Tips on the Aim-9B

[tmdgm 0]

I understand the Aim-9B was bad in real life. And it sure is bad in the game. Are there any tips on firing these things. Playing the Rolling Thunder in an F-8, every mission I get behind a MIG, I wait until he's straight and level, I'm straight and level, good tone, fire. I routinely fire 4 9b's in a row and they just go to the wayside. I think i got a hit once. I can see when we're maneuvering an such, but he's right in front of me.

 

Any tips anyone uses to at least get 10-20% kill?

[+Dave 2,318]

I understand the Aim-9B was bad in real life. And it sure is bad in the game. Are there any tips on firing these things. Playing the Rolling Thunder in an F-8, every mission I get behind a MIG, I wait until he's straight and level, I'm straight and level, good tone, fire. I routinely fire 4 9b's in a row and they just go to the wayside. I think i got a hit once. I can see when we're maneuvering an such, but he's right in front of me.

 

Any tips anyone uses to at least get 10-20% kill?

 

 

Yeah punch them off before you get into combat and use the guns .......its funny you mention it. I was in a lag pursuit of a Mig-19 in my F-104C. Well he must of thought he lost me and flew low, leveled out. I got within 2.5 miles of him, had a good tone and fired.....missed him. I fired again, missed him. So I hit the burner got close and gunned him. I hate those AIM-9B's.

[eraser_tr 29]

If you think the sidewinder is bad, try the aim-4 falcon. About 1 in 5 sidewinders tend to hit for me, falcons are 0 for about 20. Good position, straight, level, good tone, fire. tracks for a second or two then flys right past the target. I've complained about it before, someone said it was meant to be used against bombers, large, slow moving, etc. made no difference whether it was an il-28, tu-16 or mig-17.

 

Or the russian equivalents, the AA-2 akali and AA-3 Atoll. I've managed a few hits with Atolls, firing from in very close, half a NM to just under one NM. Despite having a rated range out to 4nm, anything more than 1 and it might as well not have a seeker.

 

However, even with the early sparrows, I hit about 80% of the time, provided I'm not too close, or pulling too many G's. And they were ripple fired because of their unreliability back then.

[+Erik 1,732]

The AIM 9B was a mid to late 50's lead sulphide photo cell seeker. The main problem with accuracy is that the seeker was designed for for IR rad detection most affective against non moving targets. Another big draw back in the 9B is that it was very sensitive to passive reflection from the sun. The best thing that the 9B offered were the variants it gave birth to including the 9D which in turn gave birth (read: started the family line) to the 9X series. As you know the 9X is pure fury in a can you don't ever want to be on the receiving end of.

[+Dave 2,318]

The AIM 9B was a mid to late 50's lead sulphide photo cell seeker. The main problem with accuracy is that the seeker was designed for for IR rad detection most affective against non moving targets. Another big draw back in the 9B is that it was very sensitive to passive reflection from the sun. The best thing that the 9B offered were the variants it gave birth to including the 9D which in turn gave birth (read: started the family line) to the 9X series. As you know the 9X is pure fury in a can you don't ever want to be on the receiving end of.

 

Yeah the AIM-9X is one bad mofo. I did find a good use for the B though. It will break up an enemy fighter formation in a heart beat.

[+Erik 1,732]

... and if you happen to be a kid on the ground burning ants the 9B is a guaranteed bad hair day.

[kukulino 1]

Hmmmm...

 

I'm flying OTC-new version - really good campaign, USAFMTL.

 

I changed Mig-21PF insted of Mig-21F. (Mig-21PF was reportedly at St. Antonio AB: http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_155.shtml).

 

PF loadout: 2 R-3 missiles (no R-3S). No internal gun or gunpod...

 

I have no kill up to now!!!

 

R-3 missed planes, which flies straight. No manoeuvres... No high Gs... (I usualy fired both Atolls... My fieeling was very close to navy Phantom without rockets...)

 

R-3S is a little bit better.

 

R-3 is something like russian Sidewinder!!!

 

R-3 is russian copy of earlier AIM-9, I think. Their efectivity is very, very, VERY similar... (in the game of course)

Edited May 6, 2007 by kukulino

[kukulino 1]

I am sorry, guys. Link in previous post does not work right.

 

http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_155.shtml

Edited May 6, 2007 by kukulino

[+Brain32 265]

Well coming from il2(a ww2 prop sim) I used the good ol' come in insanely close tehnique, I make them bleed their energy and come in at approx. 300-500m while they are accelerating and WHAM!!!, goodbye MiG

 

EDIT: Come to think of it, I might as well use guns instead lol

Edited May 6, 2007 by Brain32

[+Crusader 2,062]

I hit regularly with AIM-9B. No prob. With the stock one and the weaponpack version of it ( has some minor changes iirc)

I usually put my pipper slightly above the target after I get tone.

Ranges at which I fired and hit was anywhere from 0.6 to 1.5 nm (approx.)

All settings at Hard.

[gerald14 0]

It just one of those times that you can't kill anything with a Aim-9B and you fired all of them!!!

[+Dave 2,318]

I hit regularly with AIM-9B. No prob. With the stock one and the weaponpack version of it ( has some minor changes iirc)

I usually put my pipper slightly above the target after I get tone.

Ranges at which I fired and hit was anywhere from 0.6 to 1.5 nm (approx.)

All settings at Hard.

 

Show off......

[eraser_tr 29]

A short burst from the guns will break up a fighter formation just as well, with the bullets taking up only a fraction of the weight of the missiles!

[Caveman 1]

I have tryed rockets to see if they would be more accuret thanthe 9B...so far...ehh well its fun

[+Dave 2,318]

A short burst from the guns will break up a fighter formation just as well, with the bullets taking up only a fraction of the weight of the missiles!

 

But that would be a waste of bullets. You needs them to get kills since the 9B's don't......

[+Crusader 2,062]

Show off......

 

heY!!1

mR. beegPaNTHS sH0ulD UsE TipARI B0otLeG aiM-9Bee sIdEwHiNEER MiSsLe .... NevA fAils!!!1!1

 

[MigHound 0]

I hit regularly with AIM-9B. No prob. With the stock one and the weaponpack version of it ( has some minor changes iirc)

I usually put my pipper slightly above the target after I get tone.

Ranges at which I fired and hit was anywhere from 0.6 to 1.5 nm (approx.)

All settings at Hard.

 

I would have to agree, the 9Bs do hit fairly consistently, within 0.6 to 1.5 nm of the target, flying straight and level, so, ultimately it just takes patience while you keep the target in front of you and wait out the AI, until the target thinks he has lost you, or decides to bug out and head for home.

[tmdgm 0]

I would have to agree, the 9Bs do hit fairly consistently, within 0.6 to 1.5 nm of the target, flying straight and level, so, ultimately it just takes patience while you keep the target in front of you and wait out the AI, until the target thinks he has lost you, or decides to bug out and head for home.

 

 

So how do you do it? I have heard it matters where the pipper is. Is that the key, putting the pipper above the target after getting tone. Like I said, it's nothing for me just to shoot off 4 of these things and all miss. I can live with missing, but when we are both straight and level and I'm right behind him! That just doesn't seem right.

 

That comment about the sparrows, yeah they seem way too accurate. I never miss with those things. You just gotta get >3.5 nm away.

[tmdgm 0]

Wuhoo! It worked! It worked!

 

At least one mission anyway. I waited till both of us were straight and level, got good tone, pulled the pipper above the target as per Crusader, fired. 2 out of 4 hit in an F-8 campaign. Sweet. I can live with this. Wonder if it was just luck.