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| Vympel R-73 | |
|---|---|
 R-73 mock-up at 2007 MAKS Airshow |
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| Type | short-range air-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1982 |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Vympel |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 105 kg (231 lb) |
| Length | 2900 mm (9 ft 6 in) |
| Diameter | 170 mm (6.7 in) |
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| Warhead | 7.4 kg (16.3 lb) |
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| Engine | solid-fuel rocket engine |
| Wingspan | 510 mm (20 in) |
| Operational range |
R-73E: 20km (12 miles) R-73M: 30km (18.75 miles)[1] |
| Speed | Mach 2.5 |
| Guidance system |
All-aspect infrared homing |
| Launch platform |
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The Vympel R-73 (NATO reporting name AA-11 Archer) developed by Vympel machine-building design bureau, is the most modern Russian short-range air-to-air missile.
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, and the first missiles entered service in 1982.
The R-73 is an infrared-guided (heat-seeking) missile with a sensitive, cryogenic cooled seeker with a substantial "off-boresight" capability: the seeker can "see" targets up to 60° off the missile's centerline. 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 (18.75 mi) at altitude.
The R-73 is a highly maneuverable missile and mock dogfights have indicated that the high degree of "off-boresight" capability of the R-73 would make a significant difference in combat. The missile also has a mechanically simple but effective system for thrust-vectoring. Altogether this prompted the development of Sidewinder and other SRM successors like AIM-132 ASRAAM, IRIS-T, MICA IR, Python IV and the latest Sidewinder variant, AIM-9X, that entered squadron service in 2003.
From 1994 the R-73 has been upgraded in production to R-73M standard, which entered CIS 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).
An improved version of the R-73M, the R-74M features fully digital and re-programmable systems, and is intended for use on the MiG-35 or MiG-29K/M/M2 and Su-27SM, Su-30MK and Su-35BM.
The weapon is used by the MiG-29, Su-27, 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. India is looking to use the missile on their HAL Tejas. It can also be carried by Russian attack helicopters, including the Mil Mi-24, Mil Mi-28, and Kamov Ka-50.
Operational history
During the Gulf War in 1991, Iraqi MiG-29 were armed with R-73 missiles, but there is no information about actual firing of any of the missiles against allied aircraft.
The same happened during 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in spring 1999. There is a known photo [2] of a shot down and burned out Yugoslav MiG-29 showing a crashed R-73 next to it.
In April 1996, a Cuban MiG-29 shot down two Cessna Skymasters of the Brothers to the Rescue activist organization using two R-73 missiles [3].
During 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. Even if a number of aircraft from both sides were reported shot down in air combat, it cannot be determined if they were downed by R-27 or IR guided R-73 and R-60.
On 21 April 2008, a Russian MIG-29 allegedly shot down a Georgian UAV with an IR guided missile, most likely an R-73. The downing was recorded by the shot down UAV itself.
Operators
Ethiopia
North Korea
Ukraine
People's Republic of China
Russia
India
Hungary
Slovakia
Serbia
Venezuela
Iran
Vietnam
Egypt
Gallery
 R-73 in front of an R-77 |
 R-73Ae, R-27R1(AeR1), R-27T1(AeT1) and Kh-59MAe at 1999 MAKS Airshow. |
 Tejas PV-1 firing an R-73 missile during weapons trials in Goa |
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vympel R-73 |
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