AIM-120B: reduced lift-induced drag, increased lift.AIM-120C: reduced subsonic and transonic zero-lift drag, reduced lift-induced drag, increased lift.
#Aim 120 full#
The latest changes F/A-18C going for the full AMRAAM treatment.Įagle Dynamics has long said that they were going to implement updates to missile calculations that should bring the various performance levels in different situations to be more accurate to real world performance levels. Simulations such as DCS World have to make guesses to make it work. The exact numbers are a mix of complex calculations and missile seeker logic – much of which is classified. Two aircraft at mach 1.0 at sea level engaged in a tail chase may not have very much range at all while two aircraft flying at 50,000 feet flying at mach 1.0 directly at each other will have far more range. Altitude and air density, the aspect of the missile from firing aircraft to target aircraft, if the target aircraft is turning or not, and the speeds of the two aircraft are just some of the variables. The ranges that these missiles work at vary according to a very long list of variables. This is known as “going active” or “pitbull” in fighter pilot speak. Conventionally, these missiles can be locked and fired at targets greater than the range of their own radar and can be guided into position for their own radar to then take over. These are typically associated with older missiles such as the AIM-7 Sparrow and the R-27R an R-27ER.įinally, we have active radar missiles such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM, R-77 and SD-10 (PL-12) which all have their own radar onboard the missile that can be used to track the target. This requires the firing aircraft to maintain a direct radar lock with the target for the entire life span of the missile. Semi-active radar missiles use radar signals bouncing off of the firing aircraft’s radar to track the target. These are typically shorter range missiles like the AIM-9, R-60, R-73, and PL-5E (in DCS World) but also the R-27T and R-27ET which are a medium range missile that also employs IR tracking. An infrared missile seeker looks for the hot engines and other components of a jet fighter or aircraft to track it’s target. There are three types of missile seekers conventionally used. So before I go on, let’s talk very quickly about types of missiles. If you’re not one for the details on these kinds of things, I have been using a few terms that may not be immediately familiar. To that end, Eagle Dynamics has been promising updates to all missile performance based on new research, and some changes have just been implemented.
Since the launch of the DCS: JF-17 (and its SD-10 missiles), the charge has been leveled that the SD-10 is outperforming even the AIM-120C for range and that this is now an unrealistic situation. For the sake of a few arguments, however, we have it on good authority and confirmed via various sources that the new SD-10 should have a range that is sandwiched somewhere between the AIM-120B and AIM-120C. I’ve long exhausted my interesting arguing numbers and there are people out there with far more knowledge of the aerodynamics and various factors that matter when it comes to things like missile maneuverability and maximum range. A JF-17 packing a single SD-10 missile on the outer wing pylons (and PL-5E’s on the wingtips). The arguments of the past have revolved around the R-27 (and it’s various sub-variants) semi-active missile, the AIM-7 Sparrow (though it seems to far more rarely factor into the discussion), the R-77 active-radar missile, and the AIM-120B and AIM-120C all modeled into DCS World.Įnter the SD-10, a Chinese export missile based on the PL-12, which has upended the conversation and brought some familiar talking points back into the light.
Some of it heated as I’m sure you can imagine. A long standing discussion A J-11A fires an R-77 missileįor as long as I’ve been following DCS World, missile performance has been a traditional subject of debate and discussion. There are a few interesting discussions to check into and I thought I’d summarize some information here.
The new rivalry is between the new active radar veteran, the AIM-120 AMRAAM versus the new up and coming SD-10. Coming from more of a WWII flight simulation background, the modern combat simulation arena is interesting because not only are the flight models of various aircraft compared but so too are the types of armament that they carry.
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