Why are missiles able to lock the wrong target stepan? Atleast for amraam’s case it should check the datlink info is the same as the target it has tracked and only reject datalink when it has confirmed the correct target is locked.
It’s probably a combination of battery life, drag, size limitations, and just general effectiveness. Why waste money trying to come up with ways to solve the first three when just creating a better RF or IR seeker already gives you a solution for the last problem.
Look at how IIR systems and AESA seekers pretty much mean it’s not those points that are going to cause failures.
Forcing an enemy to evade you kinematically whilst also utilizing two forms of countermeasures is quite an effective upgrade. Even the current modern missiles have a pK only in the ~90% within the MAR. Bringing that up to 99 or 100% is the difference between wasting 1 or 2 missiles per target in a closer range engagement and that’s huge.
Not really when you consider the odds of engaging more than 2 targets in a single flight.
It might make more of a comeback as a way to deal with stealth threats, but not until individual seeker performance falls below a point that solving the first 3 problems becomes easier/cheaper.
It never went away, they’ve been trying to solve how to implement dual seekers in missiles for a while. I do not know what the hang up is, but I suspect it has something to do with maintenance or reliability more than anything else. Cost has been a non-factor for America for quite some time.
Thank you for the response and confirmation. So indeed ARH missiles currently will lose DL capabilities after TRK.
I find this interesting as once we see AESA fighters, they won’t have much advantage with ARH (outside of other QoL benefits to AESA). The missile’s own radar will override the launching aircraft’s DL information and go into TRK even when the launching aircraft has a perfect lock the whole way through.
I sure hope not, using combined TRK and DL is one of the main features the AAM-4/4B with J/ARG-1 have to offer, it would be a shame to not represent it in game at some point.
Though I wouldn’t mind them holding back on the implementation just a bit longer so they can finally add the F-2…
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It’s just natural at this point. After all, they added AAM-3 without BTT and dual channel seeker so, it’s just to be expected for balance.
But yes, if it helps add the F-2 earlier, I’m all for it.
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Small correction, PESA radars can do two things at a time such as you mentioned simultaneous terrain following/avoidance and air to air functions.
From Rafale’s PESA:
Spoiler
no.
this is a technicality thing. PESA has one Tx and/or RX module thus it can only do one thing at a time. HOWEVER, the speed at which it can switch between a2a/a2g is much much higher which is what that picture you posted states.
“fast radar mode switches”
it’s not technically simulatneously but functionally simultaneously.
AESA on the other hand can have different sections of the radar produce their own radar waves so you can actually have the top half do air to air and the bottom half air to ground for example. this is what’s required for “true” simultaneous operations.
PESAs can just be made fast enough so that there’s no significant negative impact on performance.
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I sometimes wonder if more hybrid designs were ever suggested, such as the use of a dual pulse rocket with a ramjet as a sustainer. This could be rather interesting.