Meteor

Meteor was developed by six nations and entered service in 2016. It is close to the AIM-120 in size and weight but propelled differently: a throttleable solid-fuel ramjet provides thrust throughout the flight, where a rocket motor burns out in seconds and coasts the rest of the way.

That difference does not show up in the "maximum range" figure — a number both sides quote under ideal conditions — but in the no-escape zone, the distance within which a target cannot evade by manoeuvre. A missile still under power at the endgame has energy left for corrections; a coasting missile is already bleeding speed.

It is why Meteor is widely credited with shifting the beyond-visual-range balance, and why the United States started the AIM-260 programme — about which little is public, but whose existence indicates clearly enough where the pressure came from.

The side inlets are the ramjet's physical signature and the most direct way to tell Meteor from any rocket-powered rival. They cost drag and radar signature, and because a ramjet needs forward speed to start, a solid booster stage is still required to bring it up to operating velocity.

Throttling is the other key. The motor can vary fuel flow according to remaining distance and target manoeuvre — letting the missile bank energy for the endgame, rather than releasing it all within seconds of launch as a rocket does.

The cost is complexity and price. Meteor is markedly more expensive than an AIM-120, which is why it has not replaced it as the default load but is carried for high-value targets.