The French Air Force has carried out the first operational sortie of a Rafale fighter with Meteor missiles. The combination of this weapon and the AESA radar used by the F3-R variant is a great step forward in capabilities, and one of the reasons for which Greece acquired the type.
Meteor's main advantage against other BVR missiles like R-77 and AIM-120C is its ramjet, which sustains speed for a longer period. This leads to more kinetic energy, making evasion more difficult.
According to the manufacturer, the No Escape Zone (NEZ) is 3 times higher than that of the AIM-120. Since its appearance the Meteor has become a reference in the market, and has been integrated in several fighters (EF-2000, Gripen and Korean KF-X) - India tried to integrate it into its Flankers and Tejas fleet but did not receive authorization-.
References:
- https://twitter.com/Armee_de_lair
Appendix 1: MBDA Meteor characteristics
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