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F/A-18 Systems

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First of all, before getting into the nitty-gritty of air-to-air combat, let's get familiar with the systems. The most important component is the radar. The F/A-18 in Jane's fine sim comes equipped with the latest APG-78 radar system. In the words of Tommy Lee Jones in FireBirds, "This bird is agile, mobile, and hostile!" The APG-78 is the centerpiece of it all. Encompassing 10 different air-to-air modes, from Boresight(most useful with Sidewinder missiles) to TWS(Track-While-Scan, the mode you'll spend most time in), this radar can do almost everything. Tied to the AIM-9, AIM-7, or AIM-120, this system makes for a formidable opponent, to say the least.

Fig. 3. Jane's F/A-18 Cockpit

The main short-range missile in US inventories has been the AIM-9 Sidewinder. First developed during the Vietnam War, this little terrier makes a familiar growling when locked onto a target, and once locked, she's a pain to get rid of - literally. The latest models, the AIM-9M and AIM-9X, both of which are modeled in Jane's F/A-18, are more deadly than any previous models of this missile. The 9X version even can lock onto an aircraft from the sides or the front, whereas the -9M and earlier models need to lock onto the hot exhaust of an enemy's engines. Needless to say, the added scope of the -9X's warhead and targeting system make it a much more deadly adversary in the short range "dogfight."

Fig. 4. Aim-9 heads towards the Target

The Hornet's other missiles are the AIM-7M and AIM-120C AMRAAM. The AIM-7M is the latest variant of the venerable Sparrow missile, another weapon dating back to the Vietnam war. The main problem with the AIM-7(any model)is that it operates on what is known as SARH(Semi-Active Radar Homing), which means that the launching aircraft must keep its radar pointed at the target - a very VERY dangerous proposition in a dogfight, especially with MIG-29's carrying the dangerous IRSTS(InfraRed Search and Track System). A MIG armed with IRSTS can drop in behind a Hornet waiting for an AIM-7 to impact, and the Hornet might never know what hit him.

Fig. 5. F/A-18 Weapons

With the obvious danger of the Sparrow, a new long-range missile was needed for combat. In 1990, the Rayethon AMRAAM(Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) began deployment. In development since the 1980's, this new weapon was more powerful, had greater range, and improved avionics over the old Sparrow. The main improvement was that AMRAAM had its own on-board radar, which engaged once the missile had been launched, allowing the launching aircraft to disengage from the target, to find new targets, or to evade other enemy fighters. AMRAAM is the first so-called "Fire and Forget" missile.

 

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