Air-to-air Missiles | Mechanics and Technologies Behind the Ultimate Weapon in the Sky

in the 1920s scientists discovered that the resistance of lead sulfide varied under different levels of infrared thermal radiation this phenomenon was called photoconductivity in 1946 American engineer William McLean utilized this characteristic to create a missile using infrared guidance which was named The Sidewinder missile due to its resemblance to the rattlesnake early infrared guidance systems were relatively simple they involved placing a rectangular convex lens at the front of the missile with its Center aligned along the missile's axis the sensor at the back of the convex lens was coated with a layer of lead sulfide after the missile was launched the convex lens would rotate like a propeller while the infrared radiation emitted by the Target would refract onto the sensor through the lens the farther the target deviated from the missile's axis the greater the displacement of the refracted infrared radiation the closer the radiation landed to the edge of the sensor the shorter the time of infr red refraction due to the higher linear velocity at the lens Edge conversely when the target was closer to the missile's axis the longer the time of infrared refraction based on the duration of infrared refraction on the lens the off-axis angle of the target could be determined this information was then used to control the missile's flight posture through electrical signals in order to track the target however this renowned missile initially faced criticism on the battlefield in the 19 60s The Sidewinder missile saw extensive use in the Vietnam War and became a prominent player in aerial combat but its performance fell short of expectations on December 14th 1967 major fiser a member of the 111th carrier-based Fighter Squadron received a mission to provide escort for the A4 Skyhawk attack aircraft as the formation entered the designated airspace two MiG 17 Fighters suddenly appeared Fischer immediately engaged the Mig fighters in combat and seized the opportunity to launch two a im90 Sidewinder missiles unfortunately both missiles failed to hit their targets due to malfunctioning proximity fuses left with no other option Fisher relied on maneuverability and continued to engage the Mig fighters in a dog fight after several minutes of intense combat Fischer was eventually reinforced by several friendly aircraft and together they launched a Counterattack with a barrage of Sidewinder missiles however all of the missiles proximity f failed and some missiles even went astray losing track of their targets the two Mig Fighters took advantage of the situation and disengaged from the battlefield as for the Sidewinder missile itself during Operation Rolling Thunder some believed its hit accuracy was around 18% while this percentage may seem low it is important to consider the context of aerial combat at that time so why did this situation occur one reason is that the early versions of the Sidewinder missile were not primarily designed to Target enemy fighter aircraft but rather enemy bombers fighter aircraft when faced with missile launches would perform more intense evasive maneuvers surpassing the tracking capabilities of early versions of the missile whether they used radar or infrared guidance systems with a trailing tail flame that cuts through the sky the enemy is left with nowhere to hide as the era dominated by artillery in the sky comes to an end air-to-air missiles have become the most powerful weapons under the Wings completely changing the rules of aerial combat close-range missiles exhibit extraordinary maneuverability performing an aerial Walts while long range missiles hit their targets with Precision from hundreds of steps away now how did these missiles come to dominate the sky and what unique skills do they possess military technology takes you into the realm of air to aair missiles The Cutting Edge of aerial combat hello ladies and gentlemen welcome welcome to military technology I am your host blue how aerial combat has always been regarded as a dance on the edge of a knife where stunning fighter jet showcased their unique skills in the vast expanse of the Blue Sky some say that the era of propeller driven aircraft and gunfights was the romantic era of aerial combat however after entering the jet age various missiles tearing through the sky had become the stars on the stage so what are the secrets Behind These air to wear missiles that can strike enemies from miles away today we will explore and uncover the truth on September 24th 1958 a fierce aerial battle took place in the sky above wjo Bay in China between the people's Liberation Army and the retreating Army of the Quang on Taiwan during this aerial battle Wang zong a pilot of the people's Air Force was surrounded by 12 enemy aircraft in a 5-minute intense fight he shot down two enemy planes before being hit by a missile carried by an enemy f86 sacrificing himself heroically at the age of only 31 the missile that hit martyr Wang zong was the a im9 b Sidewinder missile after the war a missile fragment in four unexploded missile bodies were found near the battlefield these missiles fired by f86 fighter jets marked the beginning of a new era in aerial combat it is generally believed that the first missile capable of engaging in air-to-air combat in human history was developed based on the HS 293 a bomb used by the Germans at that time to Target American bomber formations it can be considered a guided bomb in fact it adopted a common feature of the first generation missiles which is Visual and radio command guidance there was a tracer tube at the tail of the missile and the pilot controlled the missile's flight trajectory remotely using a cross-shaped handle based on the position of the Tracer tube based on the modified HS 293 missile the first air to missile designed in human history was created which is what we later refer to as the X4 the X4 adopted the same guidance method as the HS 293 it had a range of over 3,000 M which the Germans later believed could reach around 4,000 M of course as we mentioned earlier its accuracy was not particularly high so it relied on a 20 kg Warhead with tremendous destructive power its blast radius was approximately 180 m which could have an impact on dense bomber formations in the air the rattlesnake is a venomous snake that inhabits the deserts of North and South America it can detect nearby warm-blooded animals using infrared sensors the a im9 missile was named Sidewinder borrowing this characteristic from the rattlesnake the second reason can be attributed to the American Pilots themselves they were not particularly familiar with how to effectively use missiles for attacks during that time US military Pilots had to consider both ground threats such as Sam 2 missiles as well as the agile maneuvers of enemy aircraft in the air including MiG 17 and Mig 19 Fighters and even the influence of friendly aircraft like the F4 Phantom 2 when launching missiles Pilots often didn't take into account factors such as launch position distance from the Target and the presence of other aircraft all of which are crucial considerations for missile launches as a result during the early stages of the Vietnam War it was reported that the a im90 Sidewinder missile had a hit rate of only slightly over 50% out of the more than 600 missiles fired throughout the conflict this hit rate includes instances where friendly fire was involved meaning cases where the missiles hit and brought down friendly aircraft when excluding these incidents the hit rate dropped to less than 60% after the trials of the Vietnam War it became clear that improvements were necessary for the a im90 Sidewinder missile The Limited recognition capabilities of its lead sulfide sensor hindered its ability to accurately identify targets the sensor could only detect the high temperature of the enemy aircraft and was not able to precisely identify the complex distribution of infrared radiation especially in high temperature environments like deserts it was not until the introduction of the aim 9l model that significant improvements were made the aim 9l replaced the lead's sulfide sensing element with a lwh haze infrared radiation sensing element which greatly enhanced the missiles resistance to interference additionally new electronic components and identification computers were Incorporated resulting in a 50% overall Improvement in Target acquisition capabilities compared to previous models during the fand's War British Harrier aircraft fired a total of 27 aim 9l missiles with 24 of them hitting their targets and resulting in the destruction of 19 Argentinian aircraft in the 1982 Baka Valley Air Battle between Syria and Israel the Israeli Air Force launched 55 aim 9l missiles successfully Downing 51 Mig fighters in the Gulf War the US military's aim 9l missiles shot down 12 Iraqi Mig Fighters since the initial success of the Sidewinder missile in 1958 short-range air-to-air missiles have dominated the skies fundamentally changing the Dynamics of aerial combat which had traditionally relied on gunfights since World War II the Soviet Union on the other side of the ocean couldn't allow the United States to gain an overwhelming advantage and started its own development of air-to-air missiles the Soviet Union's journey in air-to-air missile development can be traced back to an unexploded Sidewinder missile that fell within Chinese airspace after the 1972 sinos Soviet border conflict the Soviet Air Force realized that the US possessed a new type of weapon in aerial combat and quickly initiated its own research and development using the unexploded Sidewinder missile as a reference they reverse engineered it and developed the R30 the Soviet Union's first generation air-to-air missile which was formally adopted as the standardized weapon for their advanced mig21 fighter however due to the late start the Soviet Union soon found that the R30 was inadequate to meet operational requirements this led them to embark on the development of the second generation short-range air-to-air missile known as the r60 the r60 retained many of the external characteristics of The Sidewinder missile but underwent improvements in Ukraine these enhancements allowed the missile to achieve launch off axis angles of up to plus or minus 44° in track targets at a rate of 30° per second maneuverability was a key factor in the development of air toar missiles during the Vietnam war compared to the heavier 88.5 kg a im90 Sidewinder missile the r60 missile weighed only 43.5 kg making it the lightest air toar missile in the world at that time however while the r60 was Compact and lightweight it lacked sufficient lethality as fourth generation Fighters like the su27 and s30 with Beyond visual range attack capabilities entered service the r60 missile had to evolve into the new r73 missile to ensure maneuverability the r73 Incorporated a complex set of nearfield coupling Edge veins and pressure Wing aerodynamic layout based on the aerodynamic shape of the r60 the vortices generated when air flows over the edge veins in increase the efficiency of the Canard surfaces furthermore the are 73 missile utilized Vector thrust nozzles at the tail to achieve vector control and thrust vectoring the combination of edge veins Canard surfaces and thrust vectoring allowed the r 73 missile to perform maneuvers of up to 60g and engage targets maneuvering at up to 12g when we talk about maneuverability it encompasses both speed and angular velocity to put it simply if you say your target is turning in the air at a constant angle of about 5° and you want to effectively Engage The Target what would you need to do in a similar manner you would need to turn at an angle approximately 45° greater than the target's angle so that you can intercept it from above and you both converge at that position if your speed is four times greater than your target speed then while your target is turning at 5° you only need to turn at 11° to collide with it traditional control surfaces without the use of thrust vector ing technology are generally considered to have a maximum limit of 60g per second they cannot go any higher therefore when you want to achieve a result where you strike the target after it is fired you must have an absolute advantage over the target if you lack maneuverability advantages the enemy's maneuverability will surely surpass yours and then you will not be able to intercept them with the broadcast of the program there has been a lively discussion among military enthusiasts about air-to-air missiles let's take a look a user asked a question stating that although short-range missiles have changed the battlefield to some extent their limited range still necessitates close-range combat so what are the characteristics of long- range missiles compared to short-range air toar missiles that's a valid point the widespread use of short-range air toar missiles has elevated aerial combat from relying on machine guns to engaging targets at a certain distance with faster speeds and greater lethality missiles are undoubtedly more advanced than relying on the quantity and density of machine gun fire however the range of short-range air toar missiles still cannot meet the requirements of modern warfare with the development of radar detecting enemies from hundreds of miles away is no longer a difficult task this calls for longrange air-to-air missiles capable of engaging targets from such distances how do we Define airto AAR missiles in the western perspective missile with a range of up to 66 km 41 Mi or within a 16 km 10 Mi range are referred to a short range or within visual range air to a missiles so what about Beyond visual range air combat Beyond visual range refers to missiles with a range exceeding 16 km but within a range of 100 km missiles with a range Beyond 100 km are classified as long range missiles when we combine medium-range air toare missiles and long range air toar missiles we refer to them as Beyond visual range missiles air toar missiles have a maximum range exceeding 16 kilm the advantage of Beyond visual range air combat is that even before I can visually detect you the confrontation between us relies on radar capabilities if my radar performance or stealth capabilities are significantly superior to yours making it difficult for you to detect me I may have the opportunity to launch an attack on you without being detected in such situations you may not necessarily take evasive maneuvers however in within visual range air combat where I can visually see you and you can see me the intensity of maneuvering on my part will be much greater in such scenarios the probability of a missile hitting its Target is influenced by various factors if I am a fifth generation stealth aircraft equipped with Advanced onboard electronic systems and capable of acquiring Target information through information Warfare while you are a third generation or fourth generation aircraft I have a significant advantage over you especially if you are unable to see me even if I am unable to successfully engage you from a distance I can still pursue you closely and prevent you from escaping in 1949 after the United States successfully detonated an atomic bomb the Soviet Union broke the US Monopoly on nuclear weapons at that time the large-sized atomic bombs could only be delivered by bombers through close-range bombing to prevent a situation where nuclear bombs could be dropped on their own heads the US Air Force began developing a missile to intercept enemy bombers at a certain distance this was the initial version of the Falcon missile the early Falcon missile used semi-active radar guidance but was limited by the size and performance of radar technology at that time the range of the first generation Falcon missile was only 8 km and it could only carry a mini Warhead weighing 3.4 kg its actual destructive power did not meet operational requirements despite this in order to counter the threat around 4,000 first generation Falcon missiles were produced the missile was continuously improved during production resulting in the development of 11 different variants within the Falcon family the range was increased from 8 km to 185 km however the length of the missile reached nearly 4 M making it impossible to be carried by any fighter aircraft at that time nevertheless this revolutionary technology was not abandoned in the 1970s the US Navy realized the need to establish a long range air defense perimeter for the fleet they urgently needed a longrange air to- aair missile to equip the upcoming F-14 Tomcat fighter and thus the famous a54 Phoenix missile was born the most significant feature of the Phoenix missile was its large size and weight with a length of 4.1 M it weighed 450 kg this massive size allowed for a maximum range of 200 km however even the powerful F14 could only carry six of these air combat behemoths once the missile I launched reaches the designated Target area its own Seeker head searches for Targets in that area it compares the target information with the pre-loaded data for confirmation when everything aligns I follow its lead however once the missile is guided your launch platform becomes vulnerable regardless of its previous stealth capabilities therefore immediate evasive maneuvers are necessary after launch at this point if you must use radar or any other means to illuminate the target it's crucial to maintain a moderate level of excitement if the illumination is too intense you might lose track of the target therefore after the launch the aircraft's combat capabilities especially in complex environments are significantly enhanced additionally the safety factor of the launch platform at self is improved contributing to an overall enhancement of Battlefield Effectiveness with a standard range of 100 km in a maximum range of 200 km the missile truly achieves the ability to strike the enemy from hundreds of miles away it wasn't until then that the US military aircraft possessed a complete Beyond visual range combat capability in the air battle over the South Union in 1999 known as The Duel of Aces the mig29 touted as a formidable adversary was struck by an Amron missile before the close-range dog fight even began on the other side of the ocean the Soviet Union also developed its own Beyond visual range air to- AAR missile and the r77 can be considered a peculiar existence among medium- range air toar missiles while air to- a missiles worldwide are advancing towards longer ranges and greater Precision the r77 missile with its 100 kilm range deviates from the technological Norm in terms of maneuverability unlike the triangular movable control surfaces of the AMOM the r77 uses elongated fixed surfaces however with the addition of lattice Tail Fins the elongated configuration increases the surface area exposed to air flow providing stronger vortices for the lattice Tail Fins when it comes to deflection angles the lattice Tail Fins have a significantly larger Force bearing area compared to planer Tail Fins resulting in a synergistic effect where 1 plus one is greater than two in terms of maneuverability in fact the faster the missile's flight speed the greater its maneuverability this design history exhibits an almost obsessive pursuit of excitement the r77 missile is capable of withstanding overloads of 35 to 40G and can effectively engage targets maneuvering at 12g its launch off axis angle can reach up to 90° and in certain situations even up to 180° in close-range dog fights it is on par with the advanced AI M9 Sidewinder missile compared to the era of bullets flying everywhere during World War II the combat methods of modern air toar missiles may not seem as glamorous and thrilling however whether it's the close-range dog fights pushed to the Limit by short- range air-to-air missiles or the precise long range engagements of Beyond visual range air-to-air missiles as air-to-air missiles become more widespread they bid farewell to the era of machine gun duels and fiery passion various types of air toar missiles with trailing Flames cutting through the sky are destined to be the protagonists of future aerial Warfare thank you dear audience for your continued support of the defense military channels military technology segment we'll see you at the same time next week Naval artillery a longstanding weapon category has always been an indispensable Fong on warships but what has it gone through from its Inception to the present from broadside cannons to massive Naval guns and now to automated Naval artillery this ancient weapon is sprinting along the path of modernization military technology invites us to explore the fascinating story of Naval artillery which has undergone a dual transformation in form and purpose becoming the sharpest Fong of the steel Behemoth the history of Naval artillery dates back centuries and it has played a crucial role in Naval Warfare initially broadside cannons were the primary Armament on warships positioned along the sides and capable of firing broadsides devastating the enemy with a barrage of projectile Iles these cannons were manually operated requiring a large crew to load aim and fire the guns however as technology advanced Naval artillery underwent significant changes the transition from broadside cannons to massive Naval guns marked a significant milestone in the evolution of Naval Weaponry these massive guns were mounted on battleships and cruisers capable of firing large caliber shells over long distances with devastating impact the shear size and power of these guns made them formidable weapons capable of engaging enemy ships and Coastal targets with deadly Precision in recent years the trend has shifted towards automated Naval artillery systems with advancements in technology modern Naval vessels are equipped with sophisticated computerized systems that handle the operation of the artillery these automated systems incorporate sensors targeting systems and Advanced Fire Control algorithms to ensure accurate and Rapid engagement of targets the cruise role has evolved from manually operating the guns to monitoring and overseeing the automated systems allowing for more efficient and effective Naval operations the modernization of Naval artillery is driven by various factors including the need for increased Firepower improved accuracy and reduced human resource requirements the integration of Advanced Technologies such as radar sonar and electronic warfare systems has further enhanced the capabilities of Naval artillery these advancements enable Naval vessels to engage targets at longer ranges detect and track multiple threats simultaneously and engage in complex combat scenarios with greater Effectiveness the transformation of Naval artillery exemplifies The Continuous pursuit of innovation and technological advancements in the defense industry it represents the symbiotic relationship between engineering science and Military strategy as each advancement in technology drives the evolution of Naval Warfare tactics and capabilities as we delve into the modernization of Naval artillery we witness a captivating story of adaptation and progress the journey from the traditional broadside cannons to the formidable automated Naval artillery showcases the Relentless pursuit of enhancing Naval Combat capabilities this transformation ensures that Naval vessels remain at the Forefront of Maritime security equipped with the sharpest fangs to defend and deter potential threats on the high seas you can't put all your eggs in one basket as the Falcon missile embarked on its Journey towards larger and longer range capabilities the US Navy also began the development of a compact yet capable Beyond visual range air-to-air missile called The am7 Sparrow missile the sparrow missile developed in 1947 and deployed in 1956 employed semi-active radar Guidance just like the Falcon with the purpose of engaging in Beyond visual range combat however an interesting fact is that the early versions of the sparrow missile did not have an identification friend or fo iff system installed this meant that although it had a range of 8 km the missile had to visually acquire the target before it could be launched a contradictory rule of Engagement the US Navy recognized the contradiction of conducting Beyond visual range combat when the target was already within visual range as a result a series of upgrades were urgently carried out on the sparrow missile the am70 variant equipped with a Doppler pulse radar and a more advanced rocket engine provided the sparrow missile with the capability to engage targets Beyond 25 km truly enabling Beyond visual range engagements with the programs broadcast online discussions about the am 7M equipment began to flourish let's take a closer look one internet user raised a question why did the am7 M achieve an impressive success rate of 30 hits out of 44 shots during the Gulf War ultimately leading to the retirement of the sparrow missile to answer this question we consulted experts who explained that the semi-active radar guidance system lacked the capability to Fire and forget meaning that the pilot had to remain on the battlefield for a longer period of time in a missile saturated environment like the Gulf War this significantly increased the risk for the pilot thus there was an urgent need for a more advanced Beyond visual range missile to replace the sparrow in the 1970s the United States initiated the development of medium-range air toar missiles in order to find success to both the sparrow and the Falcon the requirements were to ensure a longer range and the ability to fit into the narrow weapon Baye of Next Generation stealth aircraft most importantly the missiles had to utilize Active Radar Guidance with a fire and forget capability after a decade of development the am120 amram missile took to the skies in terms of appearance the amram missile did not have any distinctive features and its simple aerodynamic control surfaces limited its maneuverability compared to The Sidewinder missile however its slender body was well suited for long- range cruising the amram missile employed a composite guidance mode combining inertial guidance and terminal Active Radar guidance during launch and cruising stages the missile could adjust its trajectory through continuous wave and data link updates it could even accept guidance information from other fighter aircraft and Airborne early warning aircraft but it relied on its radar for active guidance fully achieving the fire and forget capability the term fire and forget means that after launch the missile does not require continuous guidance in order to understand what fire and forget means we first need to understand what fire and guide means it refers to the process of continuously tracking and Illuminating the target with radar or laser ensuring that the target remains within the tracking frame so that the missile can accurately engage it during this process we cannot afford to make excessive movements as we might lose track of the Target and thus lose it therefore fire and forget or fire and forget means that some missiles can be locked onto the target after launch and operate autonomously without continuous guidance

2023-11-12 05:30

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