R-37 (missile)

Vympel R-37M NATO reporting name: AA-13 Arrow
R-37M at 2013 MAKS Airshow
Type	Long range, air-to-air BVR missile
Place of origin	Russia
Service history
In service	2019
Used by	Russian Air Force
Production history
Designer	Tactical Missiles Corporation
Designed	1980s
Manufacturer	Tactical Missiles Corporation
Produced	1985
Variants	R-37M
Specifications
Mass	600 kilograms (1,320 lb)
Length	4.20 metres (13 ft 9 in)
Diameter	38 centimetres (15 in)
Warhead	HE, fragmenting
Warhead weight	60 kg (135 lb)
Wingspan	0.7 m (2 ft 4 in)
Propellant	Boost-Sustain Solid Rocket
Operational range	150–398 km [1]
Maximum speed	Mach 5–Mach 6 (6,125–7,350 km/h; 3,806–4,567 mph)
Guidance system	Inertial with mid-course update, semi-active and active radar homing

The Vympel R-37M (NATO reporting name: AA-13 Arrow)^[1] is a Russian hypersonic air-to-air missile with very long range. The missile and its variants also had the names K-37, izdeliye 610 and RVV-BD (Ракета Воздух-Воздух Большой Дальности (Raketa Vozduh-Vozduh Bolshoy Dalnosti), "Long range air-to-air missile"), and the NATO codenames 'Axehead' and 'Andi'.^[2] It was developed from the R-33.

It was designed to shoot down tankers, AWACS and other C4ISTAR aircraft^[1] while keeping the launch platform out of range of any fighters that might be protecting the target.

History[]

The missile was designed in the early 1980s and first flown in 1989.^[2] Testing of the R-37 continued through the 1990s,^[2] and in 1994, a trial round scored a kill at a range of 162 nautical miles (300 km).^[1] However, the program appears to have been dropped around 1998 on grounds of cost.^[2]

Work on the missile appears to have restarted in late 2006,^[2] as part of the MiG-31BM program to update the Foxhound with a new radar and ground attack capability.^[2]

In 2018, the R-37M had finished its operational validation tests.^[3][4]

Production[]

The R-37 is now in production to equip upgraded Russian MiG-31BM interceptors.

Design[]

The R-37 was developed from the R-33. For compatibility with aircraft that did not have the MiG-31's sophisticated radar, the semi-active seeker was replaced with a variant of the Agat 9B-1388 active seeker.^[1] Similarly, folding tail controls allow semi-conformal carriage^[1] on planes that are not as big as the MiG-31.

Mid-body strakes enhance lift^[1] hence increases range. According to , the range depends on the flight profile, from 80 nautical miles (150 km) for a direct shot^[1] to 215 nautical miles (398 km) for a cruise glide profile.^[1] According to Jane's there are two variants, the R-37 and the R-37M; the latter has a jettisonable rocket booster that increases the range to "300–400km" (160–220 nm).^[2]

The R-37M designation has since been used for a modernized variant of the missile, also known as RVV-BD (Raketa Vozduh-Vozduh Bolyshoy Dalnosty, or Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile). R-37M’s range exceeds 300km, and it is capable of hypersonic speed (~Mach 6) in the final stage of its flight.^[5] It will be carried by the modernized MiG-31BM interceptors and Su-35S and Su-57 multirole fighters.^[6] It is not known whether the long range air-to-air missile for the Su-57, designated as Izdeliye 810, is a derivative of the R-37M.^{[citation needed]}

The missile can attack targets at altitudes of 15–25,000 meters, guided semi-actively or actively through the Agat 9B-1388 system.^[7]

Similar weapons[]

• AIM-54 Phoenix
• AIM-152 AAAM
• KS-172
• PL-21
• Long-Range Engagement Weapon
• Meteor (missile)
• Astra Mark 3

References[]

External links[]

• R-37 at airwar.ru