Now aircraft radar in warthunder have a lot of utility, ground targets detection naval targets detection aircraft detection and missiles detection
As for the missile detection it is not implemented in a way that’s helpful to actual game play. When a missile is shot at you the radar lock switches to the missile since its faster than the actual plane and if you fire a missile back you might not be firing at your actual target but the missile itself. Which you might argue that shooting down missiles is a way to defend your self but it should not be the case. That interferes with gameplay and fairness too. Su30sm has 14 very manuvarable missles which can just shoot down other missles very easily , if you are in a plane with aim 120s you are ******. You have 4-8 missles which even if you shoot at them they get shot out of the sky leaving you downright ******. You can defend yourself with micas but you still have 8 of them so you are still ******.
So Yes, a fighter jet’s radar is theoretically and practically capable of detecting an incoming missile, but it is extremely difficult and not its primary purpose. It is often too late to be useful for defense.
Here is a detailed breakdown with sources and the key limitations.
How and When a Radar Can Detect a Missile
A modern fighter jet’s fire-control radar, especially an AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) , is a powerful and sensitive instrument. Its primary job is to find and track large targets like other aircraft at long ranges. However, it can detect smaller objects like missiles under specific conditions:
- Head-On Engagement: The radar has the best chance of detecting a missile that is coming directly toward the jet. In this geometry, the missile’s speed creates a strong Doppler shift , which the radar’s signal processing can filter out from ground clutter.
- Size and Range: Larger missiles, like long-range air-to-air or surface-to-air missiles, have a larger Radar Cross-Section (RCS). A radar might detect these at a few tens of miles, while a small, short-range infrared missile might only be detectable at a few miles, if at all.
- Advanced Signal Processing: Modern AESA radars use sophisticated algorithms to detect low-observable (stealthy) targets. These same algorithms can be applied to pick out the tiny radar return of a missile against the background noise.
The Critical Limitations (Why “Radar-Only” is Not Enough)
Despite the technical possibility, relying solely on the main radar for missile detection is tactically unsound for several key reasons:
- Small Radar Cross-Section (RCS): A missile is a very small object. Its RCS can be 100 or even 1000 times smaller than a fighter jet’s . Trying to find a missile with a radar is like trying to spot a flying bee with a searchlight from a mile away, while the searchlight is designed to spot cars.
- Clutter and Filtering: To see a distant, small target, the radar uses Doppler filters to ignore ground returns (clutter). However, a missile coming from the side (in a “beam” geometry) may have a low Doppler shift and can be filtered out by the radar itself , making it invisible.
- Burn-Through Range: This is the most critical factor. The radar can only detect the missile once it is close enough for its return signal to be stronger than the background clutter and electronic noise. For a very small missile, this “burn-through” range might be only 2-5 nautical miles . At the high closing speed of a missile (often over Mach 3), this provides the pilot with only seconds to react—far too little time for an effective defense.
Sources and Expert Commentary
- “Fighter Combat: The Art and Science of Air-to-Air Combat” by Robert L. Shaw is a foundational text. It discusses the principles of radar and missile engagement, explaining why a missile’s small RCS and high speed make it a difficult target for detection and engagement.
- A 1983 NASA Technical Memorandum titled "Detection of a Low-Altitude, Low-Radar-Cross-Section Cruise Missile " explicitly analyzes this problem. While focused on cruise missiles, its conclusions apply broadly: “The small radar cross section of the missile makes detection by the airborne radar difficult until the missile is at short range.”
- Modern AESA Radar Capabilities: Manufacturers of advanced AESA radars, like the AN/APG-77/V1 on the F-22 Raptor and the AN/APG-81 on the F-35 Lightning II, often cite capabilities against “low-observable” and “small RCS” targets. While not explicitly stating “missile detection” as a primary role, the underlying technology that allows them to track stealth aircraft also enables them to, in theory, track a missile. However, this is still subject to the severe range limitations described above.
How all this can be implemented
TWS-HDN mode on the radar should be the best mode to use if you wanna shoot down missles and BOMBS TOO and the range should be like 5kms and below
OTHERWISE JUST LEARN HOW TO NOTCH
JUST NOTCH BRO
