Imagine an F15EX loaded with 24 or 32 Peregrines.
wonder how these numbers would go up from a F-22 in ideal launch (18km altitude launch +, mach 1.8+)
also those numbers seem fairly low because 120D is already pushing or exceeding 200km launch range on a subsonic target
so you would think 260 is a bigger improvement than that
It’s not, that’s a wikipedia number based on rough estimations of an improvement over the C, with the C’s number itself being based on incorrect numbers for the A taken from seconday sources. everything saying 200+ is traceable back to wikipedia.
I corrected the values down, and even under the most generous assumptions its getting 160km, and 130 is a lower and more likely figured.
Ranges on wikipedia are generally as a whole too high. Due to them using generous assumptions about sources already assuming ideal launch conditions.
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it is though
https://www.53rdwing.af.mil/News/Article/2572350/f-15c-records-longest-known-missile-shot/
you would think that from this claim it would be at least further than other tests of US missiles, and with the AIM-54 having been tested out to ~100 nm that would put 120D at at least at almost 200km range
and since then it has been tested at even further ranges
and that first shot is known to be on a subsonic target, where many other long range missile tests have been on supersonic targets
Huh, no idea, but it being nearly a 100% improvement in performance over the aim-120C feels kinda silly.
idk, might have been a limit on flight time
or the public range was an underestimate
but yeah, those statements are pretty clear on 120D being able to hit at least almost 200km
also could be partially due to launch conditions, because F15C and F22 can both fly very high and fast
Aim 120c already has a battery life of 80 seconds. I doubt anything much more for a non dual pulse or ramjet missile is needed
Tbf I don’t think the public ranges would be that understated, especially considering even the current stated/assumed performance is decently near whats ideally possible given the fuel type. Unless they’re just entirely lying about the fuel type and motor weight of amraams, which like… They could be?
AMRAAMs already have a massively long active life, so I doubt it’d just be battery improvements? It could just be lofting, but a glidescope to hit a target that far out would leave nearly zero energy for manuevers.
could be due to 120D being dual pulse
I think I saw a decent source for that on DTIC recently but forgot to save it
which could increase range by a lot, by reducing average IAS therefor massively decreasing drag
True, it would allow for a very efficient glidesclope while leaving interception energy. I’ve also found articles that say that, but the thing is they’re research studies from other nations, such as this one, and their cited documents don’t mention it.
The more interesting thing though, is that documents like this one also say the Aim-120C-7 has a dual pulse motor, which imo casts even more doubt onto their claim. As the C-7 isn’t claimed to have as much longer range as you’d expect from that.
huh, I dont think ive seen much saying that before
I know the thing for 120D being dual pulse recently didnt say that for C7 but id have to look again to try find it
I dont know about that, iirc most of the range figures we have are for C5 and before, if they upgraded to dual pulse for C7 there might just not be many range numbers out there for it
if it’s actually a dtic document confirming that it would definitely be both very useful and interesting
idk if ill be able to find it again, looked through history a bit
but ive looked at a lot of DTIC stuff and a lot of the names are very non descriptive
looked a bit and saw a mastery thesis that said 120D is dual pulse there https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/trecms/pdf/AD1178142.pdf
but think ive seen better but cant find it (their search is not good, I remember once I was looking into anti satellite stuff and found something about nuclear powered blimps)
F-15EX with Sniper and nav pod. The countermeasure dispensers seem to be wide open, suggesting operational use of the dispensers with the pods
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from images i’ve seen, (at least with latirn pod) it only blocks 1/2 of the dispensers on the belly (at least on the E)
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