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All air missiles explode near the target.

Traditionally. Newer interceptors like PAC-3 are designed for hit-to-kill, using the kinetic energy of the interceptor itself to hit and destroy the target directly. The downside is you need more advanced sensors to get the required guidance accuracy, the upside is less "dead weight" for a warhead.

That's super interesting. I did not know that! Thank you!

Worth noting MANPADS try to get much closer than all the bigger ones because they can't carry too much shrapnel (if any).

A lot of modern AA missiles don't use any traditional shrapnel at all. They use what's called a continuous rod warhead. It's a bunch of steel rods arranged as a cylinder with alternating ends welded to each other on each side effectively making it one long rod. The explosive charge is placed in the middle and when it goes off the rod expands into one big rod in a circle which then cuts the aircraft in half.

Yeah, it's fascinating to me. In casual discussions (the only kind I am qualified to have) I just refer to it all generically as "shrapnel" but as you say it's more nuanced in practice.

For casual discussions it's IMO generally sufficient to just call it all shrapnel, to differentiate between reality and the Hollywood images of missiles slamming directly into planes and making big fiery explosions.

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