Air to Air Missile is the king of air war (BVR)!
The idea of using warplanes in air warfare started around 1910 but the invention of air-to-air missiles completely changed it. The first successful use of which can be seen around 1958. Originally the Second Sino-Taiwan War revolutionized the concept of air warfare with the use of air-to-air missiles for the first time.
The American-made short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile first entered service in 1956. The news of which neither the Soviet Union nor China knew until 1958. In fact, this short-range air-to-air missile with a speed of 2.5 Mach is the predecessor of all air-to-air missiles currently in service. Using which Taiwan destroyed about 30 or more Chinese warplanes in the air in just a few weeks.
However, the AIM-120 series of missiles has emerged as the most tested and effective air-to-air missile in the world. And the most advanced and effective Beyond Visual Range (BVR) AIM-120D3 series of Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missiles (AMRAAM-D) manufactured by American Raytheon Company.
The AIM-120D3 series Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM-D) was first test-fired on June 30, 2022. At that time, a long-range F-15 Styke Eagle fighter of the US Air Force successfully destroyed an aerial target within its 160 km range experimentally.
In fact, the maximum range of the 4.0 Mach AIM-120D series (AMRAAM-D) missile is 160 km. Which since 1997, the 4th largest military and defense equipment manufacturing giant corporation Raytheon (Raytheon) manufacturing in the United States. This missile is the lifeblood of the United States' first-line fighter jets such as the F-22, F-15, F-35, F-16 and F-18 Super Hornet fighters.
While no statistical information is available on the cost per unit of the US's Battle Proof series of air-to-air missiles, the high-tech AIM-120D3 series of Advanced Air-to-Air Missiles (BVR) is believed to have a cost per unit of approximately $3 million. However, America has exported the largest number of long-range AIM-120C-7/8 series air-to-air missiles around the world.
However, although America has advanced a lot in the design and engineering of beyond visual range (BVR) missiles in the world, currently France's Metor, Russia's R-77 and China's PL-15 have started shaking the world in the competition to develop beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missiles. And this time, Turkey's Gokdugan and Iran's Sedzil air-to-air (BVR) missiles have joined the competition.
According to several internet sources, the range of R-77 air-to-air missile made by Russia is 110 km, the range of PL-15 of China is 200+ km and the maximum range of Meteor Advanced Air-to-Air (BVR) missile made by France is 200 km. Moreover, Turkey's Gokdugan missile has a range of 100 km and Iran's Sedzil missile has an estimated range of about 90 km.
