12/3/2023 0 Comments Aim 260 vs meteorindustry, China is introducing missiles that might one day meet U.S. While Europe’s missile may represent a competitive threat to U.S. The Meteor is described as having an operational range greater than 100 kilometers, and a 60-km no-escape zone. (The no-escape zone is the space in front of a launch aircraft within which the target aircraft can be engaged no matter what evasive maneuver it tries.) At medium ranges, a traditional solid-propellant missile is already coasting, making it easier for its target to outmaneuver or outrun it. The Meteor is thought to have fuel to operate for at least 60 seconds and a faster average speed.Īll other things being equal, this gives the ramjet sustainer missile a far greater “no-escape zone” than a traditional solid-propellant missile. While the former has a higher top speed - it can briefly surpass Mach 4 - its solid propellant burns out faster that a ramjet’s, even with a boost-sustain motor configuration. This is because the AIM-120 is powered by a solid rocket, while the Meteor uses a ramjet sustainer engine. The European missile has greater range, and more importantly, remains powered during the final stage of a medium- to long-range engagement. Two years ago, Raytheon’s product was replaced as the West’s premier radar-guided air-to-air missile by the extended-range version of MBDA’s Meteor. Related: US Air Force to Shift Billions of Dollars to Network Its Weapons Related: Air Force to Begin Shifting Research Funds to These Kinds of Next-Gen Weapons Related: US Air Force Is Redrawing Its Pacific-War Playbook for China The replacement - Lockheed Martin’s AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile - has quietly been the service’s top development priority in the air-to-air sphere.īut while the AIM-260 undoubtedly offers marked improvements over its predecessor, including in overall range, there are questions about whether the new missile actually offers a longer useful range than the AIM-120 - or compared to other countries’ late-generation weapons. In 2022, Air Force officials plan to introduce a replacement for Raytheon’s AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, which for nearly three decades represented the West’s benchmark for active-radar-guided missile performance. This makes the USAF’s apparent approach to its next generation of beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles all the more intriguing. industry is often first to market with advanced systems. The service is also disinclined to allow its near-allies to field capabilities it does not also have access to. military, and its Air Force in particular, invests in and places considerable store by superior technology to prevail against peer rivals.
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