When a plane is shot by a missile, how often can the pilot save his life by ejecting?

Watching Dogfights, and usually the plane just explodes into smiteerens. Im just wondering whether most pilots can save their life by ejecting. And if they do eject to enemies territory, how do they survive?|||That depends on what type of missile hits the plane. Surface to Air (SA) missiles are often quite large, and carry a bigger explosive warhead, than Air to Air (AA) missiles launched from other aircraft. It also depends on the targeting mode. A heat-seeking missile almost always hits an aircraft towards the rear - the jet exhaust - giving the pilot at least a chance of ejecting. Radar targeting puts the missile in the middle of the targeted jet, reducing the pilot's odds.


If they do eject safely (not always a sure thing - my older brother was killed during ejection) and reach the ground, all pilots have received SERE training, a grueling, rigorous course. During that training, they are given the basics of survival in the wild, evasion methods, escape, and how to resist interrogation. But with few exceptions, if the pilot is not rescued quite quickly, almost invariably they are captured.|||They don't generally. If they do survive, the Air Force has a crack team trained in rescue. Recent Presidential candidate McCain can tell you exactly what can go wrong with both plans. Gary Powers, a spy plan pilot during the Cold War, survived a missile strike to his plane. He had been issued a suicide capsule in case he did survive. He declined to indulge.|||Depends on where the aircraft is hit with the missile...and if there is a major explosion. Lots of folks have ejected and been rescued by a rescue team team. My hooch was just down the road from the fellows with the Jolly Greens, a special breed of cat.





Now, there is also the case of the poor fellow who was shot down in his U-2 over Cuba. At 80,000' or so, he was (as many have described it) sucked out of his face mask. Some hits are just plain not survivable.





This is the rough equivalent of asking, "Do people survive car accidents?" Just too many variables out there to even begin to comment.|||Much depends on the size of the missile warhead which hits the jet. The bulk of downed pilots have been Egyptians and Syrians in the 1973 and 1982 wars. Whenever an Israeli Shafrir air to air missile hit an Arab MIG-21, the jet disintegrated, so the pilot had no chance to survive. With their smaller warheads, Sidewinder missiles produced flamers from which the pilot could usually eject. Nearly all pilots who go down in enemy territory end up as POWs despite the creation of rescue units.|||Every Military Plane had a special equipment for safe the life's. We call it UPS .. a big ( Human sized ) boxes for save people's life .. when a military plane take a hit from opponent they use it for going back to home, safely.





This drop box activated when pilot pull a handle who stand just beyond of him/her .. when system activated drop box closed automatically and keep him/her against burn, shrapnel's even collision effects.





They can reach the base at 72h. Max after fall , with reasonable prices of course .. % 100 safe solution for safe fighter pilots .. isn't it?





For more information check this .. http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/locatio鈥?/a>|||Most air to air and ground to air missiles do not make a hit on the aircraft; if they do the pilot has no time to eject but could survive by ejecting prior to the missile hitting when he knows it has him. Most missiles used to shoot down aircraft are proximity fused, meaning the go off near the aircraft and the shrapnel does the damage to the engine so the pilot has time to eject in that case. All the services which fly aircraft or helicopters in combat have teams trained to rescue and pick up surviving pilots and aircrew members go through SERE training to help them survive and escape capture until the rescue team shows up.|||It really depends on many factors.





Generally, they do not survive, and with the new Russian SA 300/400, no one survives.





But if a smaller missile grazes or simply tickles the tip of the wing or hits in an area of the aircraft which doesn't cause a volatile fuel/air mixture explosion, then the pilot has just once chance to eject.





In terms of survival once the pilot makes it to the ground, this also depends where he falls and if this takes place in the day or in the nightfall. If he falls into a barren or woods or mountain based area, he has a chance and if its at night time, he has a better chance. However, if he falls into an enemy city during the day...........then an ice cube in hell has a better chance of surviving.





Either way........day or night, woods, mountains or in a city, its not a very pretty situation for the pilot.