I cant help but feel that sparrows in their current form are one of the worst missiles for their BR range. It feels like they lose lock for no reason all the time and don’t work properly.
I’m not sure if this is a bug, or if they’re just modeled poorly, but i avoid playing anything with sparrows at this point.
I’m not sure what can really be done about this or why they feel busted compared to most of the other Fox 1’s in the BR range of 11-13
5 Likes
When they work, theyre amazing, but sadly they’re an American missile in a Russian game, so theyre simply doomed to go dumb on launch 4 times outta 10
8 Likes
I’ve never seen them do anything amazing, but its so frustrating when you watch your missiles fly into nowhere, when the same launch from an R24 would guarantee a kill
You have a point, but I think you’re looking at it from a different angle.
The problem isn’t that the Sparrow is bad; the AIM-7 really was bad. The problem is that the others are too good, when in reality they are probably worse, or at last bad as the AIM-7.
Unlike the Sparrows, which were widely used in combat, the others weren’t, which doesn’t give us certainty about their capabilities.
The AIM-7D / AIM-7E
Hit rate: ~8%–10%
AIM-7E-2
Hit rate: ~15%–20%
AIM-7F
Hit rate: ~25%–35%
AIM-7M
Hit rate: ~34%–36%
AIM-7P
Hit rate: ~35%–40%
The R-24 was one of the most exported missiles and, in theory, used in combat, however there are no reliable sources of hit rate, but we can speculate. If we take into account Iraqi sources, the R-24s, during the Iran-Iraq War, were responsible for shooting down only 1 F-5E, 1 EU-130E counter-electronic aircraft, and 3 F-4 Phantoms.
MEDIOCRE.
During Operation Desert Storm, January 17, 1991, Iraqi MiG-25s managed to shoot down an American F/A-18.
MEDIOCRE.
During the conflict in South Lebanon in 1982. According to the Syrian side, these fighters managed to shoot down three F-15s and one F-4.
MEDIOCRE.
The R-27 was not as widely exported nor saw as much real combat as the R-24, but it was used.
During the armed conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea in 1999.
An Ethiopian Su-27 and an Eritrean MiG-29 came face to face, both using R-27 missiles. The Su-27 secured its superiority, but all kills were made by IR missiles.
MEDIOCRE.
The French Super-530, operated by Iraq.
Hit rate: ~30%–35%
Similar to the most modern version of the AIM-7.
GOOD
So, from best to worst, it should be:
AIM-7M and AIM-7P
Super-530D and Super-530F
AIM-7E-2 < AIM-7F
R-27R < R-27ER
AIM-7D < AIM-7E
R23 < R-24
The others
1 Like
How is destroying a F/A-18 with a semi 4th Gen MiG-25 that turns like a brick “mediocre”?
How is shooting down 3 F-15s “mediocre”!!!???
HOW IS AIM-7E BETTER THAN AIM-7E-2!!?? THE E-2 WAS LITERALLY AN UPGRADE!
11 Likes
Im not gonna lie but it kinda work as a active radar missle for aim7f rn, it just aim a lock b and land the hit on c, what ever that shit is doing i have no idea, it just flies randomly but just not the locked target.
Once you get to use the Aim-7P it will change your view of sparrows as a whole
Giving the missile datalink is the single best upgrade you can give it as now actually forces it to follow your radar unlike the F/M that go off and do their own thing
against MiG-17s and 21s, uh-huh. Very credible hit rate
2 Likes
I was wrong, it wasn’t an R-24, it WAS an R-40.
But still MEDIOCRE.
1 kill in the entire war.
And most importantly, the F-18 detected the MiG-25, but permission to fire was denied by the AWAC controller.
I put them in the wrong order.
Issue, is, missiles like the Aim-4 and Aim-9B have way higher hit ratios ingame than irl, due to factors like player skill. The Sparrows, however, match their IRL numbers pretty close, even against targets flying in a straight line.
Not player skill
It is that you are never going to have AIM-9B that dies on the rails or mid flight
2 Likes
Because it probably never happened.
These are unconfirmed Syrian allegations.
It’s a mediocre Hit rate. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be credible.
Sparrows are great.
Usually great at their BRs unless you’re an Italian jet.
Good way to teach missile leading as well.
Had more issues with f4e radar than with missiles themselves. Once radar finally gets a lock on target, sparrows do their job just fine.
What?
So u’re saying something u can’t prove it’s real…
I wasn’t wrong when i thought about warning u that u we’re entering a very dangerous zone doubting the +100-0 K/D of the F-15 irl.
1 Like
2 Likes
It’s cause sparrows don’t have iog or dl until the p version