Currently, in the game, the Brimstone missile is implemented strictly as a Semi-Active Laser (SAL) guided weapon. This severely limits its historical and tactical capabilities, forcing advanced modern platforms like the Eurofighter Typhoon and Tornado IDS to act as laser designators, which completely contradicts the operational doctrine of this weapon system.
In reality, the primary and defining feature of the Brimstone missile since its inception is its millimetric-wave (mmW) Active Radar Homing (ARH) seeker. This allows the missile to operate in a true Fire-and-Forget (F&F) mode, enabling autonomous target acquisition and salvo firing against multiple ground targets without requiring continuous laser illumination from the carrier aircraft.
The Issue:
Current state: Brimstone is locked to Laser + INS guidance, creeping at low speeds with no autonomous capability.
Historical state: Brimstone utilizes an advanced dual-mode seeker (or pure mmW radar seeker depending on the modification) capable of autonomous target engagement, radar tracking, and true Fire-and-Forget functionality.
Suggested Changes:
Implement the Active Radar Homing (ARH / Fire-and-Forget) guidance mode for Brimstone missiles as their primary engagement method.
Allow salvo-firing capabilities where multiple missiles can be launched simultaneously to engage different targets autonomously within a designated zone.
Keep the Semi-Active Laser (SAL) mode only as a secondary/dual-mode option (if applicable to the specific missile block modeled in-game).
Sources:
MBDA Systems Official Documentation (Brimstone Product Page):
MBDA explicitly states that Brimstone is an “advanced radar-guided precision strike weapon” featuring a “94GHz millimetric wave (mmW) radar seeker” designed for “true fire-and-forget operations” against moving targets.
MMW seekers would be too OP and nothing can counter it according to Gaijin, so you won’t see it anytime soon.
And I don’t think Gaijin will implement how you suggested, but i like the first one
That makes no sense when you look at the actual in-game performance and flight physics of existing weaponry.
Kh-38MT and Kh-29TD already operate in a highly effective Fire-and-Forget mode with massive warheads. More importantly, they travel at extreme speeds (1.8 to 2.2 Mach). This high velocity leaves western SPAA systems like the ADATS or FlaRakRad with an incredibly small reaction window, making them nearly impossible to intercept consistently.
In contrast, the Brimstone travels at a much lower speed (around 1.3 Mach). Because it is significantly slower, it remains airborne for longer, giving SPAA systems plenty of time to detect, track, and shoot it down. A slower F&F missile is inherently much easier to counter for any competent SAM/Pantsir/ADATS operator than a Mach 2 supersonic missile. Keeping Brimstones artificially nerfed to SAL-only under the guise of “balance” is a massive double standard.
4 IRIST IIR shots vs 4 38MTs, at distance, 0 hits.
SM SV shoots 10+ JAGMs with SACLOS, without breaking a sweat.
Ppl are, actually, putting videos how to be a “better” SM SV player, on You Tube! :D
I mean, I don’t play GBs, but did 3 rounds in top tier, the other day. It’s a complete clownshow.
So, the post is fine, but, you know, we can’t have USSR’s WR drop below 70%.
Kh 29 is nothing special to be honest.
It uses TV seeker, not IR , so it doesnt get lock until 6-8km range, depending on map, and if there is even slight cloud you wont take a thing.
Also , there is no Thermals , unless your plane got targeting pod for it. And even using pods thermals, wont make 29’s lock any better,
And now, if there would be brimstones, etc ATG missiles using radar to quide, there would be only way to counter em is going behind building.
Would it be realistic, yes.
Would most of the players actually hate buffing cas more on top tier YES.
You are missing the main point. This post is not about “buffing CAS as a whole,” it is about establishing basic balance and giving European nations, especially Germany, at least ONE viable, historically accurate option for top-tier close air support.
Right now, Germany has practically NO competitive CAS compared to the USSR or USA. While Russia carries the lethal Kh-38MT with true F&F and Mach 2+ speed, Germany is left with crippled, laser-only weapons that force heavy aircraft like the Tornado IDS to fly in a straight line directly into the Pantsir’s engagement zone just to maintain a laser lock.
Even if you ignore the Kh-29, the presence of Kh-38 variants proves that high-speed, long-range F&F ordnance is already firmly established in the game’s meta. If Gaijin introduces cutting-edge, near-unavoidable SPAA systems like the Pantsir, they must provide counterpart nations with the exact standoff weapons those systems were built to counter in reality. Keeping the Brimstone artificially nerfed to SAL-only—while one side of the matchmaking enjoys high-speed F&F—is a blatant double standard that completely ruins top-tier Germany and not only her.
Yeah, “flying in a straight line” was a bit of an exaggeration, but the core issue remains: SAL (Semi-Active Laser) guidance locks your aircraft’s maneuverability because you must maintain a constant line of sight with the targeting pod to keep the laser on target. If you pull a hard evasive maneuver, you risk masking the pod, which immediately breaks the lock and wastes the missile.
As for the 1–3km launches… sure, it might work in a chaotic 1v1 vacuum, but in a real top-tier match, trying to get within 3km of a competent Pantsir operator just to drop a weapon is essentially a suicide run. It completely defeats the purpose of choosing a modern high-tier strike platform.
But I’m glad we agree on the bigger picture. The current meta with Mach 2+ F&F Kh-38s on one side and crippled laser weapons on the other is just fundamentally broken.
IOG that is mildly unreliable , which CAN be used to your advantage.
At close ranges no one forces you to turn on your laser… as such nothing prevents you from just designating a point on the map, firing a burst of 4-8 brimstones, and watching them just shotgun :))
