I'm not a history nerd (and I only know this as a sort of passing mention by someone) but in Vietnam you had the BVR missiles, but the ROE was not to engage without visually identifying the target... which requires you to be in visual range... sssooo.
I'm not an expert, but I imagine air to air battles today would pretty much involve BVR radar-guided missiles. Fire your active radar missile and immediately engage defensive to avoid any active radar missiles the enemy has probably fired at you. Semi-active radar missile is obviously more risky, as you have to maintain the lock until it hits, and Armok help you if they've fired a missile at you during that time.
There are systems (theoretically) that protect your plane from them, it's also considerably easier to dodge an rocket than a burst from autocannon, so after they don't have rockets anymore, they have to either return to base or shoot the other guy up.
I don't know what developments we have today, but not too long ago we had missiles that would not show up on your RWR (assuming your plane had one) until it was 'too late' (active missiles), and dodging them isn't really easy. Sure you have things like chaff, but the only real reliable way to defeat a missile like that is to put a mountain between you and the missile, or hope that you can increase its flight path for long enough (beam it) for it to run out of fuel and go ballistic.
Again, not an expert, so I could just be talking out my ass =p
I like jets, if only because DCS is the only good-looking non War Thunder combat flight sim that seems to be Oculus Riftable for when I inevitably spend money I don't have on one.
I bought rudder pedals and a TrackIR because I was planning on learning to fly the Huey for fun. Naturally, it's either do that, or play one of a thousand other games that are much more accessibly fun. Learning to fly is damn hard work, simulator or not. However, speaking of DCS, the F-14 was announced a while back which has me excited because that means multiple people in the same plane, which means co-op, and I like me some co-op =3
Heck, the Huey not having multiple people per chopper was disappointing for me. I want my buddies to be my door gunners and the swivel minigun things I forget the name of (but he's basically the copilot). However, what would
really make me happy is an MI-24...