An old “dogfight” that might help illustrate the issue. A Libyan engagement. The first video is the merge and where the 4th Gen folks want to fight. For those unfamiliar with the language:
Angels = altitude
Alpha Bravo= Anti-Air Warfare Combat Controller (ship’s radar fight manager and higher headquarters)
F-1= radar missile (sparrow in this case but AMRAAM today)
F-2= IR missile (“Heater” Aim-9L in this case)
Dash 2 was a “switch pig” and screwed up his switches by going to what we trained with (so we wouldn’t shoot each other with “heaters”) and why you hear the angst over a “tone.” The “tone” is cuing that the missile’s seeker head (super cooled InSb) has locked onto something. Video has both inter-cockpit and UHF comms.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBdBV3lXrp8
2nd video is the same engagement animated and expanded into the pre-merge (30-50 mile) range. An error is that AB is referred to as an AWACS. It is beyond these ranges that 5th Gen guys want to be and engage. Today even most Eagle/ Hornet/Falcon (I refuse to recognize “Vipers” for F-16s since that is an official USMC squadron call sign) guys prefer a fight coordinated via data by a Raptor then by an AWACS to set up the engagements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyORtaFCa3I