Today I’m here to talk about the AiM 9L (and indirectly, the R-60Ms for balancing reason). So, for context, both the AiM 9L and R60M models were nerfed at some point between Sons of Attila and Seek and Destroy (if I recall correctly on which update). With this, both models lost all flare resistance and became all aspect Aim 9Js/R60s to include in the rear aspect shots. However, with this, both models became literally one flare counterable which isn’t the case in real life. According to the British tests, the AiM 9L would tend to still track the target aircraft in a rear aspect shot in afterburner with countermeasures deployed. When deployed in game though, the target aircraft can be in full burner, flight straight and instantly defeat both sets of missiles with a single flare. Given how aircraft that have to fight against top tier are limited to these missiles, that’s not exactly fair nor fun to have to grind out the modification tree just to get another substandard IRAAM to have to fight players with while they get IRCCM and ARH capability. This has been brought up in Gaijin’s bug report website but has clearly gone nowhere fast. What do y’all think? Should these missiles have some resistance to flares if the target is still in afterburner?
note I do recognize aircraft like the A10A and Su 25 have the AiM 9L/R60M and would fight aircraft with 0 countermeasures. My response to that is to just move those aircraft up to 10.7 for air RB (I don’t play arcade so I can’t comment on that).
Flares are probably not too strong (if anything some need major buffs) , nor are seekes necessarily too weak (though almost certainly nerfed in places) but I would strongly suspect the issue is that aircraft are universally too cold due to War Thunders heat signature system being extremely basic
tbf, it’s not like seekers have an issue getting a lock on planes in proper angles. it’s just that even with a plane being in after burner, the missiles prioritize the flare for some reason
I was playing the Hunter F.58 in Air Sim the other day and 9Ls were generally not possible to decoy with a single ‘pop’ of 2 flares in rear aspect, so I highly doubt it’s that simple lol.
Literally just had a match right before making this post where I launched 2x AiM 9Ls at a F4E and a J-7E from sub 1.5km behind them. They stayed in full burner the entire time, popped one flare and off went both sets of AiM 9Ls.
I think Currently for the 9L, If you angle your missile just right when firing it’ll track the planes engine instead of flares. (As in, try and shoot the 9L so the flares are almost never in the seekers fov when they pop. Basically More luck then skill though)
IR Missiles past the flareless tiers but before IRCCM are incredibly weak. It’s wild how they’ve become basically secondary weapons compared to your guns from around 10.3 to 11.3. And guns are shit right now so I hope you have radar missiles.
Flares being consistent, combined with spotting, combined with the fact that every single RB battle turns into a giant clusterfuck with everyone turning and randomly preflaring, firing off their own missiles that also throw off IR, and allies being in your way constantly and flaring themselves, basically makes IR missiles into incredibly situational weapons. They’re only really good for third-partying guys who are trying to dogfight, usually fired from directly above. You will get kills with them, but essentially only ever in this situation.
AIM-9Bs are the best non-irccm missile. At the tiers where they appear the most, they are useful in a lot of ways: They can waste an enemy’s speed, they counter guns-D, they can deny people from attempting to take the fight vertical or at least make it much harder, they absolutely grief bombers to a degree that makes me wonder why anyone flies the IL-28. They rule.
I think it would have worked sub 1km. Around 600m is the sweetspot for AIM-9Ls and similarly specced missiles to ignore flares (on afterburning targets of sufficient size).
The best use for AIM-9Ls I’ve found is for tricking people into thinking they’re a sparrow. Even if they remember to flare, if they thought it was a sparrow at first they’re likely to flare late. Doesn’t work all the time but when it does, it’s funny.
Historically and realistically wise technically they are a little too weak, both chaff and flares in war thunder are heavily nerfed to makr the game fun aspecially chaff which barely does anything in war thunder but in real life its very effective
I agree, i think gaijins mistake is not, or barely changing the chaff between brs, what they did is take the mid range chaff and put it everywhere so in lower tiers its op and on higher tiers its a suggestion. They kinda forgot chaff evolved heavily throughout the years
