Missile flies parallel to BVR target

[TheStig]

What would cause a BVR missile to fly parallel to its target? Does it have to do with the seekergimblelimit or seekerFOV?

[TheStig]

Image of what I am talking about.

 

Here are the seeker settings of this Phoenix.

 

SeekerFOV=60.000000
SeekerGimbleLimit=60.000000
SeekerTrackRate=60.000000

Edited January 29, 2017 by TheStig

[+Gepard]

Seeker FoV should be 6 instead 60.

 

It means in your case that the missile can "see" targets which are 60° outside of the flightpath. The search cone of the missile is 120°. This is to much for the Phoenix. 

But it should not the reason for the strange behaviour of the missile.

What is the target? Could it be, that it has overrated deceptive jammer?

[TheStig]

MIG-29 is the target. BVR shot at 85 miles.

[TheStig]

Gepard, I did another CAP with my F-14D and launched 4 AIM-54Cs. All Phoenix missiles hit and none ran parallel. It seems to happen only if the targets are further than 75 miles away and I am flying perpendicular to their flight pattern (e.g. I am heading 000 and enemies heading 090).

I also did not edit the seeker FOV or gimble limits.

[+Gepard]

Then the missile lost the target lock somewhere during the flight and is flying now unguided till self destruction is activated.

If you choose the missile view in game, you will see, when it happen. The missile starts shaking a little bit, at this very moment, and then is going his own way after lost of target lock.

[Caesar]

I think Gepard hit the nail on the head; your missile probably went stupid, but at the range you fired, it could have been because the missile ran out of power (300 seconds) or ran out of energy (speed) as much as it may have been fooled by chaff.  Advertized maximum ranges are rarely the maximum range the missile can achieve at lower altitudes, and target closure, aspect and altitude all have a strong bearing on missile performance.  In SF2, Phoenix is one of the missiles where this is most visible.  While it CAN achieve a kill from beyond 100nm like it has in range situations in real life, that requires significant closure between the launching aircraft and the target, and has to be done at high altitude.  One of the tests in 1973 with a successful range kill from 110nm was possible because both aircraft were at very high altitude (F-14 at 44,000 feet, target drone at 50,000 feet), both aircraft were closing very quickly (both at 1.5M), and the target did not attempt to change its aspect to the launch platform.  The missile traveled 72.5nm with the drone making up the rest of the distance, and climbed to over 100,000 feet before diving down on the drone, minimizing air resistance during its long travel.

 

At lower altitudes, however, the missile has to compete with much greater air density (hence, higher drag), and if the target turns perpendicular to the missile's flight path, the missile now not only has no extra closure, it has to make up the linear distance the target travels "off-course" as well.  The result is a lower effective range.  Normally, I wait until I'm about 60nm from the target if I anticipate it will maneuver when I employ Phoenix.  It's usually against high-altitude, high-speed bombers that I'll go for a maximum, or near-maximum range shot, and when I do, I like to be above 1.5M and near 40,000 feet before I actually pull the trigger.