R-60 (missile)

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Vympel R-60 AA-8 "Aphid"
Type	Short-range lightweight infrared homing air-to-air missile
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1974–present
Wars	Iran–Iraq War South African Border War Lebanese Civil War
Production history
Manufacturer	Vympel
Specifications
Mass	43.5 kg (96 lb)
Length	2,090 mm (6 ft 10 in)
Diameter	120 mm (4.7 in)
Warhead	3 kg (6.6 lb)
Detonation mechanism	proximity
Engine	Solid-fuel rocket engine
Wingspan	390 mm (15 in)
Operational range	8 kilometres (5.0 mi)
Flight altitude	20,000 m (66,000 ft)
Maximum speed	Mach 2.7
Guidance system	Infrared homing[1]
Launch platform	MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-27, MiG-29, MiG-31, Su-15, Su-17, Su-20, Su-22, Su-24, Su-25, Yak-28, Yak-38, Yak-141, Mi-24, BAE Systems Hawk, , J-22 Orao

The Molniya (now Vympel) R-60 (NATO reporting name: AA-8 "Aphid") is a short-range lightweight infrared homing air-to-air missile designed for use by Soviet fighter aircraft. It has been widely exported, and remains in service with the CIS and many other nations.

History[]

The R-60 was initially developed for the MiG-23. Work began on the weapon, under the bureau designation K-60 (izdeliye 62), in the late 1960s. Series production began in 1973. It entered service with the designation R-60 (NATO reporting name "Aphid-A").

When introduced, the R-60 was one of the world's lightest air-to-air missiles, with a launch weight of 44 kg (97 lb). It has infrared guidance, with an uncooled Komar (Mosquito) seeker head. Control is by forward rudders with large rear fins. The distinctive canards on the nose, known as "destabilizers," serve to improve the rudders' efficiency at high angles of attack. The R-60 uses a small, 3 kg (6.6 lb) tungsten expanding-rod surrounding a high explosive fragmentation warhead. Two different types of proximity fuze can be fitted: the standard Strizh (Swift) optical fuse, which can be replaced with a Kolibri active radar fuse. Missiles equipped with the latter fuse were designated R-60K.^[2]

According to Russian sources,^[which?] practical engagement range is about 4,000 m (4,400 yd), although "brochure range" is 8 km (5.0 mi) at high altitude. The weapon was one of the most agile air-to-air missiles until the advent of thrust vectored missiles like the R-73 and AIM-9X. The R-60 can be used by aircraft maneuvering at up to 9g against targets maneuvering at up to 8g. A tactical advantage is the short minimum range of only 300 m (330 yd).

Soviet practice was to manufacture most air-to-air missiles with interchangeable IR-homer and semi-active radar homing (SARH) seekers – however, an SARH version of the R-60 was never contemplated due to the small size of the missile which makes a radar-homing version with an antenna of reasonable size impractical.

An inert training version, alternatively designated UZ-62 and UZR-60, was also built.

An upgraded version, the R-60M (NATO reporting name: "Aphid-B"), using a nitrogen-cooled seeker with an expanded view angle of ±20°, was introduced around 1982. Although its seeker is more sensitive than its predecessor, the R-60M has only limited all-aspect capability. Minimum engagement range was further reduced, to only 200 m (220 yd).^[3] The proximity fuzes had improved resistance to ECM, although both optical and radar fuzes remained available (radar-fuzed R-60Ms with the Kolibri-M fuze are designated R-60 km). The R-60M is 42 mm (1.7 in) longer, and has a heavier, 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) continuous-rod warhead, increasing launch weight to 45 kg (99 lb). In some versions the warhead is apparently laced with about 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) of depleted uranium to increase the penetrating power of the warhead.^[4]

The inert training version of the R-60M was the R-60MU.

Two R-60 missiles mounted on a MiG-29K

Since 1999, a modified version of the weapon has been used as a surface-to-air missile (SAM) as part of the Yugoslav towed anti-aircraft artillery system. It has also been seen carried on a twin rail mount on a modified M53/59 Praga armored SPAAG of (former) Czechoslovakian origin. These missiles have been modified with the addition of a first stage booster motor, with the missile's own motor becoming the sustainer. This was done in lieu of modifying the missile's motor for ground launch, as in the case of the US MIM-72 Chaparral.

The current Russian dogfight missile is the R-73 (missile) (AA-11 "Archer"), but large numbers of R-60 missiles remain in service.

Operational history[]

Soviet Union[]

On 20 April 1978, two R-60 missiles were fired at Korean Air Lines Flight 902 after a navigational error had caused it to fly into Russian airspace. One missile hit, detaching 4 meters of the left wing and killing 2 passengers. The plane made an emergency landing on a frozen lake.

On 21 June 1978, a PVO MiG-23M flown by Pilot Captain V. Shkinder shot down two Iranian Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters that had trespassed into Soviet airspace, one helicopter being dispatched by two R-60 missiles and the other by cannon fire.

Syria[]

Several Russian reports affirm the AA-8 was widely used during the 1982 Lebanon war, and it was the main weapon used by the Syrians in air-to-air combat. Some Russian reports affirm that the R-60 was the most successful air-to-air missile deployed by the Syrians in Lebanon over the Bekaa Valley in 1982^[5][6] According to Israeli reports, the vast majority of air-to-air combat consisted of visual range dogfights, and this has been also confirmed by Russian sources. The Russian reports also mentioned that several F-4s, F-16, IAI Kfirs were destroyed by R-60s among other aircraft. Israel claims some F-4s and Kfirs were lost in 1982, but lists SAMs as responsible for all Israeli aircraft losses. However, on June 9, 1982 a Syrian MiG-21 heavily damaged an Israeli F-15 by R-60 but it was able to make back at base and was repaired.^[7]

Iraq[]

On 11 August 1984 during Iran–Iraq War an Iraqi air force MiG-23ML shot down an Iranian F-14A piloted by Hasheem-el-agha by R-60.

On 19 January 1991, during the Gulf War, Iraqi air force pilot Jameel Sayhood claimed to have shot down a Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado with a R-60 missile, however according to the Royal Air Force the aircraft crashed on 22 January 1991 on a bombing mission in Ar Rutba.

Angola/Cuba[]

On 27 September 1987, during Operation Moduler, two Cuban FAR MiG-23MLs intercepted Captain Arthur Piercy's Mirage F1CZ, which was damaged by either an R-23 or an R-60 fired head-on by Major Alberto Ley Rivas. The explosion destroyed the aircraft's drag chute and damaged the hydraulics. Piercy was able to recover to AFB Rundu, but the aircraft overshot the runway. The impact with the rough terrain caused Piercy's ejection seat to fire, but he failed to separate from the seat and suffered major spinal injuries.^[8][7]

On 7 August 1988, a BAe-125 owned by the Botswana government was carrying the President of Botswana, Quett Masire, and his staff to a meeting in Luanda. An Angolan MiG-23 pilot fired two R-60s at the plane. One missile hit the no. 2 engine, causing it to fall off the aircraft. The second missile then hit the falling engine. The crew was able to make a successful emergency landing on a bush strip at Cutio Bie.^{[9][citation needed]}

India[]

An Indian Air Force MiG-21 used an infrared homing R-60 to bring down a Pakistani Navy Breguet Atlantic in 1999 which intruded over Indian airspace. Part of the wreckage was found in contested territory, this incident is widely known as the Atlantique incident.

Operators[]

Map with R-60 operators in blue and former operators in red

Current operators[]

 Algeria^[10]

 Armenia

 Angola

 Bulgaria

 Croatia

 Cuba

 Georgia^[11]

 India

 Iran

 Libya^[12]

 Malaysia

 North Korea

 Peru

 Poland^[13]

 Romania

 Russia

 Slovakia

 Serbia

 Syria

 Ukraine

 Vietnam

Former operators[]

 Czechoslovakia

Passed on successor states.

 Czech Republic

 East Germany

 Finland

Was used on MiG-21Bis. Was used concurrently and afterwards on BAE Hawks until the early 2000s, replaced by the AIM-9M.

 Germany

 Hungary

Used on MiG-29

 Iraq

As of Saddam's Era.

 Soviet Union

Passed on successor states.

 Yugoslavia

Passed on successor states.

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Molniya R-60.

Citations

Bibliography