Future BVR fights in practice

We all know about the advertised ranges of amraam, r-77, mica, etc. But we also know the rocket engine burns for only so long (on first version of sidewinder, for example, it burned for just 2.2 seconds) before the missile starts decelerating while flying straight to the target. If target changes course, missile has to adjust its course too, turning, losing even more speed. Eventually, there comes a point where the missile will just not be able to do its job.

Now, the question is – where is that point? Of course, it depends. How long does the engine burn? What is the sustained speed while it burns? What speed does A/C have while launching it? What amount of total drag does the missile produce – how fast is it losing speed? How agile is the target?

Also, what altitude is the missile flying at? Ddrag at 1000 feet is several times biggr than when fyling at 50000 feet.

All that makes me rather sure that in real world practical situations advertised range can safely be assumed to be twice of realistic, useful range. That is given that target AC is agile enough to get away and that it detects the launch, making the missile manouver more and waste more energy. At low altitudes, useful range would drop even more.

I will even venture out and give some numbers. Feel free to attack me for these. 😀 amraam max range 80 km. Assuming missile is detected at launch – range against a fighter target in normal conditions – both planes subsonic, at 30 000 feet – would/could be around 45 km. At very low altitudes that range may be less than 30 km.

Same principle would apply to other missiles, of course. including WVR ones, with their range at low atitudes hovering around 10 km. It seems to me that especially wasteful thing for a missile with no more fuel is to turn up and try to gain altitude to catch a fighter afterburning its way upwards (given that is has more thrust than it weighs)