The Air Force of the Armed Forces needs Meteor air-to-air missiles: why the allies do not give these weapons, analysts

In their material, they write that the Western partners have only a narrow range of candidates - these are the latest versions of the American AIM-120 AMRAAM (variants D-3 / C-8) and the European Meteor, and the Meteor has the largest range and damage parameters. The MBDA Meteor is a long-range air-to-air guided missile equipped with an active radar homing warhead. But as for the declared characteristics in terms of range, this is conditional, experts note.

The fact is that these indicators strongly depend on the launch height, speed and maneuverability of the target. However, Meteor is officially declared by the manufacturer as a missile with an effective range of more than 200 km. But there is an important indicator for air combat - the No-Escape Zone (NEZ) is a working zone within which the target will no longer be able to escape from the missile. According to this parameter, Meteor gives the greatest guarantee of defeat among Western missiles.

As for carriers, Meteor fully reveals its capabilities only on modern platforms with appropriate integration: the latest versions of Eurofighter, Rafale (F3R) and modern Gripen (E/F). But the integration of Meteor on other types, for example, on the F-16AM or the outdated Mirage-2000, is technically difficult and requires a lot of engineering work and certification. Analysts explained why the supply of missiles needed by Ukraine is delayed.

The Air Force does not yet have regular Meteor carriers — it is expected that the older Gripen C/Ds, which could potentially carry the Meteor, will be received in 2026. But one carrier is not enough, since the effective use of long-range missiles also requires an accurate and stable targeting channel, a role that is performed by anti-aircraft defense aircraft.

In this context, the transfer of the Saab 340 AEW&C, announced as early as spring 2024, remains critically important, because without anti-aircraft defense and automated targeting, even long-range missiles significantly lose their combat value. Earlier, Defense Express commentators discussed the need to strengthen the Ukrainian Air Force with heavy fighters that could carry more weapons on board.