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CV32 -> RE: Wondering about the Database (3/22/2008 1:30:51 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Warhorse64
Actually, it's even worse than that. :-) The hundred-plus mile range story comes from a single trial shot where absolutely everything was 'best-cased'. The target was a supersonic drone with its radar return electronically enhanced to the size of a Backfire bomber. It was heading directly towards the F-14 at high altitude and supersonic speed, and the F-14 was heading directly towards the target at high altitude and supersonic speed. There was a Hawkeye in the vicinity which was feeding continuous updates to the F-14 about the target. The F-14's onboard radar acquired the target at about 130 miles range, and the Phoenix missile was launched at about 100 miles range. However, the target continued to close without maneuvering as the missile approached, with the result that the missile only actually flew a distance of about sixty nautical miles to make the intercept. Hence the 60 nm range in the game.
Yeah, all fairly well known if you do the digging. [;)] I wasn't feeling particularly long winded. [:'(]
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Now admittedly, you tend to lose some of that range in the game because you can't launch until the target is within 60 nm of the launch platform, but that's a game-mechanics decision with no right answer --- if they let you launch from (say) 100 nm range, they'd be buried in complaints about missiles falling short all the time, instead. :-)
Right, the code doesn't allow for the increased kinematic range when shooting a missile while flying at supersonic speed (or conversely, reduced range at low speed). And, yes, as you say, you can't please everyone. [:D]
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