For Conical Scanning AIM-7’s (AIM-7C ~ -7F) specifically, it would actually be caused by the AGC (Automatic Gain Control ) action causing the target to fade into MLC clutter / Noise and the subsequent difference in the Ground return between scanned sectors causing the autopilot to make the missile oscillate in the vertical plane degrading guidance quality. But is otherwise unimpacted by low altitude flight in most scenarios due to the doppler filter allowing the missile to ignore ground clutter so it would only impact abeam intercepts, and so it would probably fall outside the Radar’s ability to track, or cause issues with the Fuse’s sensitivity / early detonation, before the missile began to have issues guiding on the target.
These filters / conical scanning properties aren’t actually implemented in game anyway so its definitely for balance purposes since DECM / ECM isn’t implemented (yet).
I know the ground effect, but we’re not talking about that here, the problem is that the AIM 7 is strongly disturbed by many factors, first of all, the quality of the flight, much more irregular, it often performs senseless trajectories taking or losing altitude excessively, then trying to recover later and missing the target, as well as already swinging, moreover the kill rate at low altitude compared to an R-24R is much lower, as the R-24R managed to maintain at low altitude a linearity in flight without making strange maneuvers and causing the crash. to make you understand I was 10 meters above the ground, a mig 23 was also at the same altitude as me, with an angle of attack of 45° with respect to me at about 10/15km, its R-24R despite me trying to force the missile to duck and crash, it remained perfectly linear and shot me down, it didn’t suffer that annoying problem of the AIM 7. if you add that the F4S/J doesn’t even have ir missiles with front lock, it is heavily penalized in the clashes, since for how is ARB developed you are currently forced to fly at low altitude and the first engagements take place head-on, since above 1000m it is the territory of MIG-29-F16-F14, add to this that the performance of US missiles is much worse, and is literally equivalent to having nerfed the kill capacity of an aircraft.
I’m not arguing about its performance issue compared to R-24R, my reply was only about you comparing it against R-24T for generic radar missile issues.
I think that you being a user of the aim 7f are much more aware of its shortcomings and tend to see the counterparts as severely overpowered. However i can tell you that the r27s are just as prone to these issues and more i.e. notching than the american counterparts.
Radar missiles lead the target and if the instantaneous velocity vector of thr target gives the prediction that the target will be lower than the ground at a certain point in time then the missile will lead into the ground. This happens willth all missiles in warthunder right now unless the target pulls away too early and hence the missile does so too.
I’m not saying that only the aim 7F does it but that it does it more markedly. and seeing how the missiles that kill me and that I see coming visually behave much better and trying to bring them to crash you can’t do it as easily as with the aim 7f.
you can do the tests yourself if you have the means to do them, just fly with f4s/j and mig 23 or any aircraft that can carry R-24Rs and I could test the difference yourself
You are trying to prove that the aim-7f is somehow faulty compared to other radar missiles. The burden of proof is on you. I have used these missiles on both ends and do not experience this. The only way to help you get better is by analyzing the gameplay you are having trouble with.
Having done so, both the R24R (not T) and the 7F/M have the brain damaged flight paths. 7fm likes to freak out then guide toward whatever it feels like, while R24R likes to nosedive into the ground (even in a look-up scenario) or track a completely different target, but when it does track properly it is very hard to defeat.
The only missiles that don’t do this are phoenixes and R27 because of their datalinks which are incredibly strong in game
the issue is probably with the radar illumination etc. the aim7f platforms such as the F4S use standard search and track iirc and not PD, hence when you, at an average of 10m above ground, fire a missile and the enemy makes any movement downwards, the aim7f leads the target and crashes.
i suggest going a bit higher and allowing the missile to strike down from above, or at least aiming the missile upwards so to give it manouvering space. the R27s are prone to this since they are quite heavy missiles and take some time to accelerate.
well unless you click on the 2 on the top left (FPV) i cannot say for certain but it seems like the F4 was slow and the missiles predicted him to be above ground, try to imagine a straight line extending from the targets vector of motion.
as for everything else, try zigzagging as you fly, throws off SARH missiles
oh yeah I wasn’t going to hit, I’m only talking about the initial launch, where the missile zigzags all over the place. after that, I know why it faceplanted, he died and it follows him down. (Actually I think it started tracking something else but idk how to follow missiles in replay)
