SRAAM The Short Range Air - to - Air Missile is an experimental British infrared homing ( " heat seeking " ) air - to - air missile , developed between 1968 and 1980 by Hawker Siddeley Dynamics . It was designed to be very manoevrable for use at short range in a dogfight situation . SRAAM was unusual in that it was launched from a launch tube instead of being attached to a launch rail , allowing two to be carried on single mounting point . Although initially intended for production , it was downgraded to a technology demonstrator program in 1974 . Between 1974 and 1977 , several SRAAM missiles were launched in tests . In 1980 , the knowledge gained from the SRAAM project became the British contribution to the multinational ASRAAM missile project . History . Inception . The Vietnam War made it clear that the air - to - air missiles then in use by the USAF were inadequate . The AIM - 9 Sidewinder had limited " off - boresight " capability , which meant that the launching aircraft had to point itself at the target in order to lock - on . As the Sidewinder ' s seeker could only see the hot exhaust of the engine , in practice this meant that the launching aircraft had to line up behind the target for a shot , and follow it for a time prior to launch . In practice , pilots would often take shots at aircraft that were passing by the front of their own aircraft , launching as soon as the seeker ' s indicator growl was heard . By the time the missile had cleared the launch aircraft , the target was no longer in the seeker ' s view , and the missile would fly off ballistically . The initial US response was to train their pilots to only fire missiles under certain conditions , and use their cannon under others . In 1970 the British Ministry of Defence came to the conclusion that a better short - range missile was needed , and drew up a request for proposals ( Air Staff Target 1218 ) . This outlined the need for better maneuverability and a wider seeker angle , in order to successfully intercept the target in the types of shots the pilots were attempting to make , as opposed to demanding they not take those shots . AST 1218 also included the requirement that the missile could be carried by aircraft that lacked the target acquisition systems of the Phantom and Lightning . Taildog . In 1968 , Hawker Siddeley had started private development of a missile named " Taildog " . This was to be a short - range , low - cost missile that would fill the gap between guns and then - current missiles like Firestreak . Hawker described it as ' a gun that fires around corners ' . In 1970 , Taildog became Hawker Siddeley ' s response to AST 1218 . Taildog was highly maneuverable through the use of thrust vectoring for all flight control . The vectoring was initially accomplished by rotating small vanes into the rocket exhaust . Six of these vanes were arranged as segments of a circle at the tail end of the missile body , where they were protected from the rocket exhaust . Each segment was pivoted at one end , allowing it to be rotated so the other end would be moved into the exhaust . The control system would activate the segment closest to the required change in direction . External aerodynamic surfaces were reduced to vestigial surfaces near the rear of the missile , and were unmovable . The initial version of Taildog was 2 . 0 m long , had a diameter of 16 . 5 cm and weighed 50 kg . It was capable of engaging targets between 250 m and 2 km . Taildog was displayed at a trade show in Hannover in 1970 . SRAAM . Hawker ' s proposal was received favourably , and in 1972 the Ministry of Defence awarded a development contract ( Air Staff Requirement 1222 ) . Two versions were studied , the advanced SRAAM - 100 and a basic version called SRAAM - 75 . Both used the same airframe but different electronic fits . SRAAM was slightly longer than Taildog , with a length of . The diameter remained the same . The thrust director system was replaced with a moving dome deflector . The fins were moved to the rear and got a different shape . SRAAM was designed to be carried in a launch tube to protect the missile . The fins on the missile were hinged and would pop up after launch . The launcher contained two tubes plus most of the guidance system , enabling the missile to be carried by almost any aircraft with little modification . The missile could be fired automatically when a target came into view of the seeker ( unlike e . g . Firestreak , which needed to be fed targeting information by the aircraft ' s radar ) . The contract was cancelled in 1974 due to defence cuts in favour of work on Skyflash , but retained as a technology demonstration program . In 1977 , eight test missiles were fired from the ground and from a Hawker Hunter F . 6 ( RAF serial " XG210 " ) . The trials were successful , with one famous incident demonstrating the missile ' s maneuverability when it turned into the Hunter ' s flight path immediately after launch and almost collided with it . In the same year , the British MOD chose the AIM - 9L Sidewinder as its next short - range missile , but the SRAAM project was kept alive to provide a base for a future missile design . In 1980 , the SRAAM work became the starting point for the British contribution to ASRAAM . Surviving artefacts include a mockup of the missile in the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford , and a launcher at the Bristol Aero Collection .