New wonder rocket Vympel R-37M – Russia claims to have shot down masses of Ukrainian jets in just a few days

2023-10-26 19:38:00

War in Ukraine New miracle rocket Vympel R-37M – Russia claims to have shot down masses of Ukrainian jets in just a few days

The Vympel R-37M was already on display at MAKS 2013.

© Vitaly V. Kuzmin / wikimedia

Russia is said to have inflicted very heavy losses on the Ukrainian Air Force in the last two weeks. The reason is said to be the use of a modern rocket with a long range. The R-37M can strike at a distance of 400 kilometers.

Russian forces claim to have shot down a large number of Ukrainian jets in recent weeks. There is no real evidence of this and the cause is not clear either. However, it is assumed that Russia can deploy a new defense missile launched from an aircraft. It is the Vympel R-37, the NATO name is AA-13 “Axehead”. The weapon has a long range; the R-37M variant has a booster that allows it to attack targets 400 kilometers away. Their speed is five to six times the speed of sound, in the lower hypersonic range. The new Agat 9B1388 seeker head steers itself to the target in the final phase without the help of the carrier jet. This means that the R-37, unlike its predecessor the R-33, can be used by multiple jets.

Very long range air-to-air missile

The defensive weapon is very large. It weighs almost a ton, the length is 4.06 meters – the fragment warhead weighs almost 60 kilograms. With such a heavy warhead, even if it explodes near the jet, the target will be destroyed. The attacked jet has difficulty detecting the missile. You can measure the active seeker head, then there is a warning, but it is only activated shortly before the target.

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The R-37M is the successor to the Soviet R-33 air-to-air missile. The R-37M can be installed on Russian fourth and fifth generation fighter aircraft. Development began in the late 2000s. The missile was originally intended to be carried by a MiG-31. However, it was later decided that the Su-30, Su-35 and Su-57 would also launch the weapon.

Heavy losses

According to Russian reports, the Ukrainian Air Force lost 26 systems in less than two weeks, including 17 MiG-29, 2 SU-24, 3 SU-25, 1 L-39 and 3 Mi-8 helicopters. There is no real evidence of these numbers, although the R-37 has been spotted. Western experts also assume that it is in use. If this is true, the situation in Ukrainian airspace has fundamentally changed. Kiev cannot bear such losses. Nor can they be offset by more jets from the west.

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Even using the American F-16 would be risky. With a range of 400 kilometers, the eastern part of Ukraine would be at acute risk. This also makes the use of air-to-ground missiles such as the “Storm Shadow” difficult. In order for these weapons to hit targets in the Russian hinterland, the carrier jets must fly well within the range of the R-37M.

With the emergence of the R-37M, the air war changes again. Like in the weeks before. Kiev was able to successfully attack Russian airports deep in the hinterland using US-supplied ATACMS missiles. In response, Russia is further reducing bases, making it more difficult to support troops on the ground. Conversely, Russia was able to increase the range of simple kamikaze drones and use them to attack Ukrainian jets on the ground.