Europe’s Meteor Missiles Pack The Tech (And Power) To Back Up The Name
When it comes to missiles in modern combat situations, the air-to-air missile you usually hear about is the AIM-120 AMRAAM or its shorter-range companion, the AIM-120 AMRAAM. 70-year-old AIM-9 Sidewinder still in front-line service. The AIM-120 was developed during the Cold War and entered service in the 1990s. It is the most popular choice among the US armed forces. But across the pond, in Europe, there is a different missile that could surpass AMRAAM in a very specific and significant way. This missile is simply called Meteor.
Europe’s MBDA Inc. This missile, developed by the company, appeared a little later than AMRAAM for a very specific reason. Both the missiles fall under the category of BVRAAM or Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missiles. As the name suggests, both can only be fired at targets detected by radar, and both have sensors that can detonate the missile on impact or while near a target. However, Meteor was developed specifically to address a significant limitation that the AMRAAM missile had. This is called NEZ or No Escape Zone.
The no-escape zone is a rough perimeter around the missile; Once the missile is locked on here, it is difficult, if not impossible, for enemy aircraft to escape. The exact NEZ depends on target conditions, evasive maneuvers, etc. varies depending on location, but MBDA claims Meteor’s NEZ is roughly three times the size of the AMRAAM missile for one key reason: its propulsion system.
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What matters is how to get there.
Luftwaffe Eurofighter Typhoon EF2000 (98+37), Taurus KEPD 350 Air-to-Ground Long Range Missile, Meteor missile, IRIS-T missile at the Berlin air show (ILA) 2004. – Flying Camera/Shutterstock
There are two factors to consider when it comes to missile range. Although the exact numbers remain highly secret, both missiles are believed to have similar range, which is a good thing. But a missile’s range is meaningful only if the enemy aircraft does nothing to avoid collision (e.g., does not take evasive maneuvers). so shoot “longest known” AIM-120 AMRAAM shot nice but not very informative. NEZ is a better statistic for measuring the effectiveness of a missile.
The AMRAAM missile has a solid rocket booster that essentially expends all of its fuel in the initial explosion to gain speed and altitude as it moves towards the target. From here, he can make maneuvers to follow the target, but cannot maintain his speed while doing so. This makes the missile less effective at tracking a target at closer range; hence NEZ is smaller.
The Meteor missile uses the solid-fuel ramjet propulsion method, which maintains thrust during flight. This allows the missile to be more maneuverable and better able to track its target even at closer range. Therefore the missile has a larger NEZ. If the missile not only tracks and maneuvers the target, but also maintains thrust, it becomes much more difficult to get away from it. It is compatible with Meteor, Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Gripen and F-35 warplanes. It’s also worth noting that the Meteor missile has yet to be killed in combat to date, so definitely stay tuned for that.
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