Aim-9B
Aim-9E
Aim-9J
Aim-9D
Aim-9G
Aim-9L
All of these, for some reason, don’t lock on targets through clouds. This bug has been going on for years, and still hasn’t been fixed.
bruh its not a bug. clouds cover heat coming from engines
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Should they be able to?
Aim-9L I am aware of an incident in the Falklands in which an Aim-9L chased after a Argentine aircraft that fled through a cloud, but it was locked on and fired before and was essentially a rear aspect shot (I dont think it connected though, but I cant recall either way)
Harrier 809
In any case. I imagine the bigger impact on the 9L is what type of cloud and what its firing at (i.e rear-aspect? Reheat?, etc)
But the others, the rear-aspect missiles. I would be ever more dubious on their ability to shoot through clouds with each older generation.
That being said, Gaijin does model all clouds to be equal and this does affect missiles, tpods and IRST
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And its not just american missiles every other IR missiles works the same way in war thunder
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I used to think that, until I realized American missiles are the only ones that work like that.
At first I thought it was just RB24Js that were bugged because they track through clouds, until I realized the bug isn’t RB24Js, it’s literally every IR missile not used by America that tracks through clouds.
It hasn’t been effecting non-American missiles in any of the games I’ve played. I’ve also asked players on the enemy team, and they claimed that their missiles did infact lock through clouds.
nah they work the same way
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Every ir missile will track through clouds.
Every ir missle cannot lock through clouds
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That’s what I had thought when my only experience with IR missiles was in American planes.
The other things to factor in is client side vs server side clouds and graphical settings. I can see either being the cause of a missile once in a blue-moon appearing to lock through a cloud, where normally it wouldnt.
also there are some clouds that can be locked through, the small streaky ones.
(what limited experience with non Aim-9 heatseekers, like the Red Top. Is that they function the same)
Btw u can try other IR missiles in test map. set weather to strom
Even better: set up a custom match with a.i planes for more authentic data.
Nope, same thing with every IR missile. PL-5Bs, Magic I/IIs, AIM-9Ps. You name it, it happens.
Unless there’s something in the code that specifically blocks American missiles from doing it (I highly doubt that) than it’s likely just you using those missiles more than other nations.
PL-5Bs are broken in so many ways . . .
They’re just fast AIM-9Gs with Magic I maneuverability from 1-1.5 seconds after launch. Then it goes back to being a fast AIM-9G.
Pretty sensitive seeker that’s very flare prone unless they’re halfway up your tailpipe as well, they have a knack for getting very close for a while before the hit which makes them seem a lot more flare resistant than they actually are.
Not a Bug. IR seeker head missiles don’t work through cloud cover as Infrared signatures are reduced through clouds in real life.
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PL-5 cannot be flared off to save your life. Idk why Chinese cocaine are being stuffed into those things, but they are just completely blind to flares.
I also have not noticed any differences.
This isn’t exclusive to American missiles.
R60, R73, Python 3, R2(3/4/7)-T, Red Top, Fire Streak, PL’s, Magics etc etc all are unable to lock through clouds too. I can’t think of a single IR missile I’ve ever used from any nation that can.
Like US missiles they can track through them, just not lock through them.
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I’ve seen planes lock other planes who are completely engulfed in large fluffy clouds. I’ve been locked whilst completely engulfed in large fluffy clouds. Whenever an American plane is on my tail, I’m never locked. Whenever a non-American plane, or an American plane with non-American missiles, is on my tail, I’m locked.
You can only call it a coincidence so many times.
I don’t say what I’m about to in any sort of dismissive or condescending way, so please don’t take it as such, just genuinely curious, have you actually played much with these missiles / aircraft you feel have this advantage ?
From my experience at least, I really don’t notice any difference in this regard, whether the missiles are sidewinders or anything else. Grass definitely ain’t any greener on any other side lol.
Sometimes you can get locks through clouds that are… idk how to articulate this… less cloudy / opacity?, but Sidewinders can do that too.
Another thing that may be happening if you play top tier, is basically every all aspect IR missile can lock through clouds if the range gets tiny enough, but only really ones with thrust vectoring (I.e R73) have the pull to be useful in situations like that. Or heck, even non TVR things like Magic II that can pull really hard (harder than any US missile) may have a chance at it too.
It’d be easy for enough experiences like that to reinforce some kind of opinion the others have some sort of cloud locking advantage, when in reality, they just have missiles better suited for the same distance limitations your US missiles have.