So corroborating info from those pictures to known values of the missiles:
R-73 = MK-80 seeker, ±45 degrees, possibly outside gimbal targeting available using HMD/Radar/IRST
R-73M/R-74 = MK-2000 seeker, dual-band IR, ±60 degrees, known to have outside gimbal targeting.
R-74M = MM-2000 seeker? Focal Plane Array, ±60 degrees, known to have outside gimbal targeting.
R-74M2 has a datalink and all that stuff
So, it seems like our current R-73 is missing an outside-of-gimbal targeting system too.
So it seems I was tight about R-73M having dual band
MK-80 is ±45 before launch and ±75 after
Yep, though I suspect it may not have been planned originally (hence varying claims) and at some point it ended up getting put in.
The what?
It seems like the R-73 series uses some kind of system that coordinates external sensor targets (such as HMD, IRST, or Radar) with the R-73 guidance system similar to SEAM for Sidewinders.
I’m not entirely sure what this coordinator is, but it seems like an early and specialized inertial navigation system to aid in off-boresight engagements. It would also explain how R-73 variants before the datalink was added were able to engage targets very high off-boresight, despite having relatively limited gimbals.
It does not seem like the ±75 degrees gimbal limit post-launch figure is accurate, but it should have some engagement capability outside of the ±45 degree gimbal.
Huh, so why on earth was the R-73 limited to 45 degrees before launch in the first place?
@BBCRF @MiG_23M so the mica is 50G yet despite acknowledging report R-73 is still at 40G instead of 60G and it still doesn’t even work properly, spinning half the time. Why does gaijin hate the R-73 this much?
40G is more beneficial anyway, nothing can escape it within the proper WEZ and so maximum overload doesn’t matter here. In fact, it conserves energy too well due to this… Be careful what you ask for.
B-Balance
I just wish it had a working autopilot and thrust vectoring, its painful to watch it wobble 8/10 shots costing very valuable speed and spin out of control in close quarter. Its been like 16 months since last years dev server where r-73 was introduced, and it still is not working.
According to the missile datasheet and reproducible in testing the R-73 will capture the sun from a higher angle than the R-60M. Is this an oversight or realistic?
What tests and what passport?
Sometimes JohnWick might overlook a few things with his datasheet, so its best to double check the github datamine before coming to any conclusions.
No, I’m sure, I’ll post screenshots today, or clips if I have more time because I need to figure them out first
R-73 minangletosun: 15.0
R-60M minangletosun: 7.5
Comparison to another similar set of missiles using same type of IRCCM
Magic 1 minangletosun: 10.0
Magic 2 minangletosun: 10.0
So yeah, it seems that R-73 is unnecessarily gimped in that respect for whatever reason.
