air-to-air missiles (AAMs) by country > CommonSense

air-to-air missiles (AAMs) by country, focusing on notable designs and capabilities:

United States
AIM-9 Sidewinder

Type: Short-range, infrared-guided missile
Notable Features: Heat-seeking, highly reliable, and widely used worldwide.
Variants: AIM-9X includes thrust-vectoring and improved countermeasure resistance.
AIM-120 AMRAAM

Type: Medium to long-range, radar-guided missile
Notable Features: Active radar homing, multi-target capability.
Widely used in NATO and allied air forces.
AIM-54 Phoenix (Retired)

Type: Long-range, radar-guided missile
Used exclusively by the F-14 Tomcat for fleet defense.
Russia
R-73 (AA-11 Archer)

Type: Short-range, infrared-guided missile
Notable Features: High off-boresight targeting capability, helmet-mounted sight compatibility.
R-77 (AA-12 Adder)

Type: Medium-range, active radar-guided missile
Comparable to the AIM-120 AMRAAM.
R-37M (AA-13 Axehead)

Type: Long-range, radar-guided missile
Notable Features: Designed for intercepting high-value airborne targets.
China
PL-10

Type: Short-range, infrared-guided missile
Notable Features: High off-boresight capability and advanced seeker technology.
PL-15

Type: Long-range, active radar-guided missile
Notable Features: Advanced radar and datalink for extended range.
PL-21

Type: Ultra-long-range missile (under development)
Aimed at targeting high-value assets like AWACS and tankers.
European Union
IRIS-T (Developed by Germany)

Type: Short-range, infrared-guided missile
Notable Features: Advanced countermeasure resistance, extreme agility.
Meteor (Developed by MBDA)

Type: Long-range, active radar-guided missile
Notable Features: Ramjet propulsion for sustained speed and range, beyond-visual-range (BVR) capabilities.
India
Astra

Type: Medium-range, active radar-guided missile
Notable Features: Indigenous development with multi-platform compatibility.
Astra Mk-II (Under Development)

Aims to enhance range and seeker capabilities.
Israel
Python-5

Type: Short-range, infrared-guided missile
Notable Features: High off-boresight capability, advanced electro-optical imaging seeker.
Derby

Type: Medium-range, radar-guided missile
Often integrated with Israeli and foreign platforms.
France
MICA
Type: Dual-role missile (infrared and radar-guided variants)
Notable Features: Multi-mission capability for both short and medium ranges.
United Kingdom
ASRAAM
Type: Short-range, infrared-guided missile
Notable Features: High-speed performance and advanced seeker.
Each missile system reflects its nation’s technological priorities, including range, agility, guidance systems, and countermeasure resistance.