Why do certain AA missiles have reduced range vs choppers?

[Cross88]

Is it just for balance reasons, or is it based on the behavior of real-life AA missiles? If it's the latter, why would a missile have better range against a jet?

[chrisnz]

some people had a cry they couldn't use choppers effectively in the beta. Now you can't use radar missiles against them (even though you spot them with your radar from far away in game).

Later people cried about infrared missiles being too effective vs planes. Radar was made worse against choppers (range wise) and infrared made worse against aircraft (range wise).

[Agiel7]

Ground clutter poses an issue for radar-based AA (the Hawk SAM for instance in real life can't engage a target below 5000 ft MSL). NOE flight, bob-up mode, and terrain masking mitigates the danger of long-range, high-altitude SAMs for helicopters.

[EliteSniper]

Umm in real life, you can't use radar missiles against helicopters, they were strikly for jets, unless the helicopter was flying really high which most fly near the ground as seen in ALB. As for Infared missiles, well for both you need a clear line of sight to target them in real life. I would suggest using man pad because, they are very effective against choppers. Or just us AA helicopters, they both seem to work very well.

[Xeno426]

Umm in real life, you can't use radar missiles against helicopters, they were strikly for jets,

If the helicopter posed enough of a radar signature to get a lock, it will work just fine against a helicopter. Something about massive spinning blades makes them good radar reflectors. Early radar and missiles, up until good look-down/shoot-down capability was available, would have trouble with helicopters close to the ground (and aircraft close to the ground, for that matter). Nowadays it's the helicopter's ability to use the terrain to mask its presence that saves it.

[Torrisco]

this is totally for balance, but basically unrealistic, IMHO only systems like KUB BUK and HAWK shouldn't be able to be fired VS helicopters as they are more orientated to kill planes at medium range/altitude.
helicopters are easy to detect, they only have the advantage of maneuvering at very low altitude so they can exploit the terrain to get cover from radar emissions, but basically any radar unit should be able to hit helicopters as soon as they are out of cover, may be units like the already mentioned should be exclusively vs planes but the others should be for Both, helos and planes, and IR should be better vs helicopters and a bit worse vs planes... the same AIM9 on planes is the one used by chaparral, but for "game play reasons" it is lot worse vs planes, however the ones in planes are crap vs helos ( even being IR)

[EliteSniper]

Umm in real life, you can't use radar missiles against helicopters, they were strikly for jets,

If the helicopter posed enough of a radar signature to get a lock, it will work just fine against a helicopter. Something about massive spinning blades makes them good radar reflectors. Early radar and missiles, up until good look-down/shoot-down capability was available, would have trouble with helicopters close to the ground (and aircraft close to the ground, for that matter). Nowadays it's the helicopter's ability to use the terrain to mask its presence that saves it.

It's also that it's to low to target, duh which I stated. A radar missile is more likly to miss a chopper then hit one, since it's to low to the ground to target. Most of the time they are to small to pick up, and are to close to the ground to use radar effectively, thus making it useless against helicopters. And a Radar missile can't point blank one, and need around 3500km to fire at one. So why would commanders even waste their time and ammo on it, which is why it was strikly prohibited from firing at helicopters unless they are farther then 3500km, and are in a high altitude flight.

[Vasily Krysov]

And a Radar missile can't point blank one, and need around 3500km to fire at one.

Man, that's quite the sensor technology for the 80's!

[Alex18762]

Even though IR AA is supposedly better against helos its not since most helo launched ATGMs especially the hellfires far outrange them and will destroy your force from long range where you cant react

[Mako]

Wait EliteSniper is pulling stuff out of his.. somewhere?

That's a shock.