The Vympel R-33 (NATO reporting name AA-9 'Amos') was the most advanced long-range air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union. It remains in service with the CIS and Russian forces.

Development

The R-33 was developed beginning in 1972 for use by the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-31 interceptor. Its intended targets included the SR-71 Blackbird, the B-1 Lancer bomber, and the B-52 Stratofortress. It entered service in 1984. Similar in function and configuration to the U.S. Navy AIM-54 Phoenix, it uses a combination of semi-active radar homing for initial acquisition and mid-course update, inertial navigation to reach the target at extreme range, and active radar for terminal homing.

Starting in the mid-1980s Vympel began working on a more advanced version, originally called the R-33E, but later redesignated the R-37, which entered service in 1996, replacing the R-33 in production. It has a much longer-duration motor for substantially increased range, as well as more sophisticated seeker and a slightly bigger warhead.

The R-33/MiG-31 missile/interceptor combination is similar to the earlier Bisnovat R-40 (NATO AA-6 'Acrid')/MiG-25 combination, although it is much more versatile and modern in that the MiG-25 was very heavily specialised for the interception of large supersonic targets such as the North American Aviation XB-70 bomber, and as such lacks maneuverability and is not really suitable for air combat maneuvering. The MiG-31 is a much more versatile and capable aircraft and is still able to employ the older R-40, however if the R-33 is available there is little reason to use it.

Specifications (R-33 / R-37)

• Length: (R-33) 4.15 m (13 ft 7 in); (R-37) 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
• Wingspan: (R-33) 1.16 m (3 ft 8 in); (R-37) 0.7 m (2 ft 4 in)
• Diameter: 380 mm (16 in)
• Launch weight: (R-33) 490 kg (1,080 lb); (R-37) 600 kg (1,320 lb)
• Speed: Mach 3.5
• Range: (R-33) 160 km (100 mi); (R-37) 280 km (175 mi)
• Guidance: inertial with active radar terminal homing
• Warhead: (R-33) 47.5 kg (104 lb); (R-37) 50 kg (110 lb)

External Links

• GlobalSecurity.org page
• Federation of American Scientists page