air-to-air missile
2
5.3
- noun
- /ɛr tə ɛr ˈmɪsəl/
- Specialized
:
misil aire-aire
- The military reported that several air-to-air missiles were successfully tested last week.
- Sidewinder air-to-air missile
- AMRAAM air-to-air missile
- radar-guided air-to-air missiles
Examples
-
As a result of the Asian financial crisis, a number of intended procurements have been shelved indefinitely, including the purchase of F-18 fighter aircraft, submarines, and air-to-air missiles.
Academic text (2001) -
An air-to-air missile detaches from under the Eagle.
Fiction book (1997) -
With just a thumb and a big red button, off goes one AIM-120C air-to-air missile, "to take out an enemy fighter from 23 miles away."
Blog text (7) -
They had in production cruise missiles, air-to-air missiles, and anti-tank guided missiles.
Blog text (30) -
We had to wait until they were airborne and engage them with air-to-air missiles (which seldom worked) instead of just blowing them up on the runway.
Blog text (11) -
Modernization in the Air Force was to continue with procurement of F-16 fighter aircraft, C-130 transport aircraft, and additional buys of the AMRAAM air-to-air missile system.
Academic text (1993) -
The fighter jet was equipped with advanced air-to-air missiles for combat missions.
-
During the training exercise, the pilots practiced launching air-to-air missiles at simulated targets.
Synonyms
3
9.9
A small missile that follows heat from a plane to hit it
Surface Forms
Morphology
air-to-air + missile
The compound is fully compositional: 'air-to-air' specifies the domain/target (from aircraft to aircraft) and 'missile' denotes a projectile weapon, so a learner who knows 'air' and 'missile' can infer a weapon used from one aircraft against another. Although hyphenated and somewhat technical, the X-to-Y directional pattern is literal and cross-linguistically transparent, so no idiomatic knowledge is required.
Etymology
Air-to-air missile names a missile sent from one aircraft to hit another while in the sky. The parts air, 'to', and air give the picture of a weapon moving from one plane to another, so it means 'a missile fired by one plane at another plane in flight'.