R-73RDM2

R-73RDM2 [AA-11 ARCHER]

Note: SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) reported that 180 R-73 air-to-air missiles were ordered by the Indian Air Force in 1995 and all 180 were delivered by 1996. SIPRI also reported that 1520 R-73 air-to-air missiles were ordered in 1996 and 500 were delivered by 2001. As per the annual UN conventional arms register, the Indian Government reported it had purchased 100 R-73E missiles in 1999.

Development of the R-73 began at the Molniya Design Bureau. When that organization was tasked with developing the Buran Space shuttle, work on the R-73 (Izdieliye-62) was reassigned to the Vympel design bureau, which completed it's development in 1985. The R-73 is the first in-service Russian missile to have a combination of aerodynamic and TVC systems. This combination provides excellent manoeuvrability, thus allowing rounds to be fired at targets in almost any direction from a manoeuvring aircraft. The missile is of basic aluminium alloy construction (axial-symmetric cruciform scheme with small elongated tailfins) with the following component sections:

• Seeker
• Autopilot
• Warhead
• Proximity-fuze
• Aero-surfaces
• Aero-rudder actuators
• A solid-propellant motor
• Thrust vectoring control vanes

The R-73 missile. The insert shows the TVC paddles

The unique combination of aero and exhaust-gas manoeuvre control represents the world's first operational thrust vector missile providing an exceptional manoeuvring capability during the powered flight phase. Fixed stabilizers and AoA transducers are installed in the nose just aft of the seeker before fixed canard control surfaces. During the high impulse solid-rocket motor burn, the missile is controlled by the canards, joined in pairs on each control channel and by the four in-flow jet exhaust vanes which also work in pairs. The fixed tail-fins have ailerons on their trailing edges mechanically coupled to each other for roll stabilization. After motor burn out, and when there is no indication of post boost cruise burn, missile control is provided only by the aerodynamic surfaces.

All the missiles gas actuators are fed by a power pressure accumulator that bleeds overboard and is estimated to be of a lower pressure then Western missiles due to reduced aerodynamic loadings on the optimized control surfaces. The R-73 is fitted to a common launcher rail that holds an internal cooling bottle. The R-73 seeker is capable of being fired without any limitations of G, Angle of Attack (AoA), or aircraft attitude. The seeker-head can be cued to the target by matching the look angle of the locked up aircraft radar and/or IRST, or the sighting line of the pilot's eye through the helmet sight. Guidance to the intercept point is performed according to proportional navigation methods.

A R-73 missile mounted on a wingtip

An improved version, designated R-73RDM2, has an up-rated rocket motor giving twice the range and seeker sensitivity of the earlier model under typical combat conditions. It can also be fired rearward to protect the rear hemisphere of the launching aircraft. It has a 90º off-boresight capability, re-programmable digital control electronics, a better resistance to IR counter-measures and the capability to engage low-flying targets. The integrated counter-countermeasures (ICCM) combines four different techniques and has an algorithm that will allow the missile to shift its aim from the engine of a targeted aircraft to the middle of the airframe in the final milliseconds of an intercept. The R-73RDM2 has a range of 40 km and a maximum speed of Mach 4.