AV-8B Harrier II: History, Performance and Discussion

You said “drag the reticle”. these are examples of reticles. Now you are saying it is the TWS that locks them.

image

Now I am confused.

I’ll send a clip later, busy at the moment

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I cant demonstrate properly because the dev server has closed, but shall explain with a clip using an aircraft on live

But I’ll also try and explain better what I mean at the same time.

What you can do in a fight, is lock onto the target with your radar, ideally TWS and that will allow you to “off-boresight” a shot and you can drag the seeker head right to the edge of its FoV. (using SEAM)

Now, in my testing. You could not only drag the seeker and still be able to fire with the Aim-120 much further than the Aim-9M., But I found I was more likely to hit as well. (Also the lock ranges are god-aweful on the Aim-9M which is an issue I really hope they fix ASAP)

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW_ed01MUJQ

In the video, you can see I got an Aim-9M lock well outside of its FoV, but the missile did not hit (though didnt really fire it under good conditions) but the Aim-120 probably would have done so and at far greater ranges

(the gripen has the same radar as the FA2 currently. so off-boresight shots should be similar)

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You are using horizontal cue axis?

Interestingly, this is a Swedish tactic of flying horizontal to Russian defenses & fighters to avoid optimal radar track for attack. The Radar can actually point very far off to the left & right. I do not know if the current Gripen is correct.

But this is not high off boresight capability. It’s all within the boresight of the radar. Unless the aim-120 has the ability to use ACM ACTIVE mode like the Aim-54 its radar does not turn on while it’s on the wing. I would suspect it can. But it comes down to can you use the Aim-120 with HMD?

The Aim54 ACM ACTVE will work like a sidewinder, targets caught in its FOV will immediately track with its own seeker.

You are not truly controlling the missiles seeker it is the radar of the aircraft being pointed horizontally as far as it is able.

Yes, but its possible without that, just fiddlier. In Sim I dont use Cyclic target selection and instead use manual selection. Its more work, but can be very useful.

It might be, but I suspect its not perfect. It is a direct C&P of the Blue Vixen radar from the Sea Harrier FA2. This was because some information was found that the Gripen radar is based upon the Blue Vixen in some capacity. This was suffecient for Gaijin to swap the F-16D radar out for the Blue Vixen (especially as it seems it had already been modeled ahead of this update)

Whether the actual Gripen radar is better in A2A is unknown though.

I consider “Off-boresight” essentially anything beyond directly in front of the aircraft. Where im able to lock onto a target and fire without having to place the boresight phsyically onto the target first.

So I suppose its a matter of personal defintion. But in a fight, in something like the Harrier II. Even without HMS or HMD, you can hit something notably off to one side with a missile and the Aim-120s I think are better in a dogfight than the Aim-9Ms are currently. Which is why Id still be inclined to run them. Even if every fight was WVR.

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If that’s the case interesting.

I see. I never tried it that way. Always something new to learn even in WT Air RB.

I’m going to play with it now.

Good news!
It seems like AV-8B Plus will receive the additional two AMRAAMs giving it total armament of 6 missiles (2x Sidewinder & 4x AMRAAM)

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Does it now have access to the outriggers pylons in game, or did they add Missiles to the inner wing station?

AFAIK, US Harriers never used the outrigger station
So innermost and two outermost stations

AIM-9M - AMRAAM - Outrigger - AMRAAM - Center - AMRAAM - Outrigger - AMRAAM - AIM-9M

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I hope AGM-65D & AGM-65G replace by AGM-65E & AGM-65F Maverick on USMC AV-8B Plus for third major update


No

I’m curious if there are any sources on weapon employment on the Harrier II while in a hover.

The newest harrier strat is to hover and launch ARH at people, but is there a source proving this is possible?

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Never done irl but no reason it aint possible

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The document is correct because the original AV-8B can’t carry outrigger pylons, the document I referenced specifically says this capability was added to the AV-8B NA and then the AV-8B+.

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And the manual for that says for them to never be used

So end of only British Harriers get those pylons

I don’t know why you’re still stuck on that irrelevant argument, they’re perfectly capable of carrying them and have the ability to actually fire AIM-9s from the outrigger pylons, unlike your precious British tree having the South African JAS39 with R-Darters it was never capable of carrying, and many more such cases.

Gripen is compatible and capable of using R-Darters, as it says on SAABs brochure.

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Also this;

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In my opinion, if the manual mentions the possibility of using outrigger pylon for AAM, then why not add that.

We have examples of adding weapons that have never been in the air forces of some countries (for example, the AGM-65G for Sweden) or vice versa, the lack of weapons on some pylons (for example, the same gripen and its central pylon). It is not worth talking about the Yak-141.

It mentions that it should never be used