[trevorishere]

Of course this is a hypothetical now that we've seen how "well kept" Russian equipment is, but the R-37M will technically reach out and touch American aircraft long before the AMRAAM is in range.

Gotta wait for the AIM-260.

[jabl]

Well, the R-37M is an absolute monster missile at 600kg, even bigger than the AIM-54 Phoenix at around 450kg. For comparison the AMRAAM is about 150kg. So even if, hypothetically, Russia could sort out their issues with actually producing their ostensibly high tech designs, I find it hard to imagine this would be a mass produced missile comparable to AMRAAM. More like a special missile to take out high value targets like AWACS planes.

Continuing wikipedia spelunking, AIM-120D has a range of >160km (and has apparently already entered service), AIM-260 200km, and R-37M 300-400km. However, as everyone who has played flight sims (or seen youtube videos of them) knows, the actual usable range is much lower than the quoted max ranges. And given stealth technology, one wonders whether the actual capability of the missile is more related to the radars, both of the launching platform and the radar in the missile seeker, than to how long burning rocket motors it has.

[trevorishere]

100% agreed on all points. Evading the Phoenix on its terminal guidance near max range should be a viable strategy for avoiding it due to the bleed of kinetic energy. Though like the HARM (which an F-16 Wild Weasel pilot _hated_ due to the huge plume of smoke it creates; listen to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EI2rYxMPHM), it should be launched at high altitude for the best probability of a kill at long range.

[hef19898]

Worth noting the Phoenix was discontinued with the Tomcat. And the Tomcat was the only fighterbto ever use it, with the explicit goal of killing beyond visual range and make dogfights obsolete. Didn't really work out back then neither.

[NovemberWhiskey]

The AIM-54 Phoenix, and indeed the F-14 Tomcat, come from a background of needing a carrier-based aircraft that would be able to intercept the expected threat - massed Soviet bombers with cruise missiles - at maximum possible range.

Since that threat never occurred, it is difficult to say whether it worked out. The discontinuation of the platform has more to say about the change in the threat than it does in the merit of BVR missiles.