SAMs aren’t overperforming when considering the known data.
4 km lock distance for a Mistral 1 IRL on a heli with IR signature reduction translates to between 2 and 4 in game on any heli (the lynx is the coldest for some strange unknown reason)
6 km on an aircraft translates to 4-8 km in game (non afterburning and inbound early cold war = 4 km, F14 in rear aspect = 8 km)
I’m less familiar with stinger, but AFAIK they underperform in the same way.
Manpads got to be the most underperforming thing to exist in this game, they are so bad when it comes to seeker or overload, it’s not even funny.
Mistrals were used as a ground to air missiles on pick up trucks, and in the desert mind you. A similar sized drone is really not even a question…
Now unless you want to argue the fact that a pick up is colder than a F117, i don’t think there’s a point to continue that discussion further.
And no, drones don’t have “zero heat signature”, especially with the sky as background
If you thought stealth was a coat of invinsibility, i got bad news for you : it isn’t.
It helps at decent distance, can make your approach more sneaky, it’s a nice tool in the box, but it’s not a miracle, and recklessly flying at a SAM, be it radar or IR will and should get you killed.
All you have to do is climb to 5000m or offset your approach and you’ll be safe from any ground based threat, it’s really not that hard
please dont put words in my mouth i never said stealth was invisibility it should be harder to lock the exhaust from a f117 is not colder than a truck and a rc scout drone is not that hot if where talking about drones like the MQ9 reaper or something id get that having a signature and being lockable the f117 should be hard to lock with IR guidance like fim 92K from below at long range or in front aspect at medium range
this guy explains it pretty well also has a demonstration of the exhaustworking
i’m very well aware of how the F117 reduces its IR signature, but thanks for sharing anyway
point is : it doesn’t has any significant effect on a Manpads. The seeker on these things is just too advanced for it to matter
Helicopters also have IR signature reduction devices, and they can still be locked by 1st and 2nd generation Manpads from 4km
Once the missiles gets IIR though, not only will the missile lock with IR signature, but also with the shape of the target, meaning IR reduction is basically rendered useless, especially when considering the low range they are designed for anyway (<10km)
best you will get for F-117 is 4km against 1st-2nd gen manpads (assuming a heli with reduced IR signature is the same temperature than a F-117, which is quite generous), and that’s basically what we already have in game anyway
I don’t even know why we are having this discussion. You can just avoid manpads by flying outside their firing envelope (climb), that’s the whole point of LGBs
i doubt the variant matters at all at 13k feet, the nighthawk was designed from the ground up to be as stealthy as possible this includes minimizing its IR signature, the IIR seeker(not even modelled in war thunder) doesnt changed that. its just Gaijins funky modeling.
Do you live in a world where missiles seeker don’t evolve between the 70s and now ?
once again, you just have to add a small 3-6k feets and magic : the missile won’t have the legs to reach you
and, ONCE AGAIN, night hawk isn’t the only vehicle with IR signature reduction, most modern helicopters in game have that too, and, guess what : they can still be locked by contemporary manpads from several km away (4 for mistral, idk about stinger)
Stealth isn’t magic, you can reduce your jet bomber’s IR signature all you want, it won’t make it colder than a pick up truck or a small water craft, both lockable by aforementioned manpads from several km
I seriously fail to see where you guys are trying to go.
Even if you succeed in making it lockable by manpads to a ridiculously low range that it would render them useless, it will just go up in BR, where it won’t face them, and you will end up facing TORs and other AA with powerful radars making the aircraft useless.
All in all, you’ll end up with an ahistorical buff that won’t even be useful due to balancing considerations
All you have to do now is climb a bit, it doesn’t even involve any skill
