Air-to-Air Missiles

An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft. AAMs are typically powered by one or more rocket motors, usually solid fuelled but sometimesliquid fuelled. Ramjet engines, as used on the MBDA Meteor(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” 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 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".

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).
 * First Generation: Early short-range missiles such as the early Sidewinders and Vympel K-13 (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). 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 (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.[5] 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 (typically gimballed thrust).
 * 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 provide the following benefits: 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 UAVs.

List of Air-To-Air Missiles

 * AIM-4 Falcon I
 * AIM-7 Sparrow
 * AIM-9 Sidewinder
 * AIM-26 Falcon II
 * AIM-54 Phoenix
 * AIM-95 Agile
 * AIM-97 Seekbat
 * AIM-120 A.M.R.A.A.M.
 * AIM-132 A.S.R.A.A.M.
 * AIM-152 A.A.A.M.