| SA-2E 'Guideline' tests
I saw a video clip of the HUD on what purports
to be a F-18 firing a HARM. The altitude is 31,200 feet, the speed is 306KIAS
and the target is 32.1nms distant. Away goes the HARM... it sloped up a
bit and then started downwards... 32.1nms!
I tried that out in F/A-18 Korea. At 32,400feet
and speed 306KIAS I cruised across the "fence". I used a SA-2E
as a target... experienced crews with AI settings to max. I generally keep
the default (50%) Lethality settings on or even drop them lower to about
20% across the range of Human and AI weapons. It does not matter for this
test.
At 26.2nms the SA-2E appeared on the RWR and HARM
display. The RWR spike lengthens at 19.9nms (that is the set range). It
locks and fires soon after at 16.3nms, and again at 11.4nms, and yet again
at 6.4nms. All the missiles miss... ECM on or off makes no difference.
After the third missile is fired it has problems tracking you and fires
a further two missiles... which fail to track or even launch and fall back
onto the site... taking out the launch vehicles.
Next time I attacked the site I released a HARM
at 19.0nms... I then continued on the same heading/altitude/speed. The
site fired at me at 16.3 again... our missiles passed in the ether. The
HARM impacted when I was 12.4nms from the site. The missile had just about
reached me when it lost track and went ballistic, sweeping out behind me.
It did not really matter as it was not going to hit me.
Lesson learned: against the SA-2E... stay above
32,000feet, launch at 19.0nms, and turn away to the next target.
The simple mission I used (and the MacOS replay)
is in the archive below. There is also another mission included (guid02.msn)which
uses a SA-2E with experienced crew... only this time they are hard-core
NKPA types (STRiKE-trained)... they REALLY switch on and off the radar...
HARMs won't work now! They are trying to tempt you down to lower altitudes
where they can be sure of a hit. When you get low enough and they have
waited long enough they start to track you. | 
