via Flight Global.
"Without a helmet, that means the missile will need a very tight cue from somewhere," one F-22 pilot says. "[That's] something that is not always available in a dynamic, turning environment."and...
To be clear, the AIM-9X is a huge improvement over the AIM-9M version even without a HMCS . "Don't get me wrong, it will still be better than having a 9M, but it won't be anything close to what a fighter with a helmet and an externally carried missile has," the pilot says. "Hence, probably not the savior we've all been waiting on."
"We've been screaming for years that the F-22 needs to have the capability fielded, and fast," the Raptor pilot says. "Once the jets transitions from BVR [beyond visual range] to WVR [within visual range] with only AIM-9M-9s it is hugely vulnerable."That boys and girls basically confirms it.
Royal Air Force and Luftwaffe Typhoon drivers along with French Rafale and Navy F/A-18 goons have all bragged about getting the F-22 in its cross hairs and getting kills on it.
Everyone chalked it up to pilots simply boasting.
The article by Dave puts all that to rest.
In WVR the F-22 is just another fighter.