Michael
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posted on 9-3-2004 at 02:24 AM
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Military: Guide to Advanced Medium/Long Range Air to Air Missiles
History of Missiles
German Wire Guided X-4
Image from http://www.luft46.com
Air planes were first used for reconnaissance of enemy positions. At the beginning, pilots could only throw fists at each other while one another met,
but that changed on June 25th 1914 when three English planes forced a German plane to land and then burned it. Later on knives, bricks, rocks and much
other would be used to down the enemy airplane. Air combat really started when the Germans mounted machine guns on their fokkers and from then on
everyone started to invest in better ways to destroy the enemy airplane.
AIM-4A/GAR-1 Air to Air Missile
Image from www.designation-systems.net
During World War Two the Germans invented the first Air to Air missile, the wire guided X-4, which had a range of 3.5km, but it did not reach service
due to the constant bombing of German factories. The first operational Air to Air missile was Hughes' AIM-4 Falcon missile of the United States.
The missile did not have much change on Air to Air combat. Although the range between the two aircraft increased because of the AIM-4 it still was
inside visual range.
AIM-7 Sparrow
Image from www.fas.org
The first beyond visual range (BVR) missile was the AIM-7 Sparrow. It had a range of almost 45km. The Sparrow was far from perfect, it had a low
accuracy, needed a long configuration time, and couldn't survive harsh environments, but nonetheless it was able to achieve a better combat
record than the short range AIM-9 Sidewinder and changed the way of air combat will be conducted in the future. The new generation of Air to Air
missile will have ranges of over 70km and pilots will be able to attack targets from very long distances using radar locking and the winner of that
engagement will be determined before the pilots see each other. Air combat has finally reached the Beyond Visual Range and "fire and forget" era.
United States AIM-120 AMRAAM
AIM-120 AMRAAM
Image from www.fas.org
The AIM-120 is the next generation medium range air to air missile(AMRAAM) created by a cooperation between Hughes Aircraft and Raytheon. It's a
follow on of the AIM-7 Sparrow Series, with much improved capability. The AIM-120 weighs 157kg and uses an advanced solid-fuel rocket motor to achieve
a speed of Mach 4 and a range in excess of 50km. It is air launched, and capable of aerial intercept, guided missile employing active radar target
tracking, proportional navigation guidance, and active Radio Frequency (RF) target detection. It employs active, semi-active, and inertial
navigational methods of guidance to provide an autonomous launch and leave capability against single and multiple targets in all environments.
The AMRAAM first saw combat action over Iraq during Desert Strom where F-15Cs carried the missile but none was fired. The first kill took place in
December 1992 when an F-16 pilot shot down an Iraqi Mig-25 over southern Iraq. Over 15,000 AIM-120 have been in production at around $386,000 each and
will be exported to more than 20 countries and regions.
Russia R-77 Adder
R-77 Adder
Image from www.gchjs.com
The R-77 Adder is Russia's fourth generation medium range air to air similar in performance to the AIM-120 but with a much longer range of over
100km. Development have started in 1982 and gained operational status in 1994. The R-77 has rectangular narrow span wings and a distinctive set of
four rectangular control surfaces at the rear. The missile's guidance is inertial with mid-course updates from the launch aircraft, followed by a
terminal active radar phase from an acquisition range of about 20 kilometers. This missile wieghts at 175kg and is capable of MACH 4 and is said to be
very maneuverable. The R-77 will be carried on most Russian aircrafts including Su-33, Mig-31, Yak-141.
France MICA
Mica
Image from www.fas.org
The Mica is France's newest air to air missile designed to replace the Magic 2 and Super 530D missiles. Development started in 1981 along with
production in 1993 aand operational status in 1997. It can be installed on many advanced jet fighters including the Mirage, and Gripen. Variants
include active radar and infra-red homing, providing a unique ability to select target-engagement options for both short and medium-range intercepts.
The Mica weighing around 100kg is capable of Mach 4, a range of 60km, and 50G turns with a warhead of 12kg HE blast fragmentation. The Mica missile is
a well known example in French ingenuity in missile technology.
China PL-12/SD-10
PL-12/SD-10 Image
http://www.stormpages.com/jetfight/
Little information is released on this missile. From the sources I've gathered that, In the Zhuhai Airshow of 2002, China revealed its SD-10
active radar-homing missile which is possibly the PL-12. It will be carried by the J-10 and FC-1 fighters and should be in active service by 2005. The
missile has a similar look to the AIM-120 AMRAAM although it uses similar technology as the R-77 Adder. Specifications might be around 108kg able to
pull around 40Gs and has a range of around 70km. I will update this once more information is published.
Europe BVRAAM
 
Raytheon FRAAM (Left) Mantra BAe Meteor (Right)
Images from fas.org
The BVRAAM is a competition between two giants in aerospace technology. The first is the Meteor from Matra BAe Dynamics, which will be fitted with a
solid propellant variable flow ducted ramjet. Its competitor is the FMRAAM from Raytheon and a lower cost version called the EMRAAM which gives 80%
the performance at only 50% the cost. The BVRAAM is intended to be the principle air-to-air weapon system for Eurofighter. The combination of
Eurofighter and the BVRAAM will ensure the RAF enhanced capabilities in any future conflict.
India Astra
In 1999, India enters the BVR missile age with its own Astra missile. It would become one of the first developing nations to develop such state-of-art
missile. India's Defence Research and Development Organisation is developing this advanced missile for the Mirage 2000, MIG-29, Sea Harrier,
Su-30, and the Light Combat Aircraft. The missile is around 3.8 metres long and will feature an active seek radar with a mid course inertial guidance
system and electronic counter measure capabilities. The missile will be capable of 40Gs and have a range of 100km once completed. This missile will
give the India Air Force an edge against its neighbour Pakistan who are without a Beyond Visual Range missile.
Taiwan Skysword-II/Tien Chien-II
The recently developed Tien-Chien II, an air-to-air missile with midcourse inertial navigation and terminal guidance, possesses multi-target
engagement and ECCM capabilities. The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology Second Institute is engaged in follow-up research and development
projects, including preparatory research and development of the Sky Sword II-A weapon system, concerning which no details have been made public, as
well as development of naval and ground launch applications of Sky Sword missiles.
Israel Derby
The Derby also known as Alto, this Israeli active radar-guided air-to-air missile (AAM) is a collaborative effort between Rafael, the state's
armament development agency, and Israel Aircraft Industries MBT. Officially acknowledged in 1998, the project has been underway for at least a decade.
This missile's design shares considerable commonality with Python 4, though adding mid-body wings. This medium-range weapon, with a maximum
effective engagement envelope of about 50 km, may have already entered service with the Israeli Air Force. Israel is marketing a variant of the
missile for export, with offers to the Philippines and India, while South Korea and China also be potential customers.
References
http://www.fas.org
Weapons Guide Magazine (Chinese)
Copyright Michael 2004-2005
If you copy this article guess where those missile that I mentioned are going. 
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Raptor
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posted on 9-8-2004 at 03:01 PM
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Lovely article, Michael.
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Michael
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posted on 9-8-2004 at 09:34 PM
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Thank you, sir.
And I'm not quite done yet. Still got EU, Isreal, China, India, Taiwan to go. 
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Michael
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posted on 11-10-2004 at 03:51 AM
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This Article is Officially Finished.
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Electronic Aviation » Forums » Articles » Military: Guide to Advanced Medium/Long Range Air to Air Missiles
