Here are some modifiers to AirToAir combat (from paper rules):

 

1) +10 DATA If attacker is one or more levels above or below the target aircraft and if missile is not SnapUp/SnapDown.

2) +10 DATA if target is moving faster than 1000 knots.

3) 5 DATA when unmanned target.

4) 0 DATA when target is launching, landing or hovering.

 

Which of them are active at HCE?

I'm not certain as for paper I have H4.0/H4.1 whereas HCE follows along H3 paper rules. I'm sure that Tony or Brad will answer more knowingly.

I was playing a Harpoon Classic Demo scenario. Some AS-4 Kitchen were approaching from VeryHigh altitude. I had some F-4 Phantom that couldn´t target the missiles. I don´t know if it is because AIM-7 Sparrow couldn´t reach VHigh altitude or, as fighters were flying at Low altitude, because Sparrows aren´t SnapUp/Down.

 

Do you need a SnapUp/SnapDown missile to launch them at a target that is located one altitude level away from its own?

Here are some modifiers to AirToAir combat (from paper rules):

 

1) +10 DATA If attacker is one or more levels above or below the target aircraft and if missile is not SnapUp/SnapDown.

2) +10 DATA if target is moving faster than 1000 knots.

3) 5 DATA when unmanned target.

4) 0 DATA when target is launching, landing or hovering.

 

Which of them are active at HCE?

 

None of those are active in HCE. SAMs against incoming missiles do have a modifyier if the missile is fast (1300kts or greater iirc) and that is a 30% decrease in the SAM PH. There is also a PH subtraction if it is a crossing target (a tough shot for the SAM).

 

3) HCE doesn't know if a target is manned or not.

4) HCE doesn't let you kill planes that are taking off since there was a related bug that would sometimes result in huge groups of aircraft taking off, or just plain game crashes.

Do you need a SnapUp/SnapDown missile to launch them at a target that is located one altitude level away from its own?

 

I think you were right with the first approach, that Sparrows weren't set to be VHigh capable in whatever database was used.

 

The absence of Snap Up/Down would have decreased the PH of the Sparrows by 10%, not prevented them from being fired.

 

Just verified speed from the previous post is indeed 1300kts

 

Size is the other criterion for air to air hits, if the target is VSmall size or smaller then the PH of the missile is docked 10%.

Are air-to-air missiles (AAM) affected by the crossing target rule?

Are air-to-air missiles (AAM) affected by the crossing target rule?

 

In the paper rules, no, as AAM have a different set of rules than SAMs : the crossing target modifier is to model the fact that a plane or asm missile is moving much faster than the launching ship, so much so that for all intents and purposes in that case you can consider the ship stationary for the maths

So this models that the director has to do a lot more work to compute a valid intercept, and that the slightest mistake/timing error will have a very high impact on pH.

It does not apply to Air vs Air engagements, as relative manoeuvrability is dealt with ATA and DATA

Well said

What is the acquisition range for a missile with the "Terminal Guidance" flag?

From Harpoon 4.1 rulebook (5.3.1.4) : 10 nm for 3rd generation against Large targets, 5nm against smaller ones.

Degrades with older generations of guidance.

 

This is actually an hand written addition in my rulebook, culled from official 4.1 errata, original table is missing the 3rd gen entry, here is it in its entirety (the 3rd gen entry)

 

3rd Gen, non radar, +/- 45 degrees, 10nm, 5nm (exact copy of 3rd gen radar in fact, again official errata)

What is the acquisition range for a missile with the "Terminal Guidance" flag?

 

If the missile was launched at an exactly detected target, the activation point for terminal guidance is set to 5 nm before intercept/impact. If the target is further than 60 nm away, the activation point is set progressively further away from the target as the distance to the target increases. Otherwise, it is based on the size of the uncertainty zone.

 

(All credit to the code guru, of course).

Is a AAM with the "Anti-radar" flag able to target an enemy aircraft that has its own radar turned on?

At what distance does a dogfight start?

Is a AAM with the "Anti-radar" flag able to target an enemy aircraft that has its own radar turned on?

 

Test it and find out

 

As for dogfight range (I don't know off-hand the range, I assume about 3nm since that is the gun range), what difference does it make?

 

On to grander questions, what prompts you to ask all of these questions? Are you writing a manual in which case you should join the beta team, or writing a clone in which case you should just buy the paper rules and get permission to build the game, or???

At what distance does a dogfight start?

 

Paper rules ? 5nm, see 6.3.3.3