It’s very hard to see the AIM-9M, but it’s possible. I sometimes see it when I zoom in on the enemy, launch it and follow it with my eyes.
However, if I remember correctly, you can see the launch itself easier.
I fought against Gripens and only got surprised when I wasn’t aware I’m being attacked (they often fly with radars off) or when I notice him too late and I’m expecting him launch, when actually the AIM-9M is already on the way.
I have poor memory of Gripen encounters though.
I’m not trying to argue that AIM-9M’s smokeless motor isn’t a big advantage, it’s more of a casual correction or “umm akshually” type of thing. It’s definitely possible to defend against it.
But not R-77,R27ER, and other russian, chinese missiles, and it seems that you have no idea how terrible russian and chinese,which is still russian, radars are
Do you use VR? It’s hard enough to look back repeatedly in VR without destroying your neck if you do it a lot. (And I’m a fit male in early 20s that goes to GYM)
I use head tracking. I use a webcam and 2 free programs: AITrack and OpenTrack. It’s a practically free solution.
Any webcam will do, but a better webcam means more stability, faster response time, more accurate movement, no floating (if you try it you will get what I mean) etc.
I was using a 720p 30fps webcam and it was good enough, now with a 1080p 30fps webcam (or 60fps, I don’t remember) it’s much more stable and movement is more snappy, without floating.
I’ve heard VR is blurry, with just head tracking I get full resolution of my 1440p monitor and I run the game in 4K for better antialiasing.
I don’t have any neck pain or anything like that.
There’s also stuff like TrackIR, which is a dedicated head tracking hardware, but it’s expensive.
Edit: Of course it’s not as natural as VR, since you turn your head sideways, look backwards and have to look forward at your screen, but it’s much more intuitive than it seems. You can set mapping curves of how much real head turn equals to how much in-game head turn.
It’s not “that bad”, it’s worse. The poor ACM range and poor scan rate can easily leave you stuck in a situation where the opponent already has a missile in the air before you can even finish resolving a contact on the scope.