Heatseeking Missiles

The heatseeking missiles are available for the NATO F-16 and F-15 and the PACT MiG-29 and Su-27. These aircraft spawn with 2 by default and are resupplied with them by landing at the landing strip.

While selected they will automatically acquire a target and start to lock-on. After a few seconds of targeting a single aircraft the lock will be complete and a missile can be launched. If the lock-on is not broken and you still have additional missiles you can continue to fire them without having to lock-on again. If the lock on is broken however any missiles already fired while locked on will still track the target. The tracking angle for heatseeking missiles has the largest lock on angle in game, and they can lock-on from a middling distance compared to other weapons.

"Dumb firing" (launching the missile without having a lock-on) is also possible, and the missiles are still able to acquire a target after being fired without the aid of the pilot. It is also possible for a missile at hit a creep or FOB but this does not appear to do any damage.

These are easily countered by the default flares, and will almost always prefer to target the flare instead of the aircraft that launched them. Its also worth noting that as you enter the area of your airfield you can still be targeted by heatseeking missiles. This can be a useful tactic to finish off a fleeing foe who might think that they are safe.

The upgrades for the heatseeking missiles are as follow:
 * Dogfighting Loadout: Carry two extra heatseeking missiles.
 * Heavy Missile Warheads: All missiles deal 25% extra damage.
 * Helmet-Mounted Sight: Provides a 10 degrees wider maximum lock-angle for heatseeking missiles.