[Banzaiib]

Originally Posted by GGTharos

No it didn't. That missile most likely suffered a fin failure. The AIM-9X has proven itself to be quite un-spoofable even in the presence of continuous dispensing of large volumes of conventional flares.

The aircraft was a Su-22, not a MiG-21.

It isn't even close to an R-73. It has twice the off-bore capability, longer detection (and thus lock-on) range and a much more sophisticated, next-to-un-spoofable seeker. And yes, it's possible to make it so without changing how flares operate in DCS.

Any proof of it being unspoofable is classified, so how can you say this with certainty? Or are you just believing the rhetoric? Also, the aim-9x has 90 degree off boresight, that's not 2x the R-73... I'm open to being wrong, but I'd like to read what you're reading...

[GGTharos]

It's out in public. Even the research of what is needed to spoof a 9X is public. You just have to know where and what to look for, but as one example ... (note very last test too ... that's most likely a flare pod spewing out flares. The other option is other type of IRCM).



Rejection of flares is far far easier given the fact that an image is now being processed and flares look nothing like the target aircraft, among other things.
There are most certainly secret studies, but what's out in public isn't rhetoric at all, it's show and tell and science. In terms of seeker technology this is revolutionary, not evolutionary.

As for the off-bore capability, it depends on the exact variant of the 73 ... but generally the pre-launch targeting is limited to 45 deg, at least in our game. It would be fair to say that the 9X would also be cued at less than 90 deg before launch. We're not getting a block II, so AFAIK no LOAL.

Originally Posted by Banzaiib

Any proof of it being unspoofable is classified, so how can you say this with certainty? Or are you just believing the rhetoric? Also, the aim-9x has 90 degree off boresight, that's not 2x the R-73... I'm open to being wrong, but I'd like to read what you're reading...

[Boogieman]

GGTharos is correct. Based on publically available information, the imaging IR Focal Plane Array seeker on the AIM9X should give it a significant IRCCM advantage over the DCS R73 (ditto for the AIM9M/P, R60, Magic II etc). I imagine later variants of the Archer may/will feature a similar imaging seekerhead (K74M2 etc?), but not the version modelled in DCS (early R73 or possibly R73M?).

Also, AFAIK the off-bore capability of the original R73 was in fact 45 degrees. This was then expanded to 60 deg in the R73M, while the Block I AIM9X we are getting is quoted as capable of 90 deg. This makes sense in that the 9X was developed as a counter to the R73 after all. You would probably need a K74M2 or K-MD/K-30/izdeliye 300 to close the capability gap in the above two areas.