BVR capability is certainly not a sure success when one thinks of speed running of each plane. Contrary to what people think, BVR (Beyond Visible Range) has very low number of combat success. Here is an excerpt from an internet analysis.
"-----In practice, BVR promise fell short. During the entire Cold War, 407 kills were made with missiles in eight conflicts, with reliable data for ninth conflict, Iran-Iraq war, not being avaliable. Only four saw use of radar-guided BVR missiles: Rolling Thunder and Linebacker in Vietnam, Yom Kippur War, and conflict over Bekaa Valley".
"In total, 144 kills were made with guns, 308 with heat-seeking missiles and 73 with radar-guided missiles. Out of 73 radar-guided missile kills, 69 were scored within visual range (WVR), with remaining four being carefully staged outside combat".
"Even though majority of BVR missile shots in Vietnam were made from visual range, killing was still 9.6%. In fact, F-4 consistently under performed until it was given guns and pilots were taught how to dogfight.
Further, in these 407 kills, most targets were unaware and fired at from the rear, and there were almost no head-on BVR shots due to high closing speeds of aircraft involved. This shows that good rearward visibility from cockpit is still important despite all technological advancements.-----"
