1.11 patch gimball limits concerns

[Pilotasso]

Quoting from another thread:

Yes, there have been a number of missile seeker adjustments - to all missiles.

 

None of the missiles will now be able to re-acquire easily in the data link phase, so if you lose the link, you are very likely to lose the missile. ARH do a little better, because they will begin their own scan pattern, but it is possible that they will not find you (we have seen ARH fly overhead without having found a target a number of times now after DL is lost but ... always remember ... it's still scanning, so it COULD pick you up). You can still launch heaters without a lock, but unless you launch them practically straight at the target, they will not acquire.

 

The gimbal limits of the AIM-120 and R-77 have been reduced and the jamming issues have been corrected also. It is still possible, but less likely for the ARH missiles to acquire targets different than the ones they are intended to if you lose the datalink OR if there is a target very close to your intended target that can confuse the seeker.

 

But remember that an AIM-120 equipped aircraft still can maneuver after or very close to TTA, which gives it a few seconds of breathing room.

 

Browsing through a book, of wich the local AF academy decided to add to their library (Air combat: the new face of war, Time Life editor 2003) wich has great detail on radar physics principles shows on page 47 the typical gimball limits of each missile types:

40º for IR, 60 or so for SARH and ARH missiles.

 

I can't give you numbers, but the general idea is that now the seeker has an instantaneous FoV which has to be moved around, instead of instantly sensing all the volume around it ... the gimabals, though reduced, don't change anything in this respect - ie. the gimbals did not repair the malfunctions, rather the introduction of the iFoV did ... since the missile can only see a few degrees looking in any direction, if the target's not right there, the missile is lost.

 

5 deg depends on the distance, too: 5 deg at 10km will take the plane much longer to cross than 5deg at 1km ... so coordinate your dodge accordingly ;)

 

 

Anyway, I suggest you do your math on it ... 1MOA=29cm at 1km.

 

A degree has 60MOA ... so at 1km a 1deg FoV is 17.4m across.

 

A 5 deg FoV at 1km is 87m across.

 

A 5 deg FoV at 10km is 870m across ... even at 10km you can leave the iFov very quickly, since your aircraft is likely moving at speeds on the order of 200m/s.

According to what I have exposed above, this just sounds wrong. hows the 1.11 missiles behaviour doing at the moment?

[Vati]

Do not mix sensor gimbal limits with sensor FOV

[Raploc]

Do not mix sensor gimbal limits with sensor FOV

 

Shoot! You beat me to it :-) . but it's the right answer.

[D-Scythe]

Exactly what Vati said. Seeker FOV is like what I can see with my eyes. Gimbal limits is like how much I can turn my head from side to side. So even though I can only look forward with a 60 degrees FOV (just as an example), I can still turn my head 90 degrees sideways to see something that's off to my left or right.

[Pilotasso]

hmmm Missiles radar antennas also tilt? I though they were fixed... O_o

[GGTharos]

Depends on the antenna. There exist some fixed ones, but most 'tilt'. Guess what the apparatus for this 'tilting' is called ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gimbal! ... you get it now yes? ;)