The maximum speed that they are getting up to is Mach 2.7 but are averaging around Mach 2.3. I was at 20,000 ft flying mach 1.2 and they never got close to hitting Mach 4. I also Shot them at 13 miles away flying at Mach 1.4 and it never went faster that Mach 2.23.
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Maximum speed usually refers to the maximum possible speed, not a speed cap. So that speed I’m guessing refers to a launch on the tomcat at the highest speed and altitude possible, not Mach 1.4.
(Correct me if I’m wrong ofc, I ain’t the most knowledgeable on this topic, just goin by what I’ve heard and seen)
They should be getting a lot closer to mach 4. Was shot down by a R-27ER at a range of 4 miles and it hit Mach 3.4 out of a possible mach 5. Shooting at over 20 miles gives the Aim-54 plenty of time to hit Mach 4 or close to.
The AIM-54 should be able to hit mach 4 from subsonic speeds at altitude. 20K feet is plenty high enough for it to have less air resistance to achieve this. The only reason to launch the phx above mach or faster is to get the missile to speed faster and get as long range out of it ass possible. Launching the phoenix at Mach 1.4 and it only getting .83 mach faster with in 13 miles is also quite ridiculous.
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The most effective way to use the Pheonix is to fly at 30k ft alt, be above Mach 1.1, and fire within 25mi while using TWS to constantly update everything you fired.
I’m well aware of how to use the aim-54, and 30k feet is not necessary. 20 to 25 thousand feet will work. the issue is they are not getting to speed. 10k difference in altitude isnt going to make them got 1.5 mach faster.
The reason for that extra 10k altitude is to give it enough potential energy to use when diving down to attack targets. You’d have to be at like 40-50k alt to get close to its max speed.
the max speed on the phx is not dependent on diving down from near sub orbital altitude. Its level flight speed for the missile and its not getting anywhere close to where it should
It’s max speed is measured in something like 60k feet. It’s an extremely high altitude is all I remember when it was measured.
Mach 5 at 60k feet isn’t substantially higher than mach 5 at 40k feet, or even 20k feet
I’d argue against that. Mach numbers are significantly easier to reach at higher altitudes for the same IAS.
The 54 still has an ungodly amount of drag and also is now wobbling in flight on dev, further reducing it’s ability to get up to it’s design speed.
The latter is supposedly being fixed on ARHes but the former has been a issue for a long time at this point, but I guess gaijin is fine with the missile having the drag coefficients of a missile vastly thicker than the 54 is.
As of this devserver, the AIM-54 is now incapable of achieving its maximum launch range in a historical condition (likely due to increase in AOA fins + severely exaggerated drag)
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Actually, i’m seeing very odd behavior from it. Possible the miss was a fluke as I have continued testing none have missed, but some have had very odd loft angles, and one appeared to have just stopped lofting entirely and spent most of the flight roughly level with the target aircraft.
played another match a bit ago and i went to 36k feet and it got to Mach 3.2 but it was head on with a su-27 and was in the range of active tracking and the su just turned and the missile just kept going straight. There are definite issue with the aim-54
the Mach does not change much, but the air density does and massively, the air density is like 2 time higher at 40k and at 20k is 4 times.
From a mach 1.7 launch at 45k feet I managed to see up to mach 4.5 for a split second before the motor burned out.