[FIXED B998.12] MiG-31 and AA-9 problem

[Amnectrus]

I was playing a recent scenario featuring MiG-31s, and noticed that the AA-9s don't seem to be working, with some odd behaviors... First, flying head-on toward an F-15, until you're about 50 nmi away, the weapon launch screen (shift-F1) says "No directors are able to illuminate this target". The MiG-31 has an immensely powerful radar, and the F-15 has a 5.8 sq m frontal RCS; it seems strange that the MiG-31 isn't able to launch its primary weapon against large fighters until well within the AMRAAM envelope.

Then, as you get closer than 50 nmi, the launch screen says "Target is out of the weapon's DLZ", and it keeps saying that until you're within minimum range (4 nmi). In fact there's a few miles where you can launch an AA-11 at the target but not the AA-9, so something seems off with the DLZ calculation...

Finally, in the attached test scenario, I also added a B-52 at the same range as the F-15. The AA-9 can be launched against the B-52 at maximum range, but the missiles miss every time, and once they do, subsequent launch attempts show the "out of DLZ" message, so something strange seems to be happening.

I think I'm running the latest version after the Steam update this morning: v1.14 Build 998.11, on Windows 7. Please let me know if you need any other info.

[Uzabit]

Yep, I could reproduce the issue this morning. If I'm not mistaken I remember the AA-9 working in earlier versions on the North Pacific Shootout scenario when two of my F-14s got shot down.

[tk208]

Yep, noticed the same thing playing Kurile Sunrise, AA-9's wont launch at all.

[Dimitris]

Thanks for the heads up, we are looking into this.

[Dimitris]

Okay, we discovered a pre-launch (DLZ) and a post-launch (guidance after mid-course phase) issue that were messing up the engagement. Fixed both, and we have made a hotfix release: tm.asp?m=4541690

The insufficient illumination problem seems to be WAD. If you relocate both targets further south, so that they start their courses well out of the engagement envelope, you will notice that the B-52 is engaged immediately as it crosses the nominal AA-9 envelope (no surprise) while the F-15 is more resistant, allowing a solid lock only at around 50nm. This sounds reasonable, considering the max nominal range of the AA-9 is 80nm and the F-15J frontal RCS is significantly lower than that of the Buff.

The much higher altitude of the MiG-31 also introduces an extra wrinkle (minor look-down clutter). If the Foxhound dives at just under the F-15 altitude, it gains a handful (potentially critical) extra nm of lock-on range, thanks to the absence of radar clutter.

Many thanks for the save! This helped us zoom in on the issue immediately, instead of losing time trying to recreate it.

Fixed in Build 998.12.

[gosnold]

Same issue in Kuril sunrise, here is the save.

[Dimitris]

ORIGINAL: gosnold

Same issue in Kuril sunrise, here is the save.

It is not resolved by the hotfix?

[Dimitris]

Tested this now in B998.12 and it seems to work fine.

[gosnold]

Yes, the fix works, no issues anymore. Thanks!

[Amnectrus]

Hotfix worked for me as well, thanks! And thanks for the other fixes that came along with Kuril Sunrise, sub depth fix is especially nice. I am going to have to re-think how I'm using the MiG-31s though now...