Matra Super 530D
| This page is about the French air-to-air missile Matra Super 530D. For the other version, see Matra Super 530F. |
Contents
Description
The French Matra Super 530D is the latest and greatest of the M.530 family. It is an interception Semi-Active Radar Homing missile that was introduced in 1987 specifically for the Mirage 2000 family of jet fighters. At the time of its introduction, it was capable of flying faster than most, if not all, other missiles of its kind. This missile was made to hit even maneuvering targets, hence the ~30 g overload limit, which is impressive when taking into account its 10 kg warhead, and 270 kg total weight.
In War Thunder, this missile is competitive. it is not as manoeuvrable as an AIM-7F Sparrow at close range, and it does not possess the range or acceleration of the R-27ER. However when fired at targets between 4 km and 15 km, this missile is very lethal. It takes its sweet time to accelerate, but makes up for it in top speed and agility once it gets to speed. Overall a very balanced missile that feels different from its American and Russian counterparts. The only downside of this missile is that you can only take 2 of them at most on the Mirage 2000-5F and Mirage 2000C-S5, while some American planes can install up to 6 SARH missiles on top of other armament.
Vehicles equipped with this weapon
General info
| Missile characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Mass | 270 kg |
| Guidance | SARH |
| Signal | CW |
| Lock range | 30 km |
| Launch range | 40 km |
| Maximum speed | 5 M |
| Maximum overload | 30 G |
| Missile guidance time | 60 secs |
| Explosive mass | 10.37 kg TNTeq |
Effective damage
The Matra Super 530D has only a 10 kg warhead in War Thunder. This means that the 530D needs a near direct hit to cripple the target. If the 530D finds itself at a low energy state where it cannot get itself as close to the plane as possible, it might explode and deal minor damage.
Comparison with analogues
The 530D is a Doppler version of the Super 530F, its closest brother. The closest missiles in terms of competitiveness, usage and stats are the American AIM-7F, Russian R-24R and the British Skyflash superTEMPs. They all feature similar range, similar manoeuvrability and even similar usage.
Usage in battles
The Super 530D is a very capable missile that should mostly be used for head-on situations and high altitude interceptions. It can also be used at closer range if the enemy is at a low energy state, and not further than 3 km.
This missile features very high potential speed, however it has sub-par acceleration. It has a small guidance delay when it leaves the rail, unlike the AIM-7F which can start tracking and pulling as soon as it leaves the rail, making it worse than a 7F at close quarters. The 7F will also be able to pull harder before the 530D due to its higher acceleration.
The R-27ER will outclass the 530D in most situations, so it's hard to compare them.
While the 530D is identical on both Air Superiority variants of the Mirage 2000, the -5F version has a PD mode, opposed to the PD HDN (head-on) of the C-S5 variant. This might not seem like a big deal, however the PD mode of the -5F gives you a way higher hit potential against a maneuvering target. Your radar will have an easier time tracking notching targets and cold flying (flying away from you) targets, making the 530D an even bigger monster on the Mirage 2000-5F.
Another quirk of the 530D is that it seems to accelerate better when flying above supersonic. It is always best to fire missiles from a higher speed, because they will have alot more energy, however this can really be felt with the 530D as opposed to the R-27ER for example.
Overall the 530D is not that different from the other SARH missiles, however it has its quirks and should be used to its strenghts. As with all other missiles, the "thing" making the missile very lethal is the pilot. Firing it from the right range, at the right altitude, at the right time, in the right situation will give you the most chances of securing a hit on an enemy.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Excellent speed.
- Excellent Maximum overload of 30G to hit manoeuvreing targets.
- Good tracking, making it harder to dodge kinetically.
- Very reliable compared to other missiles.
Cons:
- Slow acceleration, it's best not to fire from too close range.
- Does not like to turn at all when at low energy.
History
Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />.
Media
- Images
- Videos
See also
External links
- [RedStar] Matra Super 530D Short to medium-range air-to-air missile
- [Avions De Combat] Super 530D: Matra Missile
- [AviationsMilitaires.net] Matra Super 530D
