The AIM-9L

Thanks - it was the 2nd of those - you can find it and a couple of others along with the complete document “DEFE 69/489 RED TOP/SIDEWINDER missiles on PHANTOM F4 aircraft” scanned on Red Top missile Performance & All-Aspect Capability | Secret Projects Forum

Requires a login to get the pictures - but that’s simple - registration only takes a minute and then answer the confirmation email.

Basically - Red Top has a considerable all aspect range when slaved to radar, but also a massive minimum lunch range from any forward aspect - depending on the target - eg it is much smaller blind spot for a Blinder than a “Hypo” (Hypothetical?) mach 2 at 60k feet

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Yep, though currently it barely has any side-aspect ability. Even with radar lock. I think ive had a headon lock once. at alt, with radar, vs F-104 and it was barely 1km away before I could fire

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I loved the casual destruction of OP over the course of this thread.

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It is most amusing to see someone post a source link and then have the source say the complete opposite thing. I could have left it there, but the F-35 thermal image is just fun. The F-35 can’t even go as fast as previous gen jets because it will heat up too much and damage the anti radar coating.

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Yeah. Red top in game is only rear aspect. Would be cool to see the seeker reworked to be closer to irl.

Both SRAAM and Red Tops are actually underperforming a lot. Both should have double their current range and limited all-aspect ability. An SRAAM overhaul was rumoured back in June, but we’ve heard nothing since. Both missiles are no where near as fun to use as they were back in 2022.

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Yeah. SRAAMs in game are very demandind

Red tops:

Front aspect lock range

Subsonic target front aspect and range

Piston Target

Guidance Delay

SRAAM:

All-aspect

Range

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Yeah… Its a shame. They were so much fun

SRAAMs are the coolest missile ever put on an awful airframe. I only say that because I only have the Harrier Gr1 and not the Hunter. So fun to use except for the whole range thing. Doesn’t help with a plane that can’t close the distance ever…

Don’t get me wrong, I love the Harriers and want to unlock them all, but short range missiles just dont work well with the subsonic airframe.

Is this satire?

They use to be really good, the off boresight shots slapped everything…but these days, not so much. Especially with what they face.

Regretably, I don’t think it is.

This feels like someone trying to impart cursed knowledge, but without the knowledge section.

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The hunter is not much better. For awhile, the hunter was a higher br and was basically facing top tier as a subsonic plane with no flares because “SRAAM op”.

I think there are still some who will say that even though the SRAAM will get flared by a handwarmer thrown out the cockpit.

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Aircraft IR emission detection ranges for a mil-power target;

Spoiler

Detection and engagement zones;

Spoiler

This is a long winded way of saying you’re wrong…

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You do know that all-aspect Heatseekers exist right?

Well, you are wrong

Are you actually schizophrenic?

The seekerhead of the AIM-9L is sensitive enough to aircraft to allow for the missile to obtain a solid lock. Remember, not just the engines produce heat on an aircraft. Air friction also provides significant sources of heat.

Don’t ask for a missile to be nerfed because you can’t figure out how to counter it.