Air-to-air missile - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile

Missile

Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...

fired from an aircraft

Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...

for the purpose of destroying another aircraft. AAMs are typically powered by one or more rocket motors, usually solid fuelled but sometimes liquid fuelled. Ramjet

Ramjet

A ramjet, sometimes referred to as a stovepipe jet, or an athodyd, is a form of airbreathing jet engine using the engine's forward motion to compress incoming air, without a rotary compressor. Ramjets cannot produce thrust at zero airspeed and thus cannot move an aircraft from a standstill...

engines, as used on the MBDA Meteor

MBDA Meteor

Meteor is an active radar guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile being developed by MBDA. It is to equip the Eurofighter Typhoons of the UK's Royal Air Force , Germany's Luftwaffe, Spain's Ejército del Aire and Italy's Aeronautica Militare Italiana, the British and Italian F-35s , the...

(currently in development), are emerging as propulsion that will enable future medium-range missiles to maintain higher average speed across their engagement envelope.

Air-to-air missiles are broadly put in two groups. The first consists of missiles designed to engage opposing aircraft at ranges of less than approximately 20 miles (32 km), these are known as short-range or “within visual range” missiles (SRAAMs or WVRAAMs) and are sometimes called “dogfight

Dogfight

A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane...

” missiles because they emphasize agility rather than range. These usually use infrared guidance, and are hence also called heat-seeking missiles. The second group consists of medium- or long-range missiles (MRAAMs or LRAAMs), which both fall under the category of beyond visual range

Beyond Visual Range missile

A beyond-visual-range missile usually refers to an air-to-air missile that is capable of engaging at ranges beyond . This range has been achieved using dual pulse rocket motors or booster rocket motor and ramjet sustainer motor....

missiles (BVRAAMs). BVR missiles tend to rely upon some sort of radar guidance, of which there are many forms, modern ones also using inertial guidance and/or "mid-course updates".

History

The air-to-air missile grew out of the unguided air-to-air rocket

Air-to-air rocket

An air-to-air rocket or air interception rocket is an unguided projectile fired from aircraft to engage other flying targets. They were used briefly in World War I to engage enemy observation balloons and in and after World War II to engage enemy bombers...

s used during the First World War. Le Prieur rocket

Le Prieur rocket

Le Prieur rockets were a type of incendiary air-to-air rockets used in World War I against observation balloons and airships. They were invented by the French Lieutenant Yves Le Prieur and were first used in the Battle of Verdun on 1916...

s were sometimes attached to the struts of biplanes and fired electrically, usually against observation balloons, by such early pilots as Albert Ball

Albert Ball

Albert Ball VC, DSO & Two Bars, MC was an English fighter pilot of the First World War and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British or Commonwealth armed forces...

and A. M. Walters. Facing the Allied air superiority in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

invested considerable effort into missile research, using the R4M

R4M rocket

The R4M rocket, nicknamed the Hurricane due to its distinctive smoke trail when fired, was an anti-aircraft rocket. It was developed by the German Luftwaffe during World War II.-Development:...

unguided rocket first and later the first guided rockets like the Ruhrstahl X-4

Ruhrstahl X-4

The Ruhrstahl X-4 was a wire guided air-to-air missile designed by Germany during World War II. The X-4 did not see operational service and thus was not proven in combat...

.

Post-war research led the Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

to introduce Fairey Fireflash

Fairey Fireflash

Fireflash was the first British air-to-air guided missile. Constructed by Fairey Aircraft, the missile utilised radar beam-riding guidance. Generally unsuccessful, it served only in small numbers.-Development:...

into service in 1955 but their results were unsuccessful. The US Navy and US Air Force began equipping guided missiles in 1956, deploying the USAF's AIM-4 Falcon

AIM-4 Falcon

The Hughes AIM-4 Falcon was the first operational guided air-to-air missile of the United States Air Force.-Development:Development of a guided air-to-air missile began in 1946. Hughes Aircraft was awarded a contract for a subsonic missile under the project designation MX-798, which soon gave way...

and the USN's AIM-7 Sparrow

AIM-7 Sparrow

The AIM-7 Sparrow is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps, as well as various allied air forces and navies. Sparrow and its derivatives were the West's principal beyond visual...

and AIM-9 Sidewinder

AIM-9 Sidewinder

The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried mostly by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. The missile entered service with United States Air Force in the early 1950s, and variants and upgrades remain in active service with many air forces...

. The Soviet Air Force

Soviet Air Force

The Soviet Air Force, officially known in Russian as Военно-воздушные силы or Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily and often abbreviated VVS was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces...

introduced its Kaliningrad K-5

Kaliningrad K-5

The Kaliningrad K-5 , also known as RS-1U or product ShM, was an early Soviet air-to-air missile.-History:...

into service in 1957. As missile systems have continued to advance, modern air warfare consists almost entirely of missile firing. The faith in Beyond Visual Range

Beyond Visual Range missile

combat became so pervasive in the US that early F-4

F-4 Phantom II

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...

variants were armed only with missiles in the 1960s. High casualty rates during the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

caused the US to reintroduce autocannon

Autocannon

An autocannon or automatic cannon is a rapid-fire projectile weapon firing a shell as opposed to the bullet fired by a machine gun. Autocannons often have a larger caliber than a machine gun . Usually, autocannons are smaller than a field gun or other artillery, and are mechanically loaded for a...

s and traditional dogfighting tactics but the missile remains the primary weapon in air combat. In the Falklands War

Falklands War

The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...

British Harriers

Harrier Jump Jet

The Harrier, informally referred to as the Jump Jet, is a family of British-designed military jet aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations...

were able to defeat faster Argentinian opponents using AIM-9L missiles provided by the United States as the conflict began http://www.thehistorychannel.co.uk/site/microsites/Falklands/index_microsite.php?microsite=Falklands&target=The_Harrier§ion=626. The latest heat-seeking designs can lock-on

Missile lock-on

Missile lock-on refers to a scenario where the guidance system for a missile can accurately track a target, and a fire-control system can calculate the required flightpath for the missile to hit the target...

to a target from various angles, not just from behind, where the heat signature from the engines is strongest. Other types rely on radar guidance (either on-board or "painted" by the launching aircraft).

Warhead

A conventional explosive blast warhead, fragmentation

Fragmentation (weaponry)

Fragmentation is the process by which the casing of an artillery shell, bomb, grenade, etc. is shattered by the detonating high explosive filling. The correct technical terminology for these casing pieces is fragments , although shards or splinters can be used for non-preformed fragments...

warhead, or continuous rod warhead (or a combination of any of those three warhead types) is typically used in the attempt to disable or destroy the target aircraft. Warheads are typically detonated by a proximity fuze

Proximity fuze

A proximity fuze is a fuze that is designed to detonate an explosive device automatically when the distance to target becomes smaller than a predetermined value or when the target passes through a given plane...

or by an impact fuze if it scores a direct hit. Less commonly, nuclear warheads have been mounted on a small number of air-to-air missile types (such as the AIM-26 Falcon

AIM-26 Falcon

The AIM-26 Falcon was a larger, more powerful version of the AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile built by Hughes. It is the only guided U.S. air-to-air weapon with a nuclear warhead, though the unguided AIR-2 Genie was also nuclear-armed.-Development:...

) although these are not known to have ever been used in combat.

Guidance

Guided missiles operate by detecting their target (usually by either radar

Radar

Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...

or infrared

Infrared

Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...

methods, although rarely others such as laser guidance

Laser guidance

Laser guidance is a technique of guiding a missile or other projectile or vehicle to a target by means of a laser beam. Some laser guided systems utilise beam riding guidance, but most operate more similarly to semi-active radar homing . This technique is sometimes called SALH, for Semi-Active...

or optical tracking), and then “homing” in on the target on a collision course.

Note that although the missile may use radar or infra-red guidance to home on the target, this does not necessarily mean that the same means is used by the launching aircraft to detect and track the target before launch. Infra-red guided missiles can be “slaved” to an attack radar in order to find the target and radar-guided missiles can be launched at targets detected visually or via an infra-red search and track

Infra-red search and track

An infra-red search and track system is a method for detecting and tracking objects which give off infra-red radiation such as jet aircraft and helicopters. IRST is a generalized case of Forward Looking Infra-Red , i.e. from Forward-Looking to allround situational awareness...

(IRST) system, although they may require the attack radar to illuminate the target during part or all of the missile interception itself.

Radar guidance

Radar guidance is normally used for medium or long range missiles, where the infra-red signature of the target would be too faint for an infra-red detector to track. There are three major types of radar-guided missile - active, semi-active, and passive.

Radar guided missiles can be countered by rapid maneuvering (which may result in them “breaking lock”, or may cause them to overshoot), deploying chaff

Chaff (radar countermeasure)

Chaff, originally called Window by the British, and Düppel by the Second World War era German Luftwaffe , is a radar countermeasure in which aircraft or other targets spread a cloud of small, thin pieces of aluminium, metallized glass fibre or plastic, which either appears as a cluster of secondary...

or using electronic counter-measures.

Active radar homing

Active radar (AR)-guided missiles carry their own radar system to detect and track their target. However, the size of the radar antenna is limited by the small diameter of missiles, limiting its range which typically means such missiles are launched at a predicted future location of the target, often relying on separate guidance systems such as Global Positioning System

Global Positioning System

The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...

, inertial guidance, or a mid-course update from either the launching aircraft or other system that can communicate with the missile to get the missile close to the target. At a predetermined point (frequently based on time since launch or arrival near the predicted target location) the missile's radar system is activated (the missile is said to "go active") and the missile then homes in on the target.

If the range from the attacking aircraft to the target is within the range of the missile's radar system the missile can "go active" immediately upon launch.

The great advantage of an Active Radar Homing system is that it enables a "Fire-and-forget

Fire-and-forget

Fire-and-forget is a third-generation method of missile guidance. The military uses the term for a type of missile which does not require further guidance after launch such as illumination of the target or wire guidance , and can hit its target without the launcher being in line-of-sight of the...

" mode of attack, where the attacking aircraft is free to pursue other targets or escape the area after launching the missile.

Semi-active radar homing

Semi-active radar homing (SARH) guided missiles are simpler and more common. They function by detecting radar energy reflected from the target. The radar energy is emitted from the launching aircraft's own radar system.

However, this means that the launch aircraft has to maintain a “lock” on the target (keep illuminating the target aircraft with its own radar) until the missile makes the interception. This limits the attacking aircraft's ability to maneuver, which may be necessary should threats to the attacking aircraft appear.

An advantage of SARH guided missiles is that they are homing on the reflected radar signal so accuracy actually increases as the missile gets closer because the reflection comes from a "point source": the target. Against this, if there are multiple targets, each will be reflecting the same radar signal and the missile may become confused as to which target is its intended victim. The missile may well be unable to pick a specific target and fly through a formation without passing within lethal range of any specific aircraft. Newer missiles have logic circuits in their guidance systems to help prevent this problem.

At the same time, jamming the missile lock-on

Missile lock-on

is easier because the launching aircraft is further from the target than the missile, so the radar signal has to travel further and is greatly attenuated over the distance. This means that the missile may be jammed or "spoofed" by countermeasures whose signals grow stronger as the missile gets closer. One counter to this is a "home on jam" capability in the missile that allows it to home in on the jamming signal.

Beam riding

An early form of radar guidance was “beam-riding” (BR). In this method the attacking aircraft directed a narrow beam of radar energy at the target. The air-to-air missile was launched into the beam where sensors on the aft of the missile controlled the missile, keeping it within the beam. So long as the beam was kept on the target aircraft, the missile would ride the beam until making the interception.

While simple in concept, the difficulty of simultaneously keeping the beam solidly on the target (which couldn't be relied upon to cooperate by flying straight and level), continuing to fly one's own aircraft, all the while keeping an eye out for enemy countermeasures, can be readily appreciated.

An added complication was that the beam will spread out into a cone shape as the distance from the attacking aircraft increases. This will result in less accuracy for the missile because the beam may actually be larger than the target aircraft when the missile arrives. The missile could be securely within the beam but still not be close enough to destroy the target.

Infrared guidance

Infrared guided (IR) missiles home on the heat produced by an aircraft. Early infra-red detectors had poor sensitivity, so could only track the hot exhaust pipes of an aircraft. This meant an attacking aircraft had to maneuver to a position behind its target before it could fire an infra-red guided missile. This also limited the range of the missile as the infra-red signature soon become too small to detect with increasing distance and after launch the missile was playing “catch-up” with its target. Early infrared seekers were unusable in clouds or rain (which is still a limitation to some degree) and could be distracted by the sun, a reflection of the sun off of a cloud or ground object, or any other "hot" object within its view.

More modern infra-red guided missiles can detect the heat of an aircraft's skin, warmed by the friction of airflow, in addition to the fainter heat signature of the engine when the aircraft is seen from the side or head-on. This, combined with greater maneuverability, gives them an “all-aspect

All-aspect

An all-aspect missile is one which is able to track a target no matter which way the target faces relative to the missile. In other words, an all-aspect missile can be launched against a target in a tail-chase engagement, in a head-on engagement, in a side-on engagement, from above, from below,...

” capability, and an attacking aircraft no longer had to be behind its target to fire. Although launching from behind the target increases the probability of a hit, the launching aircraft usually has to be closer to the target in such a tail-chase engagement

Tail-chase engagement

A tail-chase engagement is one where a surface-to-air missile system or jet aircraft engages another aircraft while the target aircraft is flying away from the attacker...

.

An aircraft can defend against infra-red missiles by dropping flares

Flare (countermeasure)

A flare is an aerial infrared countermeasure to counter an infrared homing surface-to-air missile or air-to-air missile. Flares are commonly composed of a pyrotechnic composition based on magnesium or another hot-burning metal, with burning temperature equal to or hotter than engine exhaust...

that are hotter than the aircraft, so the missile homes in on the brighter, hotter target. In turn, IR missiles may employ filters to enable it to ignore targets whose temperature is not within a specified range.

Towed decoys which closely mimic engine heat and infra-red jammers can also be used. Some large aircraft and many combat helicopters make use of so called "hot brick" infra-red jammers, typically mounted near the engines. Current research is developing laser devices which can spoof or destroy the guidance systems of infra-red guided missiles. See Infrared countermeasure.

However, the latest missiles such as the ASRAAM use an “imaging” infra-red seeker which “sees” the target (much like a digital video camera), and can distinguish between an aircraft and a point heat source such as a flare. They also feature a very wide detection angle, so the attacking aircraft does not have to be pointing straight at the target for the missile to lock on. The pilot can use a helmet mounted sight (HMS) and target another aircraft by looking at it, and then firing. This is called “off-boresight” launch. For example, the Russian Su-27 is equipped with an infra-red search and track (IRST) system with laser rangefinder for its HMS-aimed missiles.

In order to maneuver sufficiently from a poor launch angle at short ranges to hit its target, missiles are now employing gas-dynamic

Gas-dynamic

A gas-dynamic control system is one where the path of an object in flight is controlled by either the generation or redirection of gas flow out of an orifice rather than with the traditional movable control surfaces...

flight control methods such as vectored thrust, which allow the missile to start turning “off the rail”, before its motor has accelerated it up to high enough speeds for its small aerodynamic surfaces to be useful.

Electro-optical

A recent advancement in missile guidance is electro-optical imaging. The Israeli Python-5 has an electro-optical seeker that scans designated area for targets via optical imaging. Once a target is acquired, the missile will lock-on to it for the kill. Electro-optical seekers can be programmed to target vital area of an aircraft, such as the cockpit. Since it does not depend on the target aircraft's heat signature, it can be used against low-heat targets such as UAVs and cruise missiles.

However clouds can get in the way of electro-optical sensors.

Passive Anti-radiation

Evolving missile guidance designs are converting the anti-radiation missile (ARM) design, pioneered during Vietnam and used to home in against emitting surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites, to an air intercept weapon. Current air-to-air passive anti-radiation missile development is thought to be a countermeasure to airborne early warning and control (AEW&C - also known as AEW or AWACS) aircraft which typically mount powerful search radars.

Due to their dependence on target aircraft radar emissions, when used against fighter aircraft passive anti-radiation missiles are primarily limited to forward-aspect intercept geometry. For examples, see Vympel R-27, Brazo

Brazo

The Brazo missile was an American project, intended to produce an anti-radiation missile for air-to-air use. Developed by Hughes Aircraft and based on the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile, the Brazo underwent a series of successful test firings; hoever, the program was terminated at the end of its...

, and AIM-97 Seekbat

AIM-97 Seekbat

The AIM-97 Seekbat is a missile developed by the United States of America.-Overview:In the early to mid 1970s the United States was highly concerned by the perceived capabilities of the MiG-25 Foxbat, an aircraft which was known to be capable of speeds in excess of Mach 3 and which carried long...

.

Another aspect of passive anti-radiation homing is the "home on jam" mode which, when installed, allows a radar-guided missile to home in on the jammer of the target aircraft if the primary seeker is jammed by the electronic countermeasures

Electronic countermeasures

An electronic countermeasure is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar or other detection systems, like infrared or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting information to an enemy...

of the target aircraft

Design

Air-to-air missiles are typically long, thin cylinders in order to reduce their cross section and thus minimize drag at the high speeds at which they travel.

At the front is the seeker, either a radar system, radar homer, or infra-red detector. Behind that lies the avionics which control the missile. Typically after that, in the centre of the missile, is the warhead, usually several kilograms of high explosive surrounded by metal that fragments on detonation (or in some cases, pre-fragmented metal).

The rear part of the missile contains the propulsion system, usually a rocket of some type. Dual-thrust

Dual-thrust

In a dual-thrust solid fuel rocket motor, the propellant mass is composed of two different types or densities of fuel. In the case of a tandem dual-thrust motor, the fuel closest to the rocket nozzle burns fast and the fuel further into the motor's body burns slower...

solid-fuel rockets are common, but some longer-range missiles use liquid-fuel motors that can “throttle” to extend their range and preserve fuel for energy-intensive final maneuvering. Some solid-fuelled missiles mimic this technique with a second rocket motor which burns during the terminal homing phase. There are missiles in development, such as the MBDA Meteor, that “breathe” air (using a ramjet

Ramjet

, similar to a jet engine) in order to extend their range.

Modern missiles use “low-smoke” motors — early missiles produced thick smoke trails, which were easily seen by the crew of the target aircraft alerting them to the attack and helping them determine how to evade it.

Missile range

Missiles are often cited with their maximum engagement range, which is very misleading. A missile's effective range is dependent on factors such as altitude, speed, position, and direction of target aircraft. For example the Vympel R-77 has stated range of 100 km. That is only true for a head-on, non-evading target at high altitude. At low altitude, the effective range is reduced by as much as 75%–80% to 20–25 km. If the target is taking evasive action, or in stern-chase position, the effective range is further reduced. See Air-to-Air missile non-comparison table for more information. The effective range of an air-to-air missile is known as the “no-escape zone”, noting the range at which the target can not evade the missile once launched.

Poorly-trained pilots are known to fire their missiles at maximum-range engagement with poor results. In the 1998–2000 Eritrean-Ethiopian War

Eritrean-Ethiopian War

The Eritrean–Ethiopian War took place from May 1998 to June 2000 between Ethiopia and Eritrea, forming one of the conflicts in the Horn of Africa...

, fighters from both sides shot over a dozen medium-range R-27 (AA-10 Alamo) missiles at distance with little effect. But when better-trained Ethiopian Su-27

Sukhoi Su-27

The Sukhoi Su-27 is a twin-engine supermanoeuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large United States fourth generation fighters, with range, heavy armament, sophisticated avionics and high manoeuvrability...

pilots gave chase and attacked with short-range R-73 (AA-11 Archer)

Vympel R-73

The Vympel R-73 developed by Vympel machine-building design bureau, is the most modern Russian short-range air-to-air missile.-Development:...

missiles, the results were often deadly to the Eritrean aircraft. http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_189.shtml

Performance

A number of terms frequently crop up in discussions of air to air missile performance.

Launch success zone

The Launch Success Zone is the range within which there is a high (defined) kill probability against a target that remains unaware of its engagement until the final moment. When alerted visually or by a warning system the target attempts a last ditch manoeuvre sequence.

F-Pole

A closely related term is the A-Pole. This is the slant range between the launch aircraft and target, at the time of interception. The greater the F-Pole, the greater the confidence that the launch aircraft will achieve air superiority with that missile.

No-Escape Zone

The No-Escape Zone is the zone within which there is a high (defined) kill probability against a target even if it has been alerted. This zone is defined as a conical shape with the tip at the missile launch. The cone's length and width are determined by the missile and seeker performance. A missile's speed, range and seeker sensitivity will mostly determine the length of this imaginary cone, while its agility (turn rate) and seeker complexity (speed of detection and ability to detect off axis targets) will determine the width of the cone.

Dogfight

Short-range air-to-air missiles used in “dogfighting” are usually classified into five “generations” according to the historical technological advances. Most of these advances were in infrared seeker technology (later combined with digital signal processing

Digital signal processing

Digital signal processing is concerned with the representation of discrete time signals by a sequence of numbers or symbols and the processing of these signals. Digital signal processing and analog signal processing are subfields of signal processing...

First generation

Early short-range missiles such as the early Sidewinders and Vympel K-13

Vympel K-13

The K-13 is an short-range, infrared homing air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union. It is similar in appearance and function to the American AIM-9 Sidewinder from which it was reverse-engineered...

(AA-2 Atoll) had infrared seekers with a narrow (30 degree) field of view and required the attacker to position himself behind the target (rear aspect engagement

Tail-chase engagement

A tail-chase engagement is one where a surface-to-air missile system or jet aircraft engages another aircraft while the target aircraft is flying away from the attacker...

). This meant that the target aircraft only had to perform a slight turn to move outside the missile seeker's field of view and cause the missile to lose track of the target ("break lock").

Second generation

Second generation missiles utilized more effective seekers that improved the field of view to 45 degrees.

Third generation

This generation introduced “all aspect” missiles, because more sensitive seekers allowed the attacker to fire at a target which was side-on to itself, i.e. from all aspects not just the rear. This meant that while the field-of-view was still restricted to a fairly narrow cone, the attack at least did not have to be behind the target.

Fourth generation

The Vympel R-73

Vympel R-73

The Vympel R-73 developed by Vympel machine-building design bureau, is the most modern Russian short-range air-to-air missile.-Development:...

(AA-11 Archer) entered service in 1985 and marked a new generation of dogfight missile. These missiles employed more advanced seeker technologies such as focal plane arrays that improved resistance to infrared countermeasures (IRCM) such as flares and increased off-bore sight capability to in excess of 60 degrees, i.e. a 120 degree field of view.

To take advantage of the increased field-of-view that now exceeded the capabilities of most aircraft radars also meant that helmet mounted sights gained popularity.
Many newer missiles include what is known as “look-down-shoot-down” capability, as they could be fired onto low flying planes that would formerly be lost in ground clutter.

These missiles are also much more agile, some by employing thrust vectoring

Thrust vectoring

Thrust vectoring, also thrust vector control or TVC, is the ability of an aircraft, rocket or other vehicle to manipulate the direction of the thrust from its engine or motor in order to control the attitude or angular velocity of the vehicle....

(typically gimballed thrust

Gimballed thrust

Gimbaled thrust is the system of thrust vectoring used in most modern rockets, including the Space Shuttle and the Saturn V lunar rockets.In a gimbaled thrust system, the exhaust nozzle of the rocket can be swiveled from side to side. As the nozzle is moved, the direction of the thrust is changed...

Fifth generation

The latest generation of short-range missiles again defined by advances in seeker technologies, this time electro-optical imaging infrared (IIR) seekers that allow the missiles to “see” images rather than single “points” of infrared radiation (heat). The sensors combined with more powerful digital signal processing

Digital signal processing

provide the following benefits:http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/missile_systems/air_missiles/python/Python5.html

greater infrared counter countermeasures (IRCCM) ability, by being able to distinguish aircraft from infrared countermeasures (IRCM) such as flares.
greater sensitivity means greater range and ability to identify smaller low flying targets such as UAV
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...

s.
more detailed target image allows targeting of more vulnerable parts of aircraft instead of just homing in on the brightest infrared source (exhaust).

Examples of fifth generation missiles include:

IRIS-T
IRIS-T
The IRIS-T is a German-led program to develop a short-range air-to-air missile to replace the venerable AIM-9 Sidewinder found in some of the NATO member countries...

— German lead consortium (2005–)
Vympel R-73
Vympel R-73
The Vympel R-73 developed by Vympel machine-building design bureau, is the most modern Russian short-range air-to-air missile.-Development:...

M2 ("AA-11 Archer") — Russia (2000's–)
AIM-132 ASRAAM
AIM-132 ASRAAM
The AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile is an infrared homing air-to-air missile, produced by MBDA. It is currently in service in the Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force , replacing the AIM-9 Sidewinder...

— Britain (1998–)
AIM-9X Sidewinder — USA (2003–)
Python 5 — Israeli
A-Darter
A-Darter (missile)
The A-Darter is a fifth generation short range infrared homing air-to-air missile, under development by South Africa's Denel Dynamics and Brazil's Mectron. It is expected to enter service with the South African Air Force, Brazilian Air Force and be offered for export...

(under development) — South Africa and Brazil
PL-10/PL-ASR — China
AAM-5 — Japan

List of missiles by country

For each missile, short notes are given, including an indication of its range and guidance mechanism.

Brazil

Mectron MAA-1 Piranha
Mectron MAA-1 Piranha
The MAA-1 Piranha 1 is a short-range infrared homing missile and the first air-to-air missile developed by Brazil for its Air Force and Navy. It was designed to replace the AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles in Brazilian service and has since been exported to Colombia and Pakistan.-History:Development of an...

— Short range IR
Mectron MAA-1B
MAA-1B
MAA-1B is a Brazilian air to air missile produced by Mectron. The project is under development, it will be a 4th generation missile.-Development:MAA-1B is in the final stage of development...

Piranha IR guided missile.
A-Darter
A-Darter (missile)
The A-Darter is a fifth generation short range infrared homing air-to-air missile, under development by South Africa's Denel Dynamics and Brazil's Mectron. It is expected to enter service with the South African Air Force, Brazilian Air Force and be offered for export...

— Short range IR (With South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

)

France

Matra R550 Magic
R550 Magic
The R.550 Magic is a short-range missile designed in 1968 by French company Matra to compete with the American AIM-9 Sidewinder. On 11 January 1972, a Gloster Meteor of the centre for in-flight trials fired the R550 Magic and shot down a Nord CT20 target drone .Mass-produced from 1976, the Magic...

— short-range, IR guided
Matra Magic II — IR guided missile.
Matra R530
Matra R530
The Matra R.530 is a French medium to short range air-to-air missile.It was available in IR and SARH as the main armament of the Mirage III which was able to carry a single missile in the centerline, the Mirage F1, which carried 2 under the wings, and the F-8 Crusader in the French Navy...

— medium-range, IR or radar guided
Magic Super 530F/Super 530D
Super 530
The Matra Super 530 is a French short to medium-range air-to-air missile. The Super 530 series is an improved type of the Matra R530 missile.*Super 530F is carried on the Dassault Mirage F1. It was introduced in 1979....

— medium-range, radar-guided
MBDA MICA
MBDA MICA
The MBDA MICA is an anti-air multi-target, all weather, fire-and-forget short and medium-range missile system. It is intended for use both by air platforms as individual missiles as well as ground units and ships, which can be equipped with the rapid fire MICA Vertical Launch System...

— medium-range, IR or radar guided

Germany

Ruhrstahl X-4
Ruhrstahl X-4
The Ruhrstahl X-4 was a wire guided air-to-air missile designed by Germany during World War II. The X-4 did not see operational service and thus was not proven in combat...

— World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

design, first practical anti-aircraft missile, MCLOS
MCLOS
MCLOS is a first-generation method for guiding guided missiles.With an MCLOS missile, the operator must track the missile and the target simultaneously and guide the missile to the target. Typically the missile is steered with a joystick, and its path is observed through a periscope-type...

, never saw service
Henschel Hs 298 — World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

design, MCLOS
MCLOS
MCLOS is a first-generation method for guiding guided missiles.With an MCLOS missile, the operator must track the missile and the target simultaneously and guide the missile to the target. Typically the missile is steered with a joystick, and its path is observed through a periscope-type...

, never saw service
MBDA Meteor
MBDA Meteor
Meteor is an active radar guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile being developed by MBDA. It is to equip the Eurofighter Typhoons of the UK's Royal Air Force , Germany's Luftwaffe, Spain's Ejército del Aire and Italy's Aeronautica Militare Italiana, the British and Italian F-35s , the...
IRIS-T
IRIS-T
The IRIS-T is a German-led program to develop a short-range air-to-air missile to replace the venerable AIM-9 Sidewinder found in some of the NATO member countries...

European

MBDA Meteor
MBDA Meteor
Meteor is an active radar guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile being developed by MBDA. It is to equip the Eurofighter Typhoons of the UK's Royal Air Force , Germany's Luftwaffe, Spain's Ejército del Aire and Italy's Aeronautica Militare Italiana, the British and Italian F-35s , the...

— medium range, active radar homing
Active radar homing
Active radar homing is a missile guidance method in which a guided missile contains a radar transceiver and the electronics necessary for it to find and track its target autonomously...

; design to replace AMRAAM
IRIS-T
IRIS-T
The IRIS-T is a German-led program to develop a short-range air-to-air missile to replace the venerable AIM-9 Sidewinder found in some of the NATO member countries...

— short range infrared homing
Infrared homing
Infrared homing refers to a passive missile guidance system which uses the emission from a target of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared part of the spectrum to track and follow it. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers", since infrared is just below the...

; replacement for AIM-9 Sidewinder
AIM-9 Sidewinder
The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried mostly by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. The missile entered service with United States Air Force in the early 1950s, and variants and upgrades remain in active service with many air forces...

Iran

Fatter — copy of U.S. AIM-9 Sidewinder
AIM-9 Sidewinder
The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried mostly by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. The missile entered service with United States Air Force in the early 1950s, and variants and upgrades remain in active service with many air forces...
Sedjil — copy of U.S. MIM-23 Hawk
MIM-23 Hawk
The Raytheon MIM-23 Hawk is a U.S. medium range surface-to-air missile. The Hawk was initially designed to destroy aircraft and was later adapted to destroy other missiles in flight. The missile entered service in 1960, and a program of extensive upgrades has kept it from becoming obsolete. It was...

converted to be carried by aircraft

Israel

Rafael Shafrir — first Israeli domestic AAM
Rafael Shafrir 2 — improved Shafrir missile
Rafael Python 3 — medium range IR-homing missile with all aspect capability http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/python3.htm
Rafael Python 4 — medium range IR-homing missile with HMS-guidance capability http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/python4.htm
Rafael Python 5 — improved Python 4 with electro-optical imaging seeker http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/missile_systems/air_missiles/python/Python5.html
Rafael Derby — Also known as the Alto, this is a medium-range, BVR active radar-homing missile http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/missile_systems/air_missiles/derby/Derby.html

Italy

Alenia Aspide — Italian manufactured version of the AIM-7 Sparrow
AIM-7 Sparrow
The AIM-7 Sparrow is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps, as well as various allied air forces and navies. Sparrow and its derivatives were the West's principal beyond visual...

, based on the AIM-7E.

Japan

AAM-3
Mitsubishi AAM-3
The Mitsubishi AAM-3 is a short-range air-to-air missile developed in Japan. It has been operated since 1990, and is expected to ultimately replace the US AIM-9 Sidewinder, the missile upon which the AAM-3 is based....

— short-range Type 90 air-to-air missile
AAM-4
Mitsubishi AAM-4
The Mitsubishi AAM-4 is a medium-range active radar-guided air-to-air missile developed in Japan and intended to replace the semi-active radar homing AIM-7 Sparrow missile in service...

— middle-range Type 99 air-to-air missile
AAM-5
Mitsubishi AAM-5
The Mitsubishi AAM-5 is a short-range air-to-air missile developed in Japan. According to a report by Janes.com dated January 31, 2007, the XAAM-5 is a prototype that is undergoing testing and is expected to enter service in 2008.-Specifications:* Length: 2,860 mm* Diameter: 126 mm* Wing...

— short-range Type 04 air-to-air missile

People's Republic of China

PL-1 — PRC version of the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

Kaliningrad K-5
Kaliningrad K-5
The Kaliningrad K-5 , also known as RS-1U or product ShM, was an early Soviet air-to-air missile.-History:...

(AA-1 Alkali), retired.
PL-2
PL-2
PL-2 and its derivatives are members of a series of Chinese air-to-air missiles originated from the former-Soviet Vympel K-13 AAM, with PL short for Pili , meaning thunderbolt...

— PRC version of the Soviet Vympel K-13
Vympel K-13
The K-13 is an short-range, infrared homing air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union. It is similar in appearance and function to the American AIM-9 Sidewinder from which it was reverse-engineered...

(AA-2 Atoll), which was based on AIM-9B Sidewinder. http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/weapon/pl2.asp Retired & replaced by PL-5 in PLAAF service.
PL-3
PL-2
PL-2 and its derivatives are members of a series of Chinese air-to-air missiles originated from the former-Soviet Vympel K-13 AAM, with PL short for Pili , meaning thunderbolt...

— updated version of the PL-2, did not enter service.
PL-5
PL-5
The PL-5 air-to-air missile is a short-range, infra-red guided missile use by Chinese fighters...

— updated version of the PL-2, known versions include: http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/weapon/pl5.asp
- PL-5A — semi-active radar-homing AAM intended to replace the PL-2, did not enter service. Resembles AIM-9G in appearance.
- PL-5B — IR version, entered service in 1990s to replace the PL-2 SRAAM. Limited off-boresight
- PL-5C — Improved version comparable to AIM-9H or AIM-9L in performance
- PL-5E — All-aspect attack version, resembles AIM-9P in appearance.
PL-7
PL-7
The PL-7 air-to-air missile is the PRC version of the French Magic R.550 missile. It is a short-range, infra-red guided missile use by Chinese fighters...

— PRC version of the IR-homing French R550 Magic
R550 Magic
The R.550 Magic is a short-range missile designed in 1968 by French company Matra to compete with the American AIM-9 Sidewinder. On 11 January 1972, a Gloster Meteor of the centre for in-flight trials fired the R550 Magic and shot down a Nord CT20 target drone .Mass-produced from 1976, the Magic...

AAM, did not enter service. http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/weapon/pl7.asp
PL-8 — PRC version of the Israeli Rafael Python 3 http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/weapon/pl8.asp
PL-9 — short range IR guided missile, marketed for export. One known improved version (PL-9C). http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/weapon/pl9.asp
PL-10 — semi-active radar-homing medium-range missile based on the HQ-61 SAM, http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/weapon/pl10.asp often confused with PL-11. Did not enter service.
PL-10/PL-ASR — short range IR guided missile
PL-11
PL-11
PL-11 is a high-level machine-oriented programming language for the PDP-11, developed by R.D. Russell of CERN in 1971. Written in Fortran IV, it is similar to PL360 and is cross-compiled on other machines....

— medium-range air-to-air missile (MRAAM), based on the HQ-61C & Italian Aspide (AIM-7) technology. Limited service with J-8-B/D/H fighters. Known versions include: http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/weapon/pl11.asp
- PL-11 — MRAAM with semi-active radar homing, based on the HQ-61C SAM and Aspide seeker technology, exported as FD-60 http://mil.jschina.com.cn/huitong/missile.htm
- PL-11A — Improved PL-11 with increased range, warhead, and more effective seeker. The new seeker only requires fire-control radar guidance during the terminal stage, providing a basic LOAL (lock-on after launch) capability.
- PL-11B — Also known as PL-11 AMR, improved PL-11 with AMR-1 active radar-homing seeker.
- LY-60 — PL-11 adopted for navy ships for air-defense, sold to Pakistan but does not appear to be in service with the Chinese Navy. http://www.sinodefence.com/navy/navalmissile/ly60.asp
PL-12 (SD-10) — medium-range active radar missile http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/weapon/pl12.asp
TY-90
TY-90
TY-90 is the first air-to-air missile specifically developed for helicopters in dogfights. The missile is developed by China with TY stands for Tian Yan , short for Sky Swallow . Contrary to the erroneous claims, the missile is not developed from MANPAD missiles such as QW-1 Vanguard, but...

— light IR-homing air-to-air missile designed for helicopters http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/weapon/ty90.asp

Russia/Soviet

Kaliningrad K-5
Kaliningrad K-5
The Kaliningrad K-5 , also known as RS-1U or product ShM, was an early Soviet air-to-air missile.-History:...

(NATO reporting name
NATO reporting name
NATO reporting names are classified code names for military equipment of the Eastern Bloc...

AA-1 'Alkali') — beam-riding
Vympel K-13
Vympel K-13
The K-13 is an short-range, infrared homing air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union. It is similar in appearance and function to the American AIM-9 Sidewinder from which it was reverse-engineered...

(NATO reporting name AA-2 'Atoll') — short-range IR or SARH
Kaliningrad K-8
Kaliningrad K-8
The Kaliningrad K-8 was a medium-range air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union for interceptor aircraft use.Developed by OKB-339/NII-339...

(NATO reporting name AA-3 'Anab') — IR or SARH
Raduga K-9
Raduga K-9
The Raduga K-9 was a long-range air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union in the late 1950s. It was designed by MKB Raduga, a division of aircraft maker Mikoyan-Gurevich. The K-9 was also known as the K-155, and would apparently have had the service designation R-38...

(NATO reporting name AA-4 'Awl') — IR or SARH
Bisnovat R-4
Bisnovat R-4
The Bisnovat R-4 was an early Soviet long-range air-to-air missile. It was used primarily as the sole weapon of the Tupolev Tu-128 interceptor, matching its RP-S Smerch radar .-History:Development of the R-4 began in 1959,...

(NATO reporting name AA-5 'Ash') — IR or SARH
Bisnovat R-40
Bisnovat R-40
The Bisnovat R-40 was a long-range air-to-air missile developed in the 1960s by the Soviet Union specifically for the MiG-25 interceptor, but can also be carried by the later MiG-31...

(NATO reporting name AA-6 'Acrid') — long-range IR or SARH
Vympel R-23
Vympel R-23
The Vympel R-23 is a medium-range air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union for fighter aircraft. An updated version with greater range, the R-24, replaced it in service...

(NATO reporting name AA-7 'Apex') — medium-range SARAH or IR
Molniya R-60
Molniya R-60
The Molniya R-60 is a lightweight air-to-air missile designed for use by Soviet fighter aircraft. It has been widely exported, and remains in service with the CIS and many other nations....

(NATO reporting name AA-8 'Aphid') — short-range IR
Vympel R-33
Vympel R-33
The Vympel R-33 is a long-range air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union. It is the primary armament of the MiG-31 interceptor, intended to attack large high-speed targets such as the SR-71 Blackbird, the B-1 Lancer bomber, and the B-52 Stratofortress....

(NATO reporting name AA-9 'Amos') — long range active radar
Vympel R-27 (NATO reporting name AA-10 'Alamo') — medium-range SARH or IR
Vympel R-73
Vympel R-73
The Vympel R-73 developed by Vympel machine-building design bureau, is the most modern Russian short-range air-to-air missile.-Development:...

(NATO reporting name AA-11 'Archer') — short-range IR
Vympel R-77
Vympel R-77
The Russian R-77 Missile is a medium range, air-to-air, active radar-guided missile system. It is the Russian counterpart to the American AIM-120 AMRAAM missile, thus gaining a nickname: Amraamski....

(NATO reporting name AA-12 'Adder') — medium-range active radar
Vympel R-37
Vympel R-37
The Vympel R-37 is a Russian air-to-air missile with an extremely long range. It has also had the names K-37, Izdeliye 610 and R-VD , and the NATO codename 'Andi'.It was designed to shoot down AWACS and other C4ISTAR aircraft whilst keeping the launch platform out of range of any fighters...

(NATO reporting name AA-X-13 'Arrow') — long-range SARH or active radar
Novator KS-172 AAM-L
Novator KS-172 AAM-L
The Novator K-100 is a Russian air-to-air missile designed as an "AWACS killer" at ranges up to 200km. The missile has had various names during its troubled history, including Izdeliye 172 , AAM-L , KS–172, KS-1, 172S-1 and R-172...

— extreme long range, inertial navigation with active radar for terminal homing

South Africa

A-Darter
A-Darter (missile)
The A-Darter is a fifth generation short range infrared homing air-to-air missile, under development by South Africa's Denel Dynamics and Brazil's Mectron. It is expected to enter service with the South African Air Force, Brazilian Air Force and be offered for export...

— Short range IR (With Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

)
V3 Kukri — Short range IR
R-Darter
R-Darter (missile)
The R-Darter is an beyond visual range air-to-air missile guided by an active radar homing seeker. It was designed and manufactured by the South African firm Kentron, now known as Denel Dynamics....

— Beyond visual range (BVR) radar-guided missile

Republic of China (Taiwan)

Sky Sword I
Sky Sword I
The TC-1 Sky Sword I is a short range infrared guided air-to-air missile developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology in Taiwan ROC, for the ROC Air Force. The missile was developed in the mid to late 1980s and is presently deployed on the ROCAF's F-CK IDF fighters...

(TC-1) — air-to-air
Sky Sword II
Sky Sword II
The TC-2 Sky Sword II is a radar guided air-to-air missile developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology in Taiwan Republic of China during the 1990s for the ROC Air Force...

(TC-2) — air-to-air

United Kingdom

Fireflash
Fairey Fireflash
Fireflash was the first British air-to-air guided missile. Constructed by Fairey Aircraft, the missile utilised radar beam-riding guidance. Generally unsuccessful, it served only in small numbers.-Development:...

— short range beam-riding
Firestreak
Fairey Firestreak
The de Havilland Firestreak is a British first-generation, passive infrared homing air-to-air missile. It was developed by de Havilland in the early 1950s and was the first such weapon to enter active service with the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm, equipping the English Electric Lightning, de...

— short range IR
Red Top
Hawker Siddeley Red Top
The Hawker Siddeley Red Top was the third indigenous British air-to-air missile to enter service, following the de Havilland Firestreak and limited-service Fairey Fireflash.-Development:...

— short range IR
Taildog/SRAAM
Hawker Siddeley SRAAM
The Short Range Air-to-Air Missile is an experimental British infrared homing air-to-air missile, developed between 1968 and 1980 by Hawker Siddeley Dynamics. It was designed to be very manoevrable for use at short range in a dogfight situation...

— short range IR
Skyflash
Skyflash
The British Aerospace Skyflash was a medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile derived from the US AIM-7 Sparrow missile and carried by Royal Air Force F-4 Phantoms and Tornado F3s, Italian Aeronautica Militare and Royal Saudi Air Force Tornados and Swedish Flygvapnet Viggens...

— medium-range radar-guided missile based on the AIM-7E2, said to have quick warm-up times of 1 to 2 seconds.
AIM-132 ASRAAM
AIM-132 ASRAAM
The AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile is an infrared homing air-to-air missile, produced by MBDA. It is currently in service in the Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force , replacing the AIM-9 Sidewinder...

— short range IR
MBDA Meteor
MBDA Meteor
Meteor is an active radar guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile being developed by MBDA. It is to equip the Eurofighter Typhoons of the UK's Royal Air Force , Germany's Luftwaffe, Spain's Ejército del Aire and Italy's Aeronautica Militare Italiana, the British and Italian F-35s , the...

— long range radar guided missile due to enter service in 2013.

United States

AIM-4 Falcon
AIM-4 Falcon
The Hughes AIM-4 Falcon was the first operational guided air-to-air missile of the United States Air Force.-Development:Development of a guided air-to-air missile began in 1946. Hughes Aircraft was awarded a contract for a subsonic missile under the project designation MX-798, which soon gave way...

— radar (later IR) guided
AIM-7 Sparrow
AIM-7 Sparrow
The AIM-7 Sparrow is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps, as well as various allied air forces and navies. Sparrow and its derivatives were the West's principal beyond visual...

— medium range semi-active radar
AIM-9 Sidewinder
AIM-9 Sidewinder
The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried mostly by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. The missile entered service with United States Air Force in the early 1950s, and variants and upgrades remain in active service with many air forces...

— short range IR
AIM-54 Phoenix
AIM-54 Phoenix
The AIM-54 Phoenix is a radar-guided, long-range air-to-air missile , carried in clusters of up to six missiles on F-14 Tomcats, its only launch platform. The Phoenix was the United States' only long-range air-to-air missile. The weapons system based on Phoenix was the world's first to allow...

— long range, semi-active and active radar
AIM-120 AMRAAM
AIM-120 AMRAAM
The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM , is a modern beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. Designed with the same form-factor as the previous generation of semi-active guided Sparrow missiles, it is a fire-and-forget...

— medium range, active radar; replaces AIM-7 Sparrow
AIM-7 Sparrow
The AIM-7 Sparrow is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps, as well as various allied air forces and navies. Sparrow and its derivatives were the West's principal beyond visual...

Typical Air-to-Air Missiles

Weight	Rocket Name	Country of origin	Period of manufacture and use	Warhead weight	Warhead types	Range	Speed
86 kg	Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder AIM-9 Sidewinder The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried mostly by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. The missile entered service with United States Air Force in the early 1950s, and variants and upgrades remain in active service with many air forces...		1956-	9.4 kg	Annular blast fragmentation	18 km	Mach 2.5
87.4 kg	Diehl IRIS-T IRIS-T The IRIS-T is a German-led program to develop a short-range air-to-air missile to replace the venerable AIM-9 Sidewinder found in some of the NATO member countries...		2005-	11.4 kg	HE/fragmentation	25 km	Mach 3
88 kg	MBDA AIM-132 ASRAAM AIM-132 ASRAAM The AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile is an infrared homing air-to-air missile, produced by MBDA. It is currently in service in the Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force , replacing the AIM-9 Sidewinder...		2002-	10 kg	Blast/fragmentation	18 km	Mach 3+
89 kg	Matra R550 Magic/Magic 2		1976-1986 (Magic) 1986- (Magic 2)	12.5 kg	Blast/fragmentation	15 km	Mach 2.7
105 kg	Vympel R-73		1982-	7.4 kg	Fragmentation	20–40 km	Mach 2.5
112 kg	MBDA MICA-EM/-IR		1996- (EM) 2000- (IR)	12 kg	Blast/fragmentation (focused splinters HE)	> 60 km	Mach 4
118 kg	Rafael Derby		1990-	23 kg	Blast/fragmentation	50 km	Mach 4
152 kg	Raytheon AIM-120D AMRAAM AIM-120 AMRAAM The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM , is a modern beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. Designed with the same form-factor as the previous generation of semi-active guided Sparrow missiles, it is a fire-and-forget...		2008	18 kg	Blast/fragmentation	72 km	Mach 4
152 kg	Raytheon AIM-120C AMRAAM AIM-120 AMRAAM The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM , is a modern beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. Designed with the same form-factor as the previous generation of semi-active guided Sparrow missiles, it is a fire-and-forget...		1996	18 kg	Blast/fragmentation	48 km	Mach 4
152 kg	Raytheon AIM-120B AMRAAM AIM-120 AMRAAM The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM , is a modern beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. Designed with the same form-factor as the previous generation of semi-active guided Sparrow missiles, it is a fire-and-forget...		1994-	23 kg	Blast/fragmentation	48 km	Mach 4
175 kg	Vympel R-77		1994-	22 kg	Blast/fragmentation	160 km	Mach 4.5
185 kg	MBDA Meteor MBDA Meteor Meteor is an active radar guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile being developed by MBDA. It is to equip the Eurofighter Typhoons of the UK's Royal Air Force , Germany's Luftwaffe, Spain's Ejército del Aire and Italy's Aeronautica Militare Italiana, the British and Italian F-35s , the...		2012-	?	Blast/fragmentation	100+ km	Mach 4+

External links

Air-to-air missile non-comparison table

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

Warhead

Guidance

Radar guidance

Active radar homing

Semi-active radar homing

Beam riding

Infrared guidance

Electro-optical

Passive Anti-radiation

Design

Missile range

Performance

Dogfight

First generation

Second generation

Third generation

Fourth generation

Fifth generation

List of missiles by country

Brazil

France

Germany

European

Iran

Israel

Italy

Japan

People's Republic of China

Russia/Soviet

South Africa

Republic of China (Taiwan)

United Kingdom

United States

Typical Air-to-Air Missiles

See also

External links