R-37 (missile)

The Vympel R-37 (NATO reporting name: AA-13 "Axehead")[1] 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 (Ракета Воздух-Воздух Большой Дальности (Raketa Vozduh-Vozduh Bolshoy Dalnosti), "Long range air-to-air missile"), and the NATO codenames "Axehead" and "Andi".[2] It was developed from the R-33.

Vympel R-37M
NATO reporting name: AA-13 Axehead
R-37M at 2013 MAKS Airshow
TypeLong range, air-to-air BVR missile
Place of originRussia
Service history
In service2019
Used byRussian Air Force
Production history
DesignerTactical Missiles Corporation
Designed1980s
ManufacturerVympel MKB
Produced1985
VariantsR-37M
Specifications
Mass600 kilograms (1,320 lb)
Length4.20 metres (13 ft 9 in)
Diameter38 centimetres (15 in)
Wingspan0.7 m (2 ft 4 in)
WarheadHE, fragmenting
Warhead weight60 kg (135 lb)
PropellantBoost-Sustain Solid Rocket
Operational
range
150–398 km [1]
Maximum speed Mach 5 – Mach 6 (6,100–7,400 km/h; 3,800–4,600 mph)
Guidance
system
Inertial with mid-course update, semi-active and active radar homing

It is designed to shoot down tankers, AWACS and other C4ISTAR aircraft[1] while keeping the launch platform out of range of any fighters that might be protecting the target.

According to Janes there are two variants, the R-37 and the R-37M; the latter conceived as having a jettisonable rocket booster that increases the range to "300–400 km" (160–220 nm).[2]

Design

The R-37 was developed from the 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.[1] Similarly, folding tail controls allow semi-conformal carriage[1] on planes that are not as big as the MiG-31.

Mid-body strakes enhance lift[1] hence increases range. According to Defence Today, the range depends on the flight profile, from 80 nautical miles (150 km) for a direct shot[1] to 215 nautical miles (398 km) for a cruise glide profile.[1]

The R-37M designation has since been used for a modernized variant of the missile, also known as RVV-BD (Raketa Vozduh-Vozduh Bolyshoy Dalnosty, or Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile). R-37M's range exceeds 200 km, and it is capable of hypersonic speed (~Mach 5) in the final stage of its flight.[3] It will be carried by the modernized MiG-31BM interceptors and Su-35S and Su-57 multirole fighters.[4] It is not known whether the long-range air-to-air missile for the Su-57, designated as Izdeliye 810, is a derivative of the R-37M.

The missile can attack targets at altitudes of 15–25,000 meters, guided semi-actively or actively through the Agat 9B-1388 system.[5]

History

The missile was designed in the early 1980s and first flown in 1989.[2] Testing of the R-37 continued through the 1990s,[2] and in 1994, a trial round scored a kill at a range of 162 nautical miles (300 km).[1] However, the program appears to have been dropped around 1998 on grounds of cost.[2]

Work on the missile appears to have restarted in late 2006,[2] as part of the MiG-31BM program to update the Foxhound with a new radar and ground attack capability.[2]

In 2018, the R-37M had finished its operational validation tests.[6][7]

On October 19, 2022, Russian, and subsequently Indian media claimed that the Su 57 stealth fighter shot down a Ukrainian Su 27 using the R-37M missile.[8][9]

Zvezda TV reports have recorded the Su-35 carrying the R-37, apparently as part of an air combat loadout. In this configuration, the craft carries two R-73s in the central wing pylon, two R-77s slung underneath the engine nacelles, and two R-37s on the hardpoints between the engines, with an option to carry a few more missiles, such as a Kh-31 anti-radiation missile.

Operational history

The R-37M has, since October 2022, been the main threat against the Ukrainian Air Force. The Ukrainian Air Force lacks fire and forget missiles. They relied on the R-27 missiles, both the R-27ER and R-27ET, the R-27ET's range is 60 miles. The Ukrainian pilot must illuminate the Russian aircraft with their radar to guide the missile to the target. Russian pilots firing active radar, fire and forget, R-77 give the Russian pilots the ability to launch their missiles and then take evasive action. Ukrainian pilots were forced to "exploit ground clutter and terrain-masking to get close enough to fire before being engaged".

A report by the Royal United Services Institute states that in October some six R-37Ms were being fired at the Ukrainian Air Force a day. The Su-35S is also used as a carrier for the R-37M. Four MiG-31 were also deployed to Crimea.

In August 2022, Russian forces maintained a Combat Air Patrol of either a pair of Su-35S or MiG-31s on station to shoot down Ukrainian aircraft. Since Ukrainian forces launched a counteroffensive in August they have lost "four MiG-29s, six Su-25s, a Su-24, and one Su-27". The Royal United Services Institute has credited most of the kills to the R-37M writing: “The VKS has been firing up to six R-37Ms per day during October. The extremely high speed of the weapon, coupled with very long effective range and a seeker designed for engaging low-altitude targets, makes it particularly difficult to evade.”[10][11][12][13][14]

On 13 February 2023, Ukraine obtained wreckage of a spent R-37M. This has been handed over to UK intelligence for analysis.[15]

According to a Russian source, the missile is carried by the Su-35S and Su-57 fighters, and the MiG-31BM interceptor.[16]

See also

References
  1. "Missiles in the Asia Pacific" (PDF), Defence Today: 67, May 2005, archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2009
  2. "R-37, R-37M (AA-X-13) (Russian Federation), AIR-TO-AIR MISSILES - BEYOND VISUAL RANGE". janes.com. 12 January 2009. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008.
  3. "The military tested a long-range missile for the Su-57 (In Russian)". N+1.
  4. Newdick, Thomas (October 5, 2020). "Russian Air-To-Air Missile Tests Signal Potential New Capabilities For Flanker and Felon". The Drive.
  5. "Управляемая авиационная ракета класса "воздух-воздух" большой дальности РВВ-БД". missile.ru. October 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  6. "New Russian long-range AAM integration to expand to four fighter models - Jane's 360". janes.com. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  7. "Какие разработки корпорации "Тактическое ракетное вооружение" скрывает фюзеляж Су-57 | Еженедельник "Военно-промышленный курьер"".
  8. "First Kill? Russian Su-57 Stealth Fighter Downs Ukrainian Su-27 Jet With New Long-Range Missile – Media Claims". eurasiantimes.com. October 19, 2022.
  9. "Extreme Range Kill on Ukraine's Top Fighter Was a Su-57, Not an Air Defence System - Reports". Military Watch Magazine. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  10. Piotr Butowski, Thomas Newdick (10 November 2022). "Russia's MiG-31 Foxhounds Proving To Be A Threat To Ukrainian Aircraft". The Drive. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  11. Forbes Staff (30 April 2022). "Ukraine's Pilots Are Flying Into Battle With Old, Dumb Missiles. It's One Reason They Get Shot Down". Forbes. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  12. David Axe (10 November 2022). "Fly Low, Get Aggressive—How Ukrainian Pilots Fought The Russian Air Force To A Standstill". Forbes. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  13. Sakshi Tiwari (10 November 2022). "Russia Is 'Outfoxing' Ukrainian Warplanes With Its Foxhounds; MiG-31s Prove Much Superior To Sukhoi Counterparts". EurAsian Times. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  14. "It seems that the Russian Federation lost a rare MiG-31 with "Kinzhal" in the occupied Crimea, the pilot died". Sundires. 8 October 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  15. "Ukraine handed over R-37M air-to-air missile components to British intelligence". globaldefensecorp.com. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  16. "ЦАМТО / / Новая ракета Р-37М класса «воздух-воздух» показала в рамках СВО очень высокую вероятность поражения целей". armstrade.org.
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