Vympel R-37
Encyclopedia
The Vympel
R-37 (NATO reporting name
: AA-X-13/AA-13 Arrow) is a Russia
n air-to-air missile
with an extremely long range. It has also had the names K-37, Izdeliye 610 and R-VD (Raketa-Vysokaya Dalnost, "Very Long Range Missile"), and the NATO codename 'Andi'.
It was designed to shoot down AWACS and other C4ISTAR
aircraft whilst keeping the launch platform out of range of any fighters that might be protecting the target. Although it was first tested from a MiG-31M, the R-37 is not a replacement for the Vympel R-33
missiles carried by that aircraft; rather, the R-37 is intended for the Su-35BM, PAK FA, and other future fighters.
Work on the missile appears to have restarted in late 2006, as part of the MiG-31BM programme to update the Foxhound with a new radar and ground attack capability.
Vympel NPO
Vympel NPO is a Russian research and production company based near Moscow, mostly known for their air-to-air missiles. Other projects include SAM and ABM defenses. It was started in the Soviet era as an OKB .-OKB-134 Toropov:...
R-37 (NATO reporting name
NATO reporting name
NATO reporting names are classified code names for military equipment of the Eastern Bloc...
: AA-X-13/AA-13 Arrow) is a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n air-to-air missile
Air-to-air missile
An air-to-air missile 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 fuelled but sometimes liquid fuelled...
with an extremely long range. It has also had the names K-37, Izdeliye 610 and R-VD (Raketa-Vysokaya Dalnost, "Very Long Range Missile"), and the NATO codename 'Andi'.
It was designed to shoot down AWACS and other C4ISTAR
C4ISTAR
In military usage, a number of abbreviations in the format C followed by additional letters are used, based on expanded versions of the abbreviation C2 - command and control.C2I stands for command, control, and intelligence....
aircraft whilst keeping the launch platform out of range of any fighters that might be protecting the target. Although it was first tested from a MiG-31M, the R-37 is not a replacement for the Vympel R-33
Vympel R-33
The Vympel R-33 is a long-range air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union. It is the primary armament of the MiG-31 interceptor, intended to attack large high-speed targets such as the SR-71 Blackbird, the B-1 Lancer bomber, and the B-52 Stratofortress....
missiles carried by that aircraft; rather, the R-37 is intended for the Su-35BM, PAK FA, and other future fighters.
Design
The R-37 was developed from the Vympel R-33. For compatibility with aircraft that did not have the MiG-31's sophisticated radar, the semi-active seeker was replaced with a variant of the Agat 9B-1388 active seeker; mid-body strakes enhance lift and hence range, and folding tail controls allow semi-conformal carriage on planes that are not as big as the MiG-31. According to Defence Today the range depends on the flight profile, from 80 nautical miles (148.2 km) for a direct shot to 215 nautical miles (398.2 km) for a cruise glide profile. According to Jane's there are two variants, the R-37 and the R-37M; the latter has a jettisonable rocket booster that increases the range to "300-400km" (160–220 nm).History
The missile was designed in the early 1980s and first flown in 1989. Testing of the R-37 continued through the 1990s; in 1994 a trial round scored a kill at a range of 162 nautical miles (300 km). However, the programme appears to have been dropped around 1998 on grounds of cost.Work on the missile appears to have restarted in late 2006, as part of the MiG-31BM programme to update the Foxhound with a new radar and ground attack capability.
Production
The R-37 is now in production to equip upgraded Russian MiG-31BM Foxhound interceptors, and export MiG-31BM aircraft for Syria. Despite the early intent to integrate the weapon on the Flanker, this has yet to be reported.Similar weapons
- AIM-54 PhoenixAIM-54 PhoenixThe AIM-54 Phoenix is a radar-guided, long-range air-to-air missile , carried in clusters of up to six missiles on F-14 Tomcats, its only launch platform. The Phoenix was the United States' only long-range air-to-air missile. The weapons system based on Phoenix was the world's first to allow...
(retired) - 100 nautical miles (185.2 km)-range missile carried by the now decommissioned US Navy's F-14 Tomcat. - 9M317 surface-to-air missile of Buk missile system