S-300P surface to air missile system

R-73 / AA-11 Archer

The R-73 short-range air-to-air missile was developed by “Molniya” (recently the special design bureau Nr.4) design bureau. It’s team at the beginning of the 1970s developed the R-60 missile and the R-73 was intended to replace it. It is known as the AA-11 “Archer” with NATO countries.

R-77 RVV-AE / AA-12 Adder

It has an active radarhoming seeker and alike the R-27 medium-range missile it is guided to a certain point with the help of a data link. But then it uses an onboard radar to illuminate the target and steers towards it. Similar to the AIM-120 AMRAAM it gives the pilot a certain “fire and forget” capability. One more interesting detail is that it’s NATO unofficial designation is “AMRAAMski”. Missile has a range of fire in 0.5 – 150 kilometers.

R-27 / AA-10 Alamo

The R-27 is a medium-range air-to-air missile, designated as AA-10 “Alamo” with NATO countries. This missile was designed for the Soviet Union’s forth-generation fighters such as the MiG-29 and Su-27 featuring exceptional maneuverability replacing in service MiG-23 fighters armed with the R-23 missiles. Furthermore this missile is carried by improved versions of the MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-25. This missile was also designed as a counterweight for the United States F-15 fighters armed with the AIM-7F “Sparrow” missiles. Suggestions of the new missile conception were made in 1972 – 1973 and at the end of 1973 development of this missile begins. There were made two competeting projects by “Molniya” and “Vympel” design bureaus and early in the 1980s the “Vympel” design was selected for further development. Series production of the R-27 began in 1986.