Saturday, July 2, 2011

Vympel R-33 Russian AAM

The Vympel R-33 (AA-9 Amos) is a long-range air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union. It is the primary armament of the MiG-31 interceptor, intended to attack large high-speed targets such as the SR-71 Blackbird, the B-1 Lancer bomber, and the B-52 Stratofortress.

Generally similar to the U.S. Navy's retired AIM-54 Phoenix, it uses a combination of semi-active radar homing for initial acquisition and mid-course updates, and inertial navigation to reach the target at extreme range. The Zaslon phased array radar of MiG-31 allows four missiles to be guided simultaneously at separate targets.

The R-33 AAM remains in service with the CIS and Russian forces (See MiG-31 operators). It may have been deployed during the chechen conflicts as MiG-31's provided Air defense in conjunction with A-50 AWACS planes.

Vympel R-33
Type air-to-air missile
Specifications
Weight 490 kg (1,080 lb)
Length 4.15 m (13 ft 7 in)
Diameter 380 mm (15 in)

Warhead 47.5 kg (104 lb)

Wingspan 1.16 m (3 ft 8 in)
Operational
range
160 km (R-33), 130 km (R-33E), 228 km (R-33S)
Speed Mach 4.5
Guidance
system

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