You’re probably thinking of something more like an AIM-9X.
Possible.
it’s the AIM-120 that I am thinking of apparently.
AMRAAM’s technically can hit things behind you, but they don’t really have the pull to do it effectively either. The turning circle is huge.
You also run into the same issue with Phoenix where the mother aircraft needs to see the target first, and even F-35 / F-22 only have front facing radars. They’d need to data link with other aircraft to pull that off.
HMS + AIM9X would give you something like 90° degree off boresight iirc, you’d need something like a 9X II with datalink / LOAL to truly have a decent chance at hitting something behind you. But the game is still a longgg way away from this.
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Maybe there is something America added we don’t know about that allows them to do that?
I mean it’s just a simple matter of physics limitations.
Radar can’t lock what radar can’t see.
Like I said, aircraft IRL have something called datalink, where the radar of one aircraft can see what the radar of other aircraft can see, which allows them to fire at stuff their own radar can’t see.
Maybe one day we can get this, but even then, you aren’t going to hit anyone directly behind you with something like an AMRAAM. The missile just can’t turn that hard.
don’t get why when an plane can? What prevents the missiles from doing it?
The MODERN planes can do it. The Rafale proved they can use friendly datalink to launch a MICA to a drone behind them.
But it works with extremely modern datalink system. It’s basically a whole network of planes and radars working together. Another radar communicate with the plane launching the missile so it knows where to direct the missile. Then the launch aircraft use something called LOAL (Lock-On After Launch) to direct the missile before it start and then it launch by looking where it was directed to.
LOAL basically means the missile is launched blindly before its seeker locks on the target and it search for a target after launch.
Every stealth plane use this to get a passive lock before opening the missile bay so they can stay stealthy as long as possible.
It requires thrust vectoring systems. It requires modern datalink. And it requires LOAL. Nothing the current planes ingame have.
Why can’t a missile perform an instantaneous 180°?
It’s just basic physics mate. Object in motion stays in motion and all that jazz.
Missiles are thin, extremely aerodynamic things. They’re meant to go very fast in relatively straight directions. They tend to have small control surfaces for minimal drag.
To pull a quick 180°, a missile either needs large/multiple control surfaces, and / or thrust vectoring engines, to help it overcome to the directional velocity it was launched from.
Some missile we have which have such things (SRAAM / R73) can pull very hard turns. Whereas things like Phoenix which are built for straight line speed cannot.
If they could put half as much effort as they are putting into US top tier air into top tier ground in general maybe we could have gotten 2A7/122 counterparts for more than 3 nations by now.
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I mean US has been doing datalink for while so many US tech tree aircraft already should have datalink
Most NATO stuff should be capable of this though rest of NATO did it later iirc
And until the 9X, the only american missile that could plausibly do a 180 right after launch is the AIM-95… which we don’t have.
This! I play Russia Air Battle, I don’t have even a BVR missile, just need deal with my R-77 and R-27ER, now after a long time we will have R-77-1. But still, I prefer to play with my beloved MiGs and Sukhois than the “meta” aircrafts, like the Rafale, that I also have, but never touched.
You know mica em are like R-77 right?it can’t do BVR only thing it does better is pulling off the rail I don’t see really super good like amraam
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R-77 has better range than mica btw
Not surprised really due to nature of missile with TVC in this game I rarely get kill pass 10km with mica (only once at 14km but mever again)
yes but mica has the close range niche down, r77 are just generic and generically bad
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Like pull better off the rail off bore shot? Sure it better doing that but anything else?
and if you saiy WVR mica is so good may i remind you that around 4-10km any ARH are deadly yep even worse of the worse like R-darter
MICA are usable in the same way a r73 is usable in a dogfight as well as being a medium range missile (8-15km), it’s a strong niche to have.