What does over-the-horizon mean?

Over-the-horizon combat is widely used to describe air-to-air combat, which means that when projecting weapons to attack targets, telescopic devices are used to carry out operations beyond the visual distance of the targets.

Over-the-horizon combat generally means that when the projected weapon attacks the target, it is carried out at a distance beyond the visual sight of the target. Uses include the use of telescopic devices, such as cameras with magnifying function, to assist in observing and calibrating long-distance targets, not included. At present, there is no clear and unified regulation on the length of this distance. However, it is usually dozens of kilometers away.

This term began to be widely used to describe air combat. When a fighter launches a missile at a target, can the pilot see the target directly, or can he launch a weapon only with the assistance of other equipment? At present, over-the-horizon combat refers to air-to-air combat guided by radar launched by fighters, including semi-active radar guidance and active radar guidance.