4 ms·
There are already missiles that can pull 50-80Gs, most modern air-to-air missiles can pull over 20Gs easily. Part of the issue is optimizing for weight/G pull,
by bigyabai 1y ago
There are already missiles that can pull 50-80Gs, most modern air-to-air missiles can pull over 20Gs easily.
Part of the issue is optimizing for weight/G pull, versus a high-sustain motor. A lightweight 50G missile has a very high P/K off the rail, but the longer it flies the harder it is to capitalize on your G rating. If the pilot notches it, you can potentially outrun the dangerous portion of the missile burn and force it into a sustained glide where the warhead is harmless.
Contrast this with other missile designs like the MBDA Meteor, which probably has a relatively low G pull. Much less maneuverable, but it also remains dangerous for much longer than even an AMRAAM. Optimizing for these kill envelopes is what you want, if shooting down MiGs is your goal. By the time you're close enough to fire a 50G missile, you've got a helmet-queued R-73 hot-and-ready delivered through your canopy.
I will leave you with the audio of an Su-34 defeating a MiM-104 (content warning: distressing) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD_en_xvSvU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD_en_xvSvU