Missile with or without radar?

[loscsaba86]

Dear Community,

Some air-to-air missiles can be used with or without radar. For example, an infrared missile. What is the difference between the 2 uses?
Is the one better than the other?

Best regards,
Csaba

[razo+r]

Here's the best answer you will get: It depends. There is no "One is always better", it entirely depends on the situation.

There are some situation where a radar guided missile is better, some situation where an IR guided missile is better, and sometimes there are situations where a radar Lock paired with an IR missile can be okay.

If the target is far away, you might be able to fire a radar guided missile before you can fire an IR missile. The opposite may be true if he is close.

If a target is hiding behind a cloud or flying into the sun, a radar guided missile is better suited than an IR missile.

If you want to be stealthy, an IR missile will be better suited than a radar guided missile.