An air to air missile has two types to life expectancy.
One is the shelf Life, which is the time the missile spends in storage.
The other is the amount of time the missile flies under the wings of a fighter jet.
An AIM-120C has a shelf life of 10 years.
A captive-carry time of 1500 Hours.
Whichever of the above completes first , calls for a major inspection and overhauling of the missile.
These timings have to be carefully logged as the missile may not work if used after completing any of the two lifespan criteria without overhaul.
R-73 has a very low captive carry lifespan of just 100 hours
The BVR used by JF-17 SD-10 also had a relatively low captive carry lifespan of around 500 Hours.
I don't know if it has been increased in the SD-10A.
Members are requested to compile shelf lives and captive carry hours of various air to air missiles in this thread
One is the shelf Life, which is the time the missile spends in storage.
The other is the amount of time the missile flies under the wings of a fighter jet.
An AIM-120C has a shelf life of 10 years.
A captive-carry time of 1500 Hours.
Whichever of the above completes first , calls for a major inspection and overhauling of the missile.
These timings have to be carefully logged as the missile may not work if used after completing any of the two lifespan criteria without overhaul.
R-73 has a very low captive carry lifespan of just 100 hours
The BVR used by JF-17 SD-10 also had a relatively low captive carry lifespan of around 500 Hours.
I don't know if it has been increased in the SD-10A.
Members are requested to compile shelf lives and captive carry hours of various air to air missiles in this thread
