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Yes, AFAIK, ir missile's best position is from behind in any case, but with an high speed target, the target's speed could give problems with a chase path missile, because the missile have to put itself in the target's tail cone before to chase it and the approach speed is the difference between missile and target. So some advanced missiles can pass, instead to chase, to a collision path, by anticipate the target. For do this, the missile requires guidance computer and target info (route, speed, angle ....). Also some IR missile can do this, like SARH missiles, because they receive target info by the aircraft fire-control untill their launch, so they anticipate the target in an head-on or a lateral engaging and, then, they pass to IR guidance, in order to save the time of the head cooling system (limited).
The IR guidance in the stratosphere is exalted by very low environment's temperature and by the overheating of the target's engines and fuselage. The head cooling improves all this and makes missile less sensitive to IR-deceives (different light frequencies). An ir missile is also ECM-proof. The water (clouds) can hinder the IR view, but, in the stratosphere clouds there aren't (although not entirely true). Afaik, to engage a Mach-3 SR-71 with a chase path is almost impossible.
The IR guidance in the stratosphere is exalted by very low environment's temperature and by the overheating of the target's engines and fuselage. The head cooling improves all this and makes missile less sensitive to IR-deceives (different light frequencies). An ir missile is also ECM-proof. The water (clouds) can hinder the IR view, but, in the stratosphere clouds there aren't (although not entirely true). Afaik, to engage a Mach-3 SR-71 with a chase path is almost impossible.
