Aerial Dogfighting Is Dead

How recent clashes in Kashmir and Ukraine prove that fact

(By US Air Force — Source, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2782935)

The spate of recent conflicts gripping the globe has reshaped the way that experts and laypeople view modern warfare. From the rise of drones on the battlefield to the decreased effectiveness of tanks, warfare is rapidly changing to conform to a 21st century world. One thing that has been completely gutted is the art of dogfighting.

Dogfighting, aerial conflict between groups of fighter planes, has been a staple of warfare since World War I. Most people imagine dogfighting as a fast and gallant close quarters fight where the skill of two rival pilots face off and often results in one plane going down in a gout of flame. But that is no longer the case.

The popular idea of dogfighting, fueled by World War II accounts and movies like Top Gun, envisions two jets going at it at incredibly short range. But thanks to new technology, aerial fighting now takes place at distances of dozens or even hundreds of miles. Planes are still firing off rockets and missiles, but they are doing it far beyond visual range. In fact, beyond visual range (BVR) is the new paradigm in air warfare.

Thanks to advancements in missile and radar technology, combatants can now fire missiles from “over the horizon” and lock onto targets at vast distances…