Normally, the targets of long-range air to air missiles (LR AAM) were bigger aircrafts like AWACS, transport or aerial refuellers because of their bigger
radar size and hence they can be tracked by AI radars of fighters at around 150 km range. Also LR AAM needed a big and powerful radar on the side of firing
aircraft, implying that conventionally only big aircrafts could carry such heavy missiles.
R37 LR AAMs of Russia are carried by Mig-31 and AIM-54 Phoenix were
carried by F-14 Tomcats of US Navy. Aerodynamically too, heavy and outsized payload can be carried by bigger aircrafts only. Around the year 2000, air to air missiles (and air to ground missiles) started to have ranges more than the onboard radar of the fighter aircrafts. This new scenario has been made
possible by datalinks, enabling, for example, Indian MMRCA to carry LR AAMs of the Meteor-class. A fighter aircraft not equipped with tactical datalink and carrying Meteor-class LR AAM will not be a
realistic scenario. This means Indian Air Force Rafale would need tactical datalink deploying Meteors at their maximum range and Pakistan would need the same for PL-15's successful
operational use at its maximum range.
The tactical datalink provides a tactical display to the pilot, showing both friendly forces and foes. Many platforms feed data to this datalink like AWACS/AEW, UAVs, ground-based radars etc. This assets, obviously, have to be operational for the datalink to function and hence enable firing of LR AAM.
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