Vympel R-13M - The Initial Step Forward

Personally I think that if the MiG-21F-13 isn’t getting it the MiG-19P/PT shouldn’t either.
As well as that, the PT was created to test the K-13, by the time the R-13M came around it would be the MiG-19P.
PFM yeah
As for the exported R-13M1 I think that it should stay on the aircraft that have it, due to the similarity in performance of that and the AIM-9J. It would also be a “progression” on those aircraft, like going from AIM-9E → AIM-9J, so I think it should stay.

so its an universal missile?
it feels like in Russia each plane has its own missile until the modern age
the us only has aim54 and aim9c that are specialized i think
for Russia there are r24 k8 r4 r40 r33
k5 and R-37 are a maybe they do have a number of planes that can use them but most require dedicated versions

Yes, but only for the MiG-19(?), MiG-21, MiG-23, and Su-17/20/22

It’s a modernized R-3S and compatible on the same APU-13 series launchers as the R-3S. The R-13M was the primary IR AAM for Warsaw Pact nations from the early 70s until the mid 80s when it was gradually replaced by the R-60/M.
While many Soviet interceptors had unique missiles and radar missiles were not particularly standardized until the R-27, the USSR had pretty standardized short-range IR missiles with dam near every fighter using R-3S, then R-13M, then R-60, R-60M, and finally the R-73 and derivatives.

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R-13M should simply be introduced on lower tier aircraft that could use it that don’t currently have it like the Mig-21s, no reason for it to be on the Mig-23s since they are at too high of a BR

Some of them get stock R-3S so this could replace that lol

I mean the 23M and MFs still have R-3S

I mean gaijin could just outright remove the R3S but its gaijin, gotta grind for longer

such a terrible missile only fun thing about it is thinking about how you can mix components with the aim9b and both will still work

Side note: what do you mean by uncaged? Aren’t all missiles with a seeker gimbal modelled as uncaged? The R-13M pretty definitively has a 28 degree gimbal.
Or did you mean radar-slavable? In that case, no, there doesn’t seem to be evidence of this function.

It may be the wrong way of looking at it (and if it is I apologize)

but I was thinking of it as the difference between AIM-9D (caged?)

and AIM-9G (uncaged)

I’m not sure if caged is the “right” word, I just didn’t know how else to describe it

mig 23s get r3rs stock… damn, who know i could feel bad for russia.

Yes ok that makes sense. The R-13M is said to have a 28deg tracking FoV which to me sounds like it’s uncaged. Someone would have to look into the files but I don’t think caged missiles like the 9B or D can move their seeker at all.
The description of “having to face the entire aircraft towards the target” to me just sounds like it’s not radar slavable so you do need to aim the plane directly for lock, though then you can move the nose away, pulling your 3.7g turn, to lead before firing.
So in terms of seeker type:
9D- unslaved, caged
9E- unslaved, uncaged
9J- slaved, uncaged
I think the 13M is probably like the 9E. But I don’t have any more information than you do lol

I actually decided to test this.
Basically, what I was thinking was that missiles have a higher FoV post-launch. The way I tested it was by going into a custom match and trying to fire right at the edge of the seeker FoV (before it loses lock) in such a way that by the time the missile “activates” ~1.5 seconds later (starts turning) the aircraft launched at is outside of the “lock” FoV.

It seems like they do have a higher post-launch FoV; however this might be due to how they model “tracking,” which is (I think) by checking what is in front of the missile and assigning a “tracked” or “not tracked” value to it. But it depends on the game update speed, I think, which leads to some things like this:

Very obviously, the AIM-9B should not be able to track at this angle, but that’s besides the point.

I did this in the space of one custom match so it may not be the best method of testing, and I would rather someone go through the code, however I myself don’t know how to do that.
I also tried to take a few pictures from inside the missiles, facing towards the front, so that you can visualize the seeker FoV as displayed on the HUD when you are locking the missile.

Test: AIM-9B (3 Launches)

Launch 1
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Launch 2


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Launch 3

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Test: AIM-9D (4 Launches)

Launch 1


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Launch 2

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Launch 3
The only one that hit

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Launch 4

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Like I said before, it does seem like they have an “expanded” post-lock FoV. Whether that is due to game code or a real property of the missiles, I don’t know, but it exists. At least for some, notably the AIM-9B, it is very obvious it should not be able to do that as the seeker physically can’t point in those directions. But, for others, like the AIM-9D, it at least seems plausible that it does have an easier time tracking post-launch.

The reason I wanted to note this is that I think that the way the AIM-9D is modeled is the way the R-13M should be modeled. There was the one account of having to “point the aircraft toward the target,” but it made no mention of pulling the nose away and retaining the lock, at least not to my memory. Whereas on the AIM-9G, for example, we know that it was possible due to the addition of Sidewinder Expanded Acquisition Mode (SEAM), which I believe was repeated for the subsequent Sidewinders.
It very well might just be not radar slaveable, unlike the R-13M1 which is, but I don’t really know. Regardless, at least for me, I think the way to model it would be as an analogue to the AIM-9D, where it is a caged seeker but “expands” post-launch; either because it’s supposed to or because of how missiles are coded. That’s the reason why I made mention of keeping the R-13M1, since unlike the R-13M (assuming it’s modeled like this) it would be able to make an “off-nose” solution, far easier than doing the same with the R-13M.

image

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Practically all short range missiles was pretty universal like K-5, K-13 and K-60 families. Only medium/long range missiles was specialized in that age.

r13 is not in the game? its a great missile, its like aim-9j

The one in game is R-13M1, not R-13M

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I would like to see R-13M together with MiG-23S as best IR missiles for this plane. Practically MiG-23S would be equivalent to F-4C (sim BR 10.7). USSR need more fighters on tier VI/VII.