The Kh-38MT may not actually exist

[tripod2008]

@AlvisWisla

Marines don’t use IR guided weapons anymore.

The SDB-II, JSOW (-154C), JASSM(-158), SLAM-ER and A2A variant of the APKWS-II as a few examples off the top of my head all have an IIR seeker.

[AlvisWisla]

To be fair, I was addressing AGM-65, but I understand your point.
Probably mistyped my post as I do way too often.

[DevilO6]

It works like that.
Before mission a simulated map of the area is made, and the target, things like hangars, air stripes, bridges etc., is placed on it. Then the missile is launched. It will reach the target area using GPS and INS. It will go 1.5km over the target and point down. It will then take 2 pictures. 1st will help it recognize where it is, and it will do a initial correct. 2nd a little later will be used to locate where the target is. Then it will impact

[Metaltank1990]

No. Infrared imager with command guidance with later models incorporating some (???) level of automatic target acquisition. No mention of tracking anything on the move (which makes sense, as the IIR seeker only comes on in the last stage of flight)

[tripod2008]

@TheIrishBread

Essentially 75% of the missile has been used in combat (since the kh-38 family is modular) the last 25% we have seen on display at least once in 2017 despite the author of the threads claims that whats on display is a ML (despite not having any of the identifying features of a Russian Laser guided weapon), and is likely not in production as the only real application for IR agms is AShM which is already widely covered by the KH-59 family of weapons. Testing etc we cant talk to as we have no documents to date. As for its inclusion in the game its already in might as well leave it. Mostly cause the can of worms it would open is not worth it cause it will have knock on affects on at least hammer but likely also on mavs too, to a degree.

That’s the thing, it’s not sufficient for the addition of stores, but is it grounds for removal?

[DevilO6]

MT also seems to be limited in that case. It will
fly on IOG, and lock later

[Morvran]

They should be largely similar to something like Storm Shadows

But in game, essentially.

[Metaltank1990]

@tripod2008

That’s the thing, it’s not sufficient for the addition of stores, but is it grounds for removal?

I should note that so far with the Kh-38 the grounds for removal have been exceptionally strict. Direct translated quote from the response to a report of mine using documentation on the Su-25SM3:

“The absence of any weapon in the document does not prove the impossibility of its use.”

Following this, we would need a definitive statement saying it is not in existence/use, as opposed to the opposite.

[Morvran]

Would loose their effectiveness against convoys for the most part, though they might move slowly enough to be of use still. But still probably largely usable against the battlefields and static naval targets if nothing else.

[Metaltank1990]

They’d retain the ability to deal damage to airbase infrastructure.

[Morvran]

Yeah, they would, but for that Id just run the pure GPS version and ditch the Tpod.

[ThiccoIai]

They are transparent about documents when it comes to player reports in recent patch notes at least

[warthogboy09]

Rules for thee, but not for me.

Remind me why a plethora of ordnance options are missing for western aircraft again…

[CalvinAz]

@AlvisWisla

Probably, it’s hard to do testing of laser munitions for me either due to skill issue on my end or the 30km game-restriction just hating me.

Maybe in case you are unaware, for laser weapons, laser energy drops off over distance so laser spot tracking range of laser weapons decrease beyond their “nominal” track range (the tracking range value you find in datamines/gamefiles).

Lasing from 30km for a Kh-38ML would make the Kh-38ML (10km nominal tracking range) only spot the laser at roughly 3.3km away instead, so maybe this is causing you issues. Though 3.3km (from 30km designation) should be usually enough to make corrections, unless the launched on target moved away substantially from their initial spot.

This is based on in-game tests I have done:

Spoiler

it’s an estimate, it’s pretty accurate but it’s not perfect, at low LGW-TGT/LTD-TGT ratios it seems to go more asymptotically in-game, bottoming out a minimum of ~700m detection range.

[TheIrishBread]

There is also the possibility the russian language researchers have documents we dont have access to.

[Alpharius11348]

some of them have talked here and said they couldnt find anything

[Xeno_quaza]

God i hope they remove it, not even for balance or realism, I couldn’t give less of a crap about that, I just wanna see people cope and mald over it.

[tripod2008]

Wouldn’t be the first time either, the S-13DF was removed due to the fact that Gaijin didn’t want to even add the western counterparts to it (Zuni-HE & and other assorted FAE ordnance).

[Alpharius11348]

tbf they hadnt modeled it well, they just gave it a stupid high TNT equivalent instead of trying to model thermobaric weapons

[dedale_stargate]

Semi stationary

it can recognize a pattern on the area it’s supposed to target, like a tank for example. If the tank moved in the area, it will still be able to re-adjust on it, assuming it didn’t move too far of course

It would basically make it LOAL, but with a limited capacity to hit something that moved a lot (because late activation of the IR seeker, 1.5km to impact). It goes without saying that on current WT maps it wouldn’t cause that much issue.

Brimstones IR being denied for being LOAL, i of course wouldn’t be opposed to the removal of AASM IR, if KH38 IR - the existence of which seems unclear - is removed as well