3 / 2 / VLow - Med / 1750 / VSmall / 1998 / -

Land Based
Country / Name / Giadance / Gen / ATA Rating / Range (Nm) / Altitude Envelope / Speed / IOC / Remarks
PRC / HQ-7/FM-80 [CSA-4] / Cmd/1 / 1.0 / 0.3 - 6.5 / NOE - Med / 1460 / 1988 / -
PRC / HQ-7A/FM-90 [CSA-5] / Cmd/3 / 1.5 / 0.4 - 6.5 / NOE - Med / 1460 / 1998 / -
PRC / HQ-7B/FM-90 [CSA-7] / Cmd/3 / 2.0 / 0.4 - 8.1 / NOE - Med / 1750 / 2009 / -

Surface-to-Air Missile Batteries
Country / Syst Name / Acq Rads / Guid Rads / Msls by Lchr / Lchar by Btry / Combat Sys Gen / Tgts@msls Btry / Set time (min) / Rld Time (min) / Remarks
PRC / HQ-7 / FM-80 Acq Rdr / Type 345 / 4 / 3 / 3 / 3@2 msl / 15 / 20 / Based on Crotale
PRC / HQ-7A, 7B / FM-90 Acq Rdr / Type 345 / 4 / 3 / 3 / 3@2 msl / 10 / 20 / -

Land Radars
Country / Name / Funtion / Detention Range vs Large / Med / Small / VSmall / Stealthy / Gen / IOC / Mobility / Remarks
PRC / FM-80, FM-90 Acq rdr / LAS / 14 / 14 / 10 / 4 / 1 / 3 Gen / ? / M / Performance estimated,designation unknown
PRC / Type 345 / FC Radars

• Low-Altitude Search (LAS) radars are designed to detect seaskimminers. They only see contacts in the Low and Medium altitude bands, but detect anything in VLow flight normally because they don’t suffer from the same clutter problem that affects air search radars. They can use the radar duct.

Mobility Abbreviations: F: fixed radars M: mobile radars T: transportable radars

Edited 14 hours ago by Silver_Dragon

[lobmobster]

@Kang I believe the individual launchers have some kind of tracking radar and saclos, because I have been hit without rwr signal, but I do see the launchers on ELINT and rwr sometimes as well. If they already have a lock on you, then destroying the search radar won't protect you because the search radar is just for searching, not for tracking. Once the search radar is destroyed, their behaviour is completely ambiguous as shown in the track I posted, at first it's like they don't need a search radar, then after a while they stop trying.

[Kang]

4 hours ago, lobmobster said:

@Kang I believe the individual launchers have some kind of tracking radar and saclos, because I have been hit without rwr signal, but I do see the launchers on ELINT and rwr sometimes as well. If they already have a lock on you, then destroying the search radar won't protect you because the search radar is just for searching, not for tracking. Once the search radar is destroyed, their behaviour is completely ambiguous as shown in the track I posted, at first it's like they don't need a search radar, then after a while they stop trying.

Thank you, that sort of matches my experience.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that there also was an infrared system associated with it, but at least to me it remained unclear whether there is an actual IR-guided variant, or if the SACLOS guidance system just has an optional IR camera.