3 ms·
Why can't it seek just seconds after dropping out from inside?
by wuunderbar 6y ago
Why can't it seek just seconds after dropping out from inside?
- kitteh 6y agoYou have to uncage the seeker head in order for it to track. You would be just dropping it with the seeker pointing forward and hoping that the missile locks onto it with a limited view. The seeker is uncaged normally when you are tracking a target before you fire it. The pilot would have no idea if the missile would track when dropped.
- alkonaut 6y agoCan't this be solved (for a new aircraft) by having a similar seeker on the aircraft (IRST) and letting the missiles tap into that, so that it can sort of "see" while in the bay, and you can be more or less sure that once deployed it will actually track? Perhaps that's exactly what IRST does...
- virtue3 6y agoI imagine the likeliness of hitting yourself with it would go up dramatically if that was the case.
- greedo 6y agoIf the launching aircraft has an A2A radar, newer versions of the Sidewinder can use LOAL (lock on after launch) because their sensors are so sensitive. The radar cues the seeker head prior to launch, so it knows where to search. Missile is launched, seeker head acquires target, boom.