R-73 (missile)

Last updated
R-73
AA-11 Archer
MAKS2015part7-21.jpg
A mock up of RVV-MD - the newest available export variant of the R-73
TypeShort-range air-to-air missile
Place of origin Soviet Union
Service history
In service1984–present
Used bySee Operators
Production history
Manufacturer Moscow Kommunar Machine-Building Plant, Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing, TAM Management
Specifications
Mass105 kilograms (231 lb)
Length2.93 metres (9 ft 7 in)
Diameter165 millimetres (6.5 in)
Wingspan510 millimetres (20 in)
Warhead7.4 kilograms (16 lb)
Engine Solid-fuel rocket engine
Operational
range
  • R-73A, R-73E: 30 kilometres (19 mi) [1] [2]
  • R-73M, RVV-MD: 40 kilometres (25 mi) [1] [3]
Maximum speed Mach 2.5
Guidance
system
 All-aspect infrared homing
Launch
platform

The VympelR-73 (NATO reporting name AA-11 Archer) is a short-range air-to-air missile developed by Vympel NPO that entered service in 1984. [5]

Contents

Development

The R-73 was developed to replace the earlier R-60 (AA-8 'Aphid') weapon for short-range use by Soviet fighter aircraft. Work began in 1973, operational in 1982 and the first missiles formally entered service in 1984. [5]

The R-73 is an infrared homing (heat-seeking) missile with a sensitive, cryogenic cooled seeker with a substantial "off-boresight" capability: the seeker can detect targets up to 40° off the missile's centerline. [6] It can be targeted by a helmet-mounted sight (HMS) allowing pilots to designate targets by looking at them. Minimum engagement range is about 300 meters, with maximum aerodynamic range of nearly 30 km (19 mi) at altitude. The weapon is used by the MiG-29, MiG-31, Su-27/33, Su-34 and Su-35, and can be carried by newer versions of the MiG-21, MiG-23, Sukhoi Su-24, and Su-25 aircraft. [7]

Shortly after German reunification in 1990, Germany and other ex-Warsaw Pact countries found themselves with large stockpiles of the R-73 missiles or AA-11 Archers as designated by NATO, and had concluded that the R-73/AA-11's capabilities had been noticeably underestimated by the west. [8] In particular, the R-73 was found to be both far more maneuverable, and far more capable in terms of seeker acquisition and tracking than the latest AIM-9 Sidewinder. [9] This realization started the development of newer missiles to help compete, including the ASRAAM, IRIS-T and AIM-9X.

According to an interview with a Ukrainian pilot, the R-73 does not track well in clouds. This makes the missile difficult to use against Shahed-136 drones, forcing pilots to rely on their 30 mm cannon. [10]

From 1994, the R-73 has been upgraded in production to the R-73M standard, which entered Russian service in 1997. The R-73M has greater range and a wider seeker angle (to 60° off-boresight), as well as improved IRCCM (Infrared Counter-Counter-Measures). Further developments include the R-74 (izdeliye 740) and its export variant RVV-MD. These are expected to supplement previous variants of the R-73 in service. [11]

An improved version of the R-74, the K-74M (izdeliye 750) features fully digital and re-programmable systems, and is intended for use on the MiG-35, MiG-29 K/M/M2, Su-27SM, Su-30MK and Su-35S. A further upgrade, known as the K-74M2 (izdeliye 760), is intended for the fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 aircraft. This missile has reduced cross-section to fit in internal weapon bays and will match the performance of the AIM-9X and the ASRAAM. A clean sheet design, the K-MD (izdeliye 300), will supersede the K-74M2 in the future. [12] [13]

AA-11 Archer missile.PNG

Operational history

On 24 February 1996, two Cessna 337s of the Brothers to the Rescue were shot down while flying over international waters 10 nautical miles outside of Cuban airspace by a Cuban Air Force MiG-29UB. [14] Each of the aircraft was downed by an R-73 missile. [15]

During the Eritrean-Ethiopian War from May 1998 to June 2000, R-73 missiles were used in combat by both Ethiopian Su-27s and Eritrean MiG-29s. It was the IR-homing R-60 and the R-73 that were used in all but two of the kills.

On 18 March 2008, a MiG-29 Fulcrum of the Russian Air Force intercepted a Georgian Elbit Hermes 450 UAV over Abkhazia. The MiG-29 destroyed the UAV with an R-73 missile. [16]

On 27 February 2019, Indian officials claims that an IAF MiG-21 Bison had successfully engaged and shot down a Pakistani F-16 with an R-73E missile during the 2019 Jammu and Kashmir airstrikes. [17] Pakistan denied the loss of its aircraft. [18]

On 7 May 2022, Colonel Igor Bedzay was killed when his Mi-14 was shot down by a Russian Su-35. It is reported that after missing its first shots using its 30 mm cannon, the Su-35 resorted to launching an R-73, which destroyed the helicopter. [19] [20]

Use as a surface to air missile

These missiles have been used as a surface to air missile. In 1999 R-73s were adapted by Serb forces for surface to air missiles. The Houthi movement's Missile Research and Development Centre and the Missile Force have tried to fire R-27/R-60/R-73/R-77, from Yemeni Air Force stocks, against Saudi aircraft. The issue for the R-27R and R-77 is the lack of a radar to support their guidance to the target. However the R-27T, R-73 and R-60 are infra-red heat seeking missiles. They only require power, liquid nitrogen "to cool the seeker head", and a pylon to launch the missile. These missiles have been paired with a "US made FLIR Systems ULTRA 8500 turrets". However the drawback is that these missiles are intended to be fired from one jet fighter against another. So the motors and fuel load are smaller than a purpose built surface to air missile. Only one near miss has been verified and that was a R-27T fired at Royal Saudi Air Force F-15SA. [21]

Variants

Operators

Map with R-73 operators in blue with former operators in red R-73 operators.png
Map with R-73 operators in blue with former operators in red

Current operators

Former operators

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ASRAAM</span> Short-range air-to-air missile

The Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM), also known by its United States designation AIM-132, is an imaging infrared homing air-to-air missile, produced by MBDA UK, that is designed for close-range combat. It is in service in the Royal Air Force (RAF), replacing the AIM-9 Sidewinder. ASRAAM is designed to allow the pilot to fire and then turn away before the opposing aircraft can close for a shot. It flies at well over Mach 3 to ranges in excess of 25 kilometres (16 mi). It retains a 50 g manoeuvrability provided by body lift technology coupled with tail control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhoi Su-35</span> Upgraded series of the Su-27 fighter aircraft

The Sukhoi Su-35 is the designation for two improved derivatives of the Su-27 air-defence fighter. They are single-seat, twin-engine, supermaneuverable air superiority fighters, designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and built by Sukhoi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air-to-air missile</span> Missile fired from the air at airborne targets

An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft. AAMs are typically powered by one or more rocket motors, usually solid fueled but sometimes liquid fueled. Ramjet engines, as used on the Meteor, are emerging as propulsion that will enable future medium- to long-range missiles to maintain higher average speed across their engagement envelope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhoi Su-25</span> Russian attack aircraft

The Sukhoi Su-25 Grach is a subsonic, single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Sukhoi. It was designed to provide close air support for Soviet Ground Forces. The first prototype made its maiden flight on 22 February 1975. After testing, the aircraft went into series production in 1978 in Tbilisi in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhoi Su-30</span> Russian fighter aircraft

The Sukhoi Su-30 is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air interdiction missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R-77</span> Russian beyond visual range air-to-air missile

The Vympel NPO R-77 missile is a Russian active radar homing beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile. It is also known by its export designation RVV-AE. It is the Russian counterpart to the American AIM-120 AMRAAM missile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R-60 (missile)</span> Short-range lightweight infrared homing air-to-air missile

The MolniyaR-60 is a short-range lightweight infrared homing air-to-air missile designed for use by Soviet fighter aircraft. It has been widely exported, and remains in service with the CIS and many other nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Novator KS-172</span> Russian/Indian long range air-to-air missile project

The Novator KS-172 was a Russian air-to-air missile project designed as an "AWACS killer" at ranges up to 400 km. The missile had various names during its history, including K-100, Izdeliye 172, AAM-L (RVV-L), KS–172, KS-1, 172S-1 and R-172. The airframe appears to have been derived from the 9K37 Buk surface-to-air missile (SAM) but development stalled in the mid-1990s for lack of funds. It appears to have restarted in 2004 after a deal with India, who wants to produce the missile in India for their Su-30MKI fighters. Development has ceased and the project is closed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R-23 (missile)</span> Medium air-to-air missile

The Vympel R-23 is a medium-range air-to-air missile developed by Vympel in the Soviet Union for fighter aircraft. An updated version with greater range, the R-24, replaced it in service. It is comparable to the American AIM-7 Sparrow, both in terms of overall performance as well as role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R-27 (air-to-air missile)</span> Air-to-air missile

The Vympel R-27 is a family of air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union. It remains in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces, air forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States and air forces of many other countries as standard medium range air-to-air missile even though they have the more advanced R-77.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R-37 (missile)</span> Russian long range, hypersonic air-to-air BVR missile

The Vympel R-37 is a Russian hypersonic air-to-air missile with very long range. The missile and its variants also had the names K-37, izdeliye 610 and RVV-BD, and the NATO codenames "Axehead" and "Andi". It was developed from the R-33.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhoi Su-57</span> Russian stealth multirole fighter aircraft

The Sukhoi Su-57 is a twin-engine stealth multirole fighter aircraft developed by Sukhoi. It is the product of the PAK FA programme, which was initiated in 1999 as a more modern and affordable alternative to the MFI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikoyan MiG-29K</span> Carrier-based multirole combat aircraft

The Mikoyan MiG-29K is a Russian all-weather carrier-based multirole fighter aircraft developed by the Mikoyan Design Bureau. The MiG-29K was developed in the late 1980s from the MiG-29M. Mikoyan describes it as a 4+ generation aircraft.

The Kh-29 is a Soviet air-to-surface missile with a range of 10–30 km. It has a large warhead of 320 kg, has a choice of laser, infrared, active radar or TV guidance, and is typically carried by tactical aircraft such as the Su-24, Su-30, MiG-29K as well as the Su-25, giving these aircraft an expanded standoff capability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kh-31</span> Soviet/Russian anti-ship cruise missile

The Kh-31 is a Soviet and Russian air-to-surface missile carried by aircraft such as the MiG-29,Su-27 and the Su-57. It is capable of Mach 3.5 and was the first supersonic anti-ship missile that could be launched by tactical aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kh-25</span> Tactical air-to-surface missile

The Kh-25/Kh-25M is a family of Soviet lightweight air-to-ground missiles with a modular range of guidance systems and a range of 10 km. The anti-radar variant (Kh-25MP) is known to NATO as the AS-12 'Kegler' and has a range up to 40 km. Designed by Zvezda-Strela, the Kh-25 is derived from the laser-guided version of the Kh-23 Grom. The Kh-25 remains in widespread use despite the apparent development of a successor, the Kh-38.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kh-59</span> Russian cruise missile

The Kh-59 Ovod is a Russian cruise missile with a two-stage solid-fuel propulsion system and 200 km range. The Kh-59M Ovod-M is a variant with a bigger warhead and turbojet engine. It is primarily a land-attack missile; the Kh-59MK variant targets ships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kh-58</span> Air-launched anti-radiation missile, surface-to-surface missile

The Kh-58 is a Soviet anti-radiation missile with a range of 120 km. As of 2004 the Kh-58U variant was still the primary anti-radiation missile of Russia and its allies. It is being superseded by the Kh-31. The NATO reporting name is "Kilter".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S-13 rocket</span> Soviet 122 mm air-launched rocket

The S-13 is a 122 mm calibre unguided rocket weapon developed by the Soviet Air Force for use by military aircraft. It remains in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces and some other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate</span> Russian fighter aircraft

The Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate, also designated as the Light Tactical Aircraft, is a single-engine, stealth fighter aircraft under development by Sukhoi for export and for the Russian Aerospace Forces. The Sukhoi Design Bureau also designates the aircraft as T-75.

References

  1. 1 2 "AA-11 ARCHER R-73". Global Security. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  2. 1 2 "R-73E". Rosoboronexport. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  3. ↑ "RVV-MD". Rosoboronexport. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  4. ↑ "IAF's French Mirages Fly with Russian Missiles, Thanks to Israeli 'Jugaad'".
  5. 1 2 "Striving for a Safer World Since 1945".
  6. ↑ Reed Business Information Limited. "Vympel reveals previously classified air-to-air missiles" . Retrieved 23 December 2014.{{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  7. ↑ "uuaz.ru - Su-25UB Combat-trainer aircraft - Armament". Archived from the original on 31 May 2009.
  8. ↑ Menon, KB (17 July 2012). "Evolution of the Air-To-Air Missiles: Options for the IAF" . Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  9. ↑ "Locking range". Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "Ukrainian MiG-29 Pilot Talks About AGM-88 HARM & Shahed-136 UAVs; Explains Why Is It Hard To Counter Iranian Drones". 13 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  11. ↑ Barrie, Douglas and Pyadushkin, Maxim. "R-77, R-73 Missile Upgrades Emerge". Aviation Week . 13 August 2009
  12. ↑ Butowski, Piotr. Russia and CIS Observer. 17 June 2007.
  13. ↑ "Vympel plans to develop air-to-air missiles for Russia's PAK FA fighter". Jane's Missiles and Rockets. 19 May 2006
  14. ↑ University of Minnesota Human Rights Library (1999). "Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Pena y Pablo Morales v. Republica de Cuba, Case 11.589, Report No. 86/99, OEA/Ser.L/V/II.106 Doc. 3 rev. at 586 (1999)" . Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  15. ↑ "Cuba11.589" . Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  16. ↑ "Russian jet shoots Georgian drone © Reuters". YouTube. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  17. ↑ "R-73 missile: The weapon with which Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman brought down Pakistan's F-16 jet but they couldn't supply any evidences to support their claims, U.S. count shows no Pakistan F-16s shot down in Indian battle". Zee News India. Essel Group. 2 March 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  18. ↑ Indian Radar Data That Supposedly Proves They Downed An F-16 Is Far From "Irrefutable", 8 April 2019, The War Zone
  19. ↑ "Russian Sukhoi Fighter 'Hunts Down' A Ukrainian Mi-14PS Chopper; Incident Gets Caught On Camera — Watch". www.eurasiantimes.net. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  20. ↑ "A brave Ukrainian colonel died". www.thetimeshub.in. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  21. ↑ Dario Leone (17 July 2019). "Here's how Houthis were able to deploy R-27/R-60/R-73/R-77 Air-to-Air Missiles as SAMs against Saudi-led Coalition Aircraft". theaviationgeekclub.com. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  22. ↑ "Production". eng.ktrv.ru. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  23. ↑ "Weapon". Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  24. 1 2 "SIPRI Trade Register". Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 International Institute for Strategic Studies (2020). "Chapter Six: Asia". The Military Balance. 120 (1): 254. doi:10.1080/04597222.2020.1707967. S2CID   219627149.
  26. ↑ "Twitter" . Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  27. ↑ "Balakchiev.com". www.balakchiev.com. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  28. ↑ "Egyptian MiG-29 deliveries concluded as Su-35 deliveries begin". 29 June 2021.
  29. ↑ "Su-25KM SCORPION (It is made in Georgia)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  30. ↑ Newdick, Thomas (27 October 2021). "Iranian MiG-29 Blasts Target Out Of Sky In Bonkers Low-Level Display (Updated)". The Drive. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  31. ↑ Tincopa, Amaru (November–December 2021). "MiG-29 over the skies of the condor". Revista Pucará. No. 10. p. 20.
  32. ↑ Butowski, Piotr; Newdick, Thomas (4 October 2022). "Russian Aggressor Squadron Gets Its First Su-35S Fighter Jets". The Drive.
  33. ↑ Banković, Živojin (3 May 2022). "Kako je lovac postao višenamenski borbeni avion: Detalji novog naoružanja na premijeri modernizovanih MiG-ova 29SM". tangosix.rs.
  34. ↑ Cooper, Tom; Weinert, Peter; Hinz, Fabian; Lepko, Mark (2011). African MiGs, Volume 2: Madagascar to Zimbabwe. Houston: Harpia Publishing. p. 150. ISBN   978-0-9825539-8-5.
  35. ↑ Newdick, Thomas (April 2022). "Ukrainian MiG-29 Pilot's Front-Line Account Of The Air War Against Russia". The Drive. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  36. ↑ Cooper, Tom (2018). Hot Skies Over Yemen, Volume 2: Aerial Warfare Over the South Arabian Peninsula, 1994-2017. Warwick, UK: Helion & Company Publishing. p. 67. ISBN   978-1-911628-18-7.
  37. ↑ "Trade Registers". armstrade.sipri.org.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.