The Vympel R-23 (NATO reporting name AA-7 'Apex') is a medium-range air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union for fighter aircraft. It is roughly comparable to the American AIM-7 Sparrow.

Development

The R-23 was developed in the mid-1960s to arm the new MiG-23 fighter. It entered service in 1973.

Like many Soviet missiles, the R-23 was built with interchangeable seeker heads, giving a choice of semi-active radar homing or infrared guidance. The SARH missile was designated R-23R, the IR version R-23T. Standard fit for the MiG-23 was one missile of each type. An inert training round, the R-23UT, was also developed.

Western analysts later dubbed the R-23 rather crude, but Soviet engineers compared it to captured examples of the AIM-7 Sparrow, which was reverse-engineered as the K-25 in 1968, and felt that its range and countermeasures resistance were superior to the contemporary AIM-7E.

Large numbers of R-23s were built. The R-23 was also produced under license in Romania as the A-911.

In the late 1970s an improved version of the weapon was developed to arm the MiG-23ML/MLD. It was designated R-24, and offered in R-24R and R-24T SARH and IR versions. The R-24 remained in at least limitd Russian service until the withdrawl of the last Russian MiG-23s in 1997.

Specifications

• Length: (R-23R, R-24R) 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in); (R-23T, R-24T) 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
• Wingspan: 1 m (3 ft 5 in)
• Diameter: 223 mm (8.8 in)
• Launch weight: (R-23R, R-24R) 320 kg (706 lb); (R-23T, R-24T) 300 kg (661 lb)
• Speed: Mach 3
• Range: (R-23R) 35 km (22 mi); (R-24R) 50 km (31 mi); (R-23T, R-24T) 15 km (9.4 mi)
• Guidance: (R-23R, R-24R) SARH; (R-23T, R-24T), infrared-homing
• Warhead: 40 kg (88 lb) high explosive with proximity fuse