The "Silent Killer" Missile - MBDA MICA - Performance and Discussion Thread (WIP)

if they make 530s not self explode and add dual plane for magics and fix irccm i think we can survive for a lil longer but still mirage will be a bottom feeder of air rb games just kissing the deck and killing everything low

i stick with the 2000C, the 5F’s radar is too unreliable to use in my experience.

And i don’t like flying a plane with missiles it never carried.

One way they could do it is limit the MICAs payload to 2, or limit to only 1 variant (EM or IR)

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I’m almost thinking they could add a hypothetical loadout of 2 mica ir (with reduced irccm using magic 2’s irccm if it proves too much) and 2 mica em where the 530d or extra magic 2s would go even if they weren’t mounted there it would just look silly having only 2 on the belly

Watch the 2000 5F get stuck with 2-4 120A/Bs and Magics (assuming fox threes come this December patch)

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@Smin1080p That’s quite a controversial thing to say - that the MICA is too advanced. Could they be more specific? Seems it’s just like the AIM-120 or R-77 but has less range and is about as useful as a magic 2 in close quarters… which is inferior for that (currently) than the R-73 of which the MiG-29 already gets 6.

So what exactly makes the MICA too advanced?

MICA should not be directly compared to R-27ER at all really. Its not a directly comparable missile in the first place, which is part of what I was answering, but the screenshot in question removes a lot of the context.

MICA itself is too advanced for the game at the current moment in time, hence why we don’t have it currently. There is nothing further to really add until we are at a point in time where MICA is something that can be discussed again. But right now is not that time :)

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Don’t know how you can to that conclusion . It’s thrust vectoring missile with a good inbetween of agility and range the only other missile in this parameter is ASRAAM though it achieves its agility through different means and not TVC. It’s got BVR with WVR agility. Your AIM-120 or R-77 isn’t going to be capable of the same agility MICA offers.

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There is also the fact that the VL-MICA can be used as an interceptor against anti-ship missile that fly VERY low to the ground. So probably <5m

The R-77 is rated as 20m min altitude : Link

The AIM-120 is better than the AIM-7 against low altitude target. And the RIM-7M is rated for 5m min altitude.

If they implement that kind of capabilties to the new FOX 3 missiles (and reduce multi-path) then flying close to the ground won’t be enougth to dodge all radar missile.

And there, NATO nation will have an advantage

I appreciate the response but I’m afraid it is just a repeat and didn’t provide a great answer.

The R-27ER is already better than the MICA and can easily be used to defeat the M2K-5F with zero issues at BVR. It’s just immensely faster at such ranges.

If the R-27ER had an active seeker it would outclass the MICA-RF completely beyond 8-10km. Within that range, the R-73 (and later variants) are better short range missiles.

So how is the MICA “too advanced”?

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🤣🤣

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It’s too advanced because average WT player would get ripped at close ranges. Which i don’t agree with just git gud we had engineers working for such a great missile they tell theirs that they should have worked better and see their answers for yourself like dammit. US and USSR mains never cared when they had best tech but now that tables are turning its all tears and balancing importance when they didn’t gave a fuck before LMAO.

Well sucks to be US or USSR but in the same decade US made AMRAAM and USSR R77 France just came with the beast that the MICA is, cope harder, we are better and adding it would be just as fair as what they did with R27ER and ET and even if R27 can be dodged IDC this shit can be realigned a million times if it loses its targets so in certain scenarios it will always perform kills while AIM7/Skyflashes/PL11 and S530 won’t.

Well it migth be true for medium distance shot (40km) due to it’s better kinematics. (the R-27ER will have a better time on target than the MICA.).

For long range engagment, the R-27ER is really limited by it’s battery time.
Long range wise, at 10km MACH 2 figther firing against a MACH 2 target head on, the R-27ER is only going to have 85km max range due to battery limit (60s) while the MICA is going to have 80km max range. While the Time on target will be vastly superior for the R-27ER, they’ll still have the same max range.

But you’ll also have to consider that the MICA is a FOX3 with its own radar, which mean you can get defensive 10sec before impact and let your missile do the rest. The time on target is then reduce by 10sec for the MICA. So after all , i think the R-27ER will have a small advantage on time on target in medium to long range engagment (>30km), but not as mutch as you may think.

For short range < 20km the MICA will be at advange thanks to TVC (=superior maneuvering) , active seeker (can go defensive right after firing), not as mutch subject to multipath.

True but i would still state 20km instead of the 10km you give. Furthermore the MICA RF should be very capable against multipath while idk how good the 9B-1103K active seeker on the R-27EA is against multipath.

Well i’m not sure about that, the MICA has:

  • Better seeker (almost unflarable and very sensitive). The Russian never used IIR for their FOX2.
  • Better maneuvrability than R-73, same as R-73M and worse than R-74M2
  • Better kinematics than all of the ARCHER family= more range.
  • Capable of LOAL+DATALINK: can shoot though cloud and you can shoot 180°. Feature that’s not present exept on the latest R-74M2.

EDIT : link for battery time: Comparison of the dynamics of the R-24, R-27 and AIM-7 missiles - Aircraft Discussion - War Thunder - Official Forum

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Now with a tad more seriousness i don’t think MICA should not come but Seeker should be effectively nerfed to match AMRAAM and R77 perfromances and G limit brought down to 40-45 G tho it could be introduced with 50G as December will probably introduce 50G Magic 2 and either 50 or 70G Python 4 so 50G for a MICA is not that broken and most importantly what should be nerfed are guidance systems not aerodynamics and maneuverability.

EDIT : Fastest flagging ever seen LMAO i didn’t even says something racist or anything just a rude opinion

Well to be fair, while the MICA is better than the AIM-120A/B
It was also introduced later.
AIM-120A: 1988-91
AIM-120AB 1994
R-77: 1994
MICA:1996
AIM-120C5: 2000
AIM-120C7: 2006
R-77-1: 2015-16

It’s worse than the AIM-120C5 in term of range 105km vs 80km (and probably seeker as well).
It’s worse than the AIM-120C7 in term of range 120km vs 80km (and probably seeker as well). I’ve hear french pilot saying that in exercice, the MICA seriously lacked range against the AIM-120C7 and they were always in difficulty.

The R-77 is stated as having a max range between 80 and 100km. So it’s still more than the MICA. Since it doesn’t loft, its time on target will also be better than the MICA. It still would be a bit worse maneuvrability wise under 10-20km but better after than.
The seeker on the MICA is better than the R-77 tho.

The R-77-1 has a better seeker and extend its max range to at least 110km.

So they’re not “THAT” far behind.

So why all this talking about MICA is too advanced it has its perks and flaws so a fully moddeled MICA won’t even be such a bother from what you told there.

I don’t what you really mean by that?
If it’s about multipath, the MICA seeker should be marginnaly better than the AMRAAM (before C5 since iirc the C5 had upgrades against low flying target), and better than the R-77 (min altitude is stated as 20m compared to the <5m for the AMRAAM and MICA).

If else, then the AMRAAM and R77 by being bigger missile, probably have a bigger radar which probably means better range and better notching rejection (even if tech is also a big factor for it)

I confused myself with what you said about IR MICA didn’t realize you were talking about IR at first reading. Still questions remain the same then why polemics arround “true” MICA while it would clearly have its place along R77 and AIM120s

R-27ER has >130km range in these conditions
We don’t know the conditions for MICA 80km launch afaik.

I did the math, even against AIM-120A the R-27ER when launched from 60km head-on at mach 0.9 against 0.9 mach target… if neither cranks / notches the R-27ER has nearly 20s better time to target… (before AMRAAM has even gone active).

Should be noted Gaijin has moved away from that source you linked for R-27ER and it’s performance was increased to realistic levels. I’m of the opinion that the R-27ER will continue to be competitive against FOX-3s for the foreseeable future.

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in what way is it too advanced?