AAM-3 isn’t even modelled to accuracy, AIM-120s are underpeforming, PL-12s got nuked for literally no reason, redtop has a comical amount of drag, RB-24J is missing low-smoke motor, F-4K F-4M are missing skyflash supertemp compatibility, F-14B is missing AIM-9M, AIM-9L is missing like literally all of its flare resistance, F-14, MiG-29, F-104, and more flightmodels got nuked a while ago for no reason, Kfir C.10’s RWR is still the wrong model, the Mirage F1CT is still missing AS.30s and the upgraded radar, we still have fictional aircraft in the game which also aren’t even modelled accurately to the source material (F-16J, missing landing gear door sparrows), plenty aircraft have ahistorical loadouts, crusader flaps and wing mechanization is incorrect… i could go on
but it’s too far fetched to just slightly nerf the Python 4 so that certain aircraft either have something better than a slow accelerating 9M to work with (F-5), or to just have iRCCM missiles to begin with (kfir)?
you also need to take into account the fact that all missiles are already nerfed in one way or another, as mentioned the AIM-9L is missing all of its flare resistance, the AIM-9M is missing some of its lock-on range, AIM-120s are artificially nerfed, so on so forth. but no, python 4 has to wait because we have to model it fully accurately which is something we’ve never done before in the past.
even if the python 4 gets added along with contemporary missiles, at that point it’s already going to be DOA with the advent of the AIM-9X, MICA IR, IRIS-T, ASRAAM, R-74, AAM-5, etcetera, by that point you’ll have to skip directly to the Python 5.
we have absolutely zero facilities to enable over the shoulder launches in the game, so this point is null and void whether or not the missile can or cannot do this in real life. unless the Python 4’s seeker can see behind the missile, the missile will not be doing 180s
and we already have missiles that are “dogfight monsters” such as the Magic 2 and the R-73.