The United States contends that the Soviet K-13 was a copycat of the widely used American AIM-9B. It has undergone extensive upgrades, and its most up-to-date variants are standard issues for many air forces affiliated with the West. The US Navy adopted the short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder (Air Intercept Missile) in 1956, and the US Air Force followed suit in 1964. The basic version of the AIM-120 entered service in the early 1990s. The fighter attacked a BQ-167 target drone with an AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM).ĭue to operational secrecy, the scope was not disclosed in its entirety. Some examples of modern fighter aircraft that have yet to be destroyed by AAM in battle include the F-22 Raptor, Rafale, Tornado ADV, Saab Gripen, Eurofighter Typhoon, J-10, MiG-31, Su-30, Su-33, Su-35, the JF-17, and the LCA.Īn F-15C Eagle fighter from the United States Air Force claimed to have fired the longest air-to-air “kill” shot in history during an aerial test in April 2021. Over 270 aircraft have been destroyed by AIM-9s over its long existence, making it one of the oldest, least expensive, and most successful AAM missiles. In January 1981, an Iranian F-14 piloted by Asadullah Adeli fired a Phoenix missile against a close formation of three MiG-23s, destroying all three with a single missile, setting a record. There have been 135 fatalities in F-14 Tomcats due to AAM (130 of them in the Iraq-Iran war), 102 in F-15s, and 76 in F-16s. The F-4 Phantom was reportedly the aircraft with the most casualties to airborne missiles, with 306, which included 151 in Vietnam, 86 in the Arab-Israeli wars, and 68 in the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88).Įighty-five aircraft were shot down by MiG-21s using AAM in Vietnam, eighty-two in the Arab-Israeli conflicts, thirty-two in the Iran-Iraq war, and six in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war. Two US Navy F-4 Phantom pilots shot down two North Vietnamese MiG-17s with anti-aircraft missiles (AAMs) on June 17, 1965, marking the first verified American air-to-air kills in the Vietnam War. Since then, both the agility and range of AAMs have increased. In 1957, the Soviets introduced the K-5 missile. In 1956, American aircraft began to be armed with the AIM-4 Falcon, AIM-7 Sparrow, and AIM-9 Sidewinder, marking the introduction of the first AAMs. IR flares can fool infrared missiles, chaff, and electronic countermeasures to a radar-guided missile. Most missiles have conventional, fragmentation, or continuous-bar explosive warheads that detonate on impact or by proximity fuzing. F-22 RaptorĪnti-radiation passively guided missiles could be used against AEW&C aircraft. They sometimes mix active or semi-active radar guidance with inertial guidance. Beyond Visible Range (BVR) AAMs comprise medium- and long-range missiles. Along with their superior maneuverability, this provides them with omnidirectional capability.įor an off-sight launch, the pilot can also employ a helmet-mounted sight (HMS) to orient the missile seeker’s head toward the target. Modern infrared-guided missiles can detect the heat of an aircraft’s skin, which is generated by airflow friction, in addition to the fainter heat signature of the engine when the aircraft is viewed from the side or front. Within the range of visible “dogfight” weapons, Close Combat Missiles (CCMs) have shorter ranges, less than 10 miles, and are designed for agility rather than range. Ramjet engines, such as those found in Meteor missiles, are gaining popularity because they can sustain a greater average velocity across their entire battle envelope. Typically, AAMs are propelled by rocket engines that utilize solid fuel. In 1999 and more recently, the Pakistan Air Force Atlantique was shot down by an IAF MiG-21 in reaction to the Balakot attack. Moreover, they were deployed extensively in the Arab-Israeli and Iran-Iraq conflicts. Although some dogfights have taken place in the early days of the war in Ukraine, the use of missiles is unclear.ĪAMs began their operational career in the Vietnam War. The same jet-missile combination destroyed the Chinese balloon on February 4. The last time an air-to-air missile (AAM) was used was on February 10, when a US Northern Command F-22 Raptor fighter used an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile to shoot down a car-sized object hovering over Alaska. Air-to-air missiles have entirely changed the dynamics of air battles
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