IRL with potential hardware and issues =/= WT gameplay.
Not like this video, you can outmaneuver missiles when they are slow, that derby was at essentially the highest speed it could reach (over 3200kph when it passed the F-16), the target was only 8km away in a head-on aspect at slightly lower altitude. No reason the derby should fail to hit that.
Again, the derby should on paper outmaneuver the aim7f in-game at any range, since from datamines, the derby and even the aim120 simply outlass the aim7f in every way, regardless of how they really are in IRL or what common issues they got, that is not what is at discussion here.
Could even be at mach 2.0, the missile will lead for the interception path and what matters is when the missile is nearby the target.
Anyway, from that replay it’s clear that the missile wasn’t tracking the target properly, it acted like it lost track momentarily, the seeker even started freaking out like the target was on a notch altrough it wasn’t.
an AIM-7F/M is Slower to accelerate than the Derby (there is a 3 to 4 seconds difference, on approximate statsharks tests, to reach the target)
an AIM-7F/M doesn’t have the same peak G, means that it can’t lead the missile aswell as the Derby.
when the AIM-7F/M would have been a potential hit (you said it yourself), it’s mostly due to the time to target differences, and the fact that the F-16 turned mid-course of the missile flight.
the Derby would have reached the F-16 if it kept the intial turn it had, when the AIM-7F/M never would have been able to do so.
the AIM-7F/M also doesn’t turn as fast as the Derby once off the rail.
that’s why your Derby here resulted in a Near-Miss (because it was still quite close to target, just outside proximity fuse, i assume).
Why are you making stuff up? What you schemed up is nonsensical in the context of what I am talking about, the F-16 had more or less a straight trajectory into the missile, either missile should have no issue leading and correcting into the target when he manouvered
