Best missiles for A2A

[Kim Jong-un]

The manual does not cover which missiles i preferred against enemy fighters.

 

Radar missiles

Which one?

IR-missiles

Which one?

[Schmidtfire]

Radar: R-3R

IR: R-60M

 

Those are the most "capable" in respective category. R-60M is the most modern missile avalible on the MiG-21, turns the best and can hit targets from all angles. Downside is a small warhead and limited range.

 

Other IR missiles might be better against large bombers (R-55) or fighters running from you (R-13M1). But you need to get behind your opponent as they are rear-aspect missiles.

 

Radar missiles - only use R-3R, the other is an 1950s beam-riding missile for use against large bombers that fly in a straight line.

 

On MiG-21Bis, radar missiles won't offer you much range advantage. It is not comparable to a AiM-7 Sparrow or R-27. Think of it as a basic sidewinder with radar guidance instead of IR.

Edited November 4, 2019 by Schmidtfire

[Kim Jong-un]

Radar: R-3R

IR: R-60M

 

Those are the most "capable" in respective category. R-60M is the most modern missile avalible on the MiG-21, turns the best and can hit targets from all angles. Downside is a small warhead and limited range.

 

Other IR missiles might be better against large bombers (R-55) or fighters running from you (R-13M1). But you need to get behind your opponent as they are rear-aspect missiles.

 

Radar missiles - only use R-3R, the other is an 1950s beam-riding missile for use against large bombers that fly in a straight line.

 

On MiG-21Bis, radar missiles won't offer you much range advantage. It is not comparable to a AiM-7 Sparrow or R-27. Think of it as a basic sidewinder with radar guidance instead of IR.

 

Thank you, i assume that the R-3R is semi guided.

[Schmidtfire]

Yes, semi-active guided.

[AeriaGloria]

Double racking 60s is a gift, and a curse

[TLTeo]

I honestly almost never double rack the R60s. The Fishbed doesn't have the endurance to hang around enough to shoot 6 missiles, 2-4 is enough for most sensible missions.

[Dehuman]

I honestly almost never double rack the R60s. The Fishbed doesn't have the endurance to hang around enough to shoot 6 missiles, 2-4 is enough for most sensible missions.

 

Indeed. So many people seem to be in the mindset of killing the entire enemy team in a single sortie. I take 2 x R-60M for dogfighting, 1 x R-13M1 for running enemy, 1 x R-3R for head on attack.

[DmitriKozlowsky]

R-13R and R-60M

 

R-13M is effectively AIM-9P, but not a P5 ion DCS.

R-60M is rear aspect but I have hit bombers and helicopters from all aspects, so I figure its like AIM-9P5.

R-13M is longer ranged.

 

R-13 is most primitive, and is like AIM-8B or GAR-1.

[Airhunter]

I usually do use a 6x R-60M loadout and double-fox them due to their low damage.

R-13M1's can be decent too when you get on someone's 6 unnoticed but they dont like pulling g's and can be fairly easily defeated. 13M1's can be effective but at the ranges you fire them you might as well get a bit closer for 60's and get a more reliable shot. On servers that dont allow all-aspect 60's the 13M1's are the way to go.

[WinterH]

R-60M: Almost all-aspect, but requires a hot target to be able to engage in front hemisphere. By far the best dogfight missile you have. Problems: really short range, small warhead that may not always result in a kill, not amazing flare resistance.

 

R-13M1: Best tail-chase missile, longer range, and bigger warhead. Though, the problem is that it's strictly rear-aspect.

 

R-3R: Radar guided. So as long as you have a radar lock, target aspect doesn't matter as much. Only good for relatively close range head-on shots in my opinion. Since you need to radar lock, it means that the target needs to be co-alt or higher, and the engagement needs to happen above 3000 meters.

 

These 3 are the most useful air to air missiles in MiG-21Bis' arsenal. Others are mostly curiosities for simulating older periods/worse equipped airforces.

[Brigg]

Indeed. So many people seem to be in the mindset of killing the entire enemy team in a single sortie. I take 2 x R-60M for dogfighting, 1 x R-13M1 for running enemy, 1 x R-3R for head on attack.

 

That's a very interesting load out. I like your thinking there

[Yink]

range difference between r-13m(1) and r-60(m) is negligible, but 13 can get tone at a slightly longer distance. the only reason i would ever bring a 13 is for the warhead size against an a-10 for example, or maybe go for a slightly longer heater-bait. the worse seeker width and turning performance also turns me off to the 13 as well. haven't tested much on flare resistance.

 

also utilizing your locked beam as a makeshift boresight mode makes r3r shots during vertical bfm really deadly, especially after a few circles if you can catch them near the top of the loop where they cant jink or out-turn the r3r. feels great to merk someone who dumped flares when you launched B).

 

my general loadout is 60m x 4 and r3r x 2 99% of the time for cap as well.

[AeriaGloria]

Can concur, “pretending” to be an MF putting locked beam on is awesome as a close combat mode. Just lock on while aiming up, otherwise it’s too easy for the radar to lock on to the ground

[Jonne]

Whats pretending to be an MF by putting on locked beam? Thats something the bis can do very well.

[AeriaGloria]

I always heard it was something the RP-21 could do but not RP-22 radar. It’s in there for Grom missiles

[Fri13]

Just wait that the new damage model gets implemented to fighters, and then R-60 becomes much more effective, as regardless that you don't make enemy fighter to blow in pieces, you highly likely make it never return back to base, even if it manages to kill you in return.

[Jonne]

I always heard it was something the RP-21 could do but not RP-22 radar. It’s in there for Grom missiles

 

Thats just wrong. The RP-22 does have a locked beam. Its just that it is a mono pulse radar, that the Grom cannot ride that beam.

[AeriaGloria]

I see, thank you for the correction

[rossmum]

My usual combat load is 2x R-3R and 4x (occasionally 2x, but rarely) R-60M.

 

People talk a lot about the draggy double racks but it isn't that big of a tradeoff at all in my experience, and between the weak warhead of the R-60 and the generally chaotic furballs that develop on Cold War servers, I'd rather have the extra sticks. Punch off the racks when empty.

 

The R-3Rs are useful for killing oblivious cosmonauts or forcing someone to chicken out of a head-on merge, and you can also use fixed beam's ghetto boresight ability to pop someone in a dogfight if you run out of heaters.

 

R-13s are something I only carry when I'm deliberately trying to make a 'fair' setup for practice against an F-5, or when I'm forced to forsake the R-3R. The extra range and extra explosive power isn't worth the far worse turning ability of the missile, the R-60 is god when it comes to close range.

 

Any other missile exists only for memes or specific historical setups IMO.