Russia's long-range air-to-air missiles have no rivals in Ukraine

Sputnik news agency recently provided new information on the performance of the missile considered the most modern in the Russian Air Force's inventory and being used in the Ukraine conflict: the R-37M long-range air-to-air missile.

Sources from the Ukrainian and Western military assessed the R-37M as one of the most dangerous weapons used by Russia since the special military campaign began (February 24, 2022).

Also according to Sputnik, the R-37M missile is designed to equip the Russian Air Force's MiG-31BM and MiG-31BSM long-range supersonic interceptors. To date, the MiG-31 is the world's largest fighter jet built for air combat purposes and is equipped with more sensors than any other interceptor fighter in the world.

A Su-35 fighter jet launches an R-37M air-to-air missile in a video introducing the Russian air force. (Photo: Russian Defense Ministry )

The MiG-31's design is well suited to carrying long-range weapons such as the R-37M, Sputnik said.

The R-37M missile has recently been adopted to equip the Russian Air Force's Su-35 and Su-57 fighter squadrons, although the weapons carrying capacity and maximum firing altitude of these aircraft are both significantly lower than those of the MiG-31.

The R-37M missile itself is highly regarded for its very long range, up to more than 300 km, large warhead of 60 kg and speed of Mach 6 (more than 7,100 km/h). This has given the Russian missile a big advantage over the current leading air-to-air missile of the US Air Force, the AIM-120D (range is only greater than 160 km), although the US missile is smaller and more suitable for the size of fighter aircraft.

Regarding the operations of the R-37M in Ukraine, an anonymous source quoted by Sputnik said: “The R-37M missile demonstrated its highest efficiency in special military operations, with a target destruction probability of almost 100%.”

The source also confirmed the R-37M missile's ability to destroy a wide range of targets, having shot down Ukrainian fighter jets such as Su-27 and MiG-29, Su-25 attack aircraft, Su-24M fighter bombers, helicopters and many types of drones, including the Bayraktars UAV.

Western sources have been highlighting the R-37M’s appearance on the battlefield since November 2022, which would mark the MiG-31’s combat debut in an air-to-air role. But perhaps even more notable is the appearance of the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter.

Although only 10 Su-57s are currently in service with the Russian Air Force, the fighter has been deployed in more roles than any other fighter of its generation. It is also the only fifth-generation fighter to have seen action in a major war – the war against the terrorist organization ISIS.

RVV-BD long-range air-to-air missile, an export version of the R-37M. (Photo: Sputnik)

Initially, the Su-57 was reported to be involved in air defense suppression and attack missions, armed with Kh-59MK2 and Kh-31 cruise missiles. Then there were reports in October 2022 that the aircraft had been involved in air combat operations, specifically a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter was shot down by the Su-57 at a distance of up to 217 km after carrying out an attack on the Belgorod region of Russia. And to destroy a target at such a distance of over 200 km, it could only be the R-37M missile.

The British newspaper The Conversation also reported in mid-February 2023 that: "Russian MiG-31 and Su-57 equipped with long-range hypersonic missiles R-37M engaged Ukrainian aircraft at a distance of more than 200 km from the safe zone of Russian airspace."

The Conversation elaborates on how Russia’s Su-57 fighter jets contribute to air defense operations. This further confirms that the R-37M missile, when combined with modern Russian air force fighters, will be a very dangerous weapon for the West.

Hung Le (Source: Sputnik)

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Source: https://vtc.vn/ten-lua-khong-doi-khong-tam-xa-cua-nga-chua-co-doi-thu-o-ukraine-ar748121.html