How do you use homing missiles

[FizzyElf]

I have had this issue for a while and have been trying to fix it by using different vehicles, different missiles, new control schemes, using a controller instead of my mouse and key board but every single missile with a lock on function (Air to air and air to ground) ends up just sitting on my vehicles collecting dust, is there something I'm missing? For example if I fly the Sea vixen in test drive and chose one of its 2 sets of air to air missiles I need to press down my middle mouse button to lock on but nothing happens on screen, I've tried at 500 meters, 1km, 2km and 4km, both in front of and behind my target while going 300km/per hour and up to 800km, is there some other way to lock on so I can launch the missile?

For context, currently, when I try to take down an enemy aircraft I just use my wings to slice their plane in half or use my machine guns if my plane has any

[Pozieres]

you most likely have radar AAMs loaded up first in the set of two. For that you need a radar lock, then a missle lock and then fire the missile. So 3 different buttons .
THen there is the question of radar lock, there is a whole heap of stuff do to with radar these days what what is needed is a good guide but to put it in a simple sentence. You cannot lock anything in ARB or ASN bellow your jet. A really simple and explanation because there is more too radar.
You also have to coddle radar missiles, so you have to give it a really big lead or it will just blow up. And dont expect much from any early AAMs. you will get kills with them on slow targets, climbing targets or people that are no aware

[Acidic__Thought]

Targeting a plane with MMB isn’t getting a missile lock. In your controls you need to bind a key to “Weapon Lock” and that brings up the seeker. Then you need to bind a key to “Fire air-to-air missile”.

[FizzyElf]

Okay I gotta reopen this, so I tried with a heli today which has air to air and even when it tells me on screen that the target is acquired I am still unable to fire the missile. Steps: look at plane, place mouse over enemy pilot (not very hard but the weapon lock starts flickering and turns off if the mouse isn't on the enemy cockpit), follow pilot, activate weapon lock, wait 5 seconds, target acquired, press fire button, nothing happens, wait 10 seconds, weapon lock turns off automatically, repeat with new controls. The test heli has air to air, a button for those missiles and I can even switch atgms off but I can't fire the ATAM's(aircraft is a mig going in a circle about 2 km away, ATAM's are rated for all sector and 5-8km range).

[The_Illuminati_Confirmed]

get rid of your custom keybinds for starters regarding weapons. Bind MMB to 'lock radar target and if your mouse has extra buttons one of the thumb buttons to 'fire air to air missile'.

For Fox-1 SARH:
Place crosshair on target, press MMB a green box should appear, wait for box to close on the target then press LALT + X this engages the seeker. Wait for grey circle to turn red and tone to sound then fire the missile.

For Fox-2 IRH:
Hit LALT + X and place target within the innermost grey circle until it turns red, wait for tone then fire.

[The Doctor]

I have MMB tied to my radar lock but to fire the missiles I have mouse button 5 paired, if you are just using IR missiles you can press the fire missile button and it will go through the process of acquiring a lock, and then once achieved you press the same button and fire the missile.

[FizzyElf]

So I remapped the controls again though this time to match what you all use (setting to default just sets all weapons to unbound aside from machine guns and normal bombs, it was the same with heli's tanks, most of my controls started off with no key binds) and I figured out why it wasn't working for planes, Red Tops need to lock on twice and you need to be tailing them from under 3km, when I was doing my original test I would lock on, try to fire, fail and then spend some time getting closer and trying again but you need to stay between 1.5km and 3km and just lock on twice and the missiles fire perfectly, I guess red tops would be good for bombers or something else slow that you can tail for 30 or so seconds. (and I found out the bullpups on the sea vixen have 50 meter proximity triggers which will instant kill migs which is pretty cool)

Are there any ATAM rockets that fire/lock on quicker?

Heli's still don't work even at 1km from the target, the lock on rings don't turn gray or red, they just stay green and I tried with both of the Mi 24p's ATAM's.