Air-to-ground missiles

Overview

Air-to-ground missiles (AGMs) were added to the game in Update ??. The first of these type of weapon were available in Vietnam war. In-game they are a potent weapon to have at your disposal, allowing you to destroy enemy ground or naval targets from several km away. They add the ability to steer the rocket to engange even moving target. In War Thunder several different types of AGMs exist: Manual Command Line of Sight (MCLOS) also known as command guided, Semi Automatic Command Line of Sight (SACLOS), Television guided (TV), Infrared guided (IR), Laser guided and Beam riding. Note that in game these guidance systems might work differently than their respective real counterparts or the missiles might use a different guidance system than in reality.

MCLOS

MCLOS guided missiles are either connected by a wire towards the aircraft or by radiowaves. In case of wire-guided missiles the wire is unspun from the missile as its flying towards the target. After a missile of this type is fired the gunner or pilot has to watch it with his eyes and send correcting guidance commands. You have to set up keys for steering the missile, else it will behave like a simple rocket flying straight. It is the hardest to use missile because if you steer away your plane you will have to guide the missile from a different view point. Whereas keeping the plane in line with missile and target brings you dangerously close to the enemy.

MCLOS controls

Please refer to AAM MCLOS controls.

List of MCLOS AGMs

Command guided missiles
Missile	Country	Max guidance range
AGM-12B Bullpup		8 km
AGM-12C Bullpup		16 km
AS-20 Nord		8 km
AS-30 Nord		10 km
Kh-23M		10 km
Rb05A		8 km

SACLOS

Semi Automatic Command Line of Sight guidance system improves the MCLOS by having a device that calculates correction commands such that the gunner has to point the sight of the targeting device onto the target and the appropiate correction commands are done by the device. Connection to the missile can be by wire or radiowaves. The targeting device often features a significant zoom view which makes target aquisition a lot easier. All this makes targeting much easier and even allows for moderate changes of aircraft movement.

SACLOS controls

To use a SACLOS guided missile point your aircrafts nose as good as possible towards the target and best switch into the gunners view so you can use the zoom function. Now you can fine control the targetting pointer and fire the missile by pressing space. In war thunder for Helicopters the point will be now tracked automatically regarding to aircraft movement which is not the case in reality for early models. Only moving target have to be corrected by using your mouse to track the target manually. Make sure you watch the missiles exhaust flare as it might differ from your cursor position. You can also aquire target from 3rd person view by pressing F but it will not be a fine tuned and the rocket will probably miss. But for big targets it might be suffient to aquire target this way.

List of SACLOS AGMs

SACLOS guided missiles
Missile	Country	Max guidance range
9M14-2 Malyutka-2		3 km
9M17M Falanga		4 km
9M17P Falanga-PV		4 km
9M114 Shturm		5 km
9M120 Ataka		6 km
AGM-22		3.5 km
AS.11		3.5 km
BGM-71C Improved TOW		3.75 km
BGM-71D TOW-2		3.75 km
HOT-1		4 km
HOT-2 TOW		4 km
HOT-3		4.3 km
Kh-66		10 km
RB 52		3.5 km
RB 53 Bantam		2 km
RB 55B Heli TOW		3.75 km
RB 55C Heli TOW		3.75 km

TV

Television guided missiles have a camera sitting in their nose and transmit the image towards the aircraft so the gunner can steer it into target. Communication is usually by radiowaves. In war thunder some TV guided missiles feature a automatic tracking function so you can switch to pilot view and continue to fly your aircraft. Sometimes you still need to keep the aircraft pointed in the direction of the target to not lose communication to the missile (else it will explode mid-air).

TV controls

Switch into the gunners view and aquire the target by pressing space. To fire the missile you have to switch back to pilot view and use space again to fire the missile. From 3rd person view you can get automatic target aquisition on some aircraft for close targets, when a green dot appears.

List of TV guided missiles

TV guided missiles
Missile	Country	Max guidance range
AGM-65A		23 km
AGM-65B		23 km
Kh-29T		13 km
RB 75		23 km

IR

Infrared guided missiles have seeker head that locks onto sources of infrared radiation and tracks it automatically. It's a fire and forget weapon, so you can turn away your aircraft and don't have to risk coming to close towards the enemy.

IR controls

Add information about how to use this weapon

List of IR guided AGMs

IR guided AGMs
Missile	Country	Max guidance range
AGM-65D		23 km
PARS 3 LR		7 km

Laser

The aircraft points a target illuminating laser onto the desired target and when the missiles is fired it will fly automatically into the laser point on the target. Advanced laser guided missiles can operate even when the laser illumination is stopped and will continue its flight path on inertial guidance. If the laser illumination lights up again they will proceede to follow the laser light.

Laser controls

Please refer to the article about Hellfire missile on how to use laser guided missiles.

List of Laser AGMs

Laser AGM
Missile	Country	Max guidance range
AGM-114B Hellfire		8 km
AGM-114K Hellfire II		8 km
AS-30L Nord		?? km

Beam riding

Please refer to Air-to-air missiles on information about beam riding missiles.

List of Beam riding AGMs

Laser AGM
Missile	Country	Max guidance range
9M120-1 Ataka		6 km
9K127 Vikhr		10 km

See also

• Missiles
• Anti-tank guided missiles
• Air-to-air missiles

External links

Devblogs

add dev-blogs regarding AGMs here

Wikipedia

• [Wikipedia] Command guidance
• [Wikipedia] Beam riding
• [Wikipedia] Infrared homing
• [Wikipedia] Television guidance
• [Wikipedia] Laser guidance