Recently, according to media reports, Russia’s Su 35S fighter jets may be equipped with R37M air-to-air missiles in the future to maximize the combat effectiveness of the Su 35 fighter jets. According to Russian propaganda, the range of R37M will be as high as 300 kilometers, which is three times that of the current R77 light medium-range missile. Once equipped with this missile, it may completely rewrite the existing air combat mode. The purpose of the bomb is obvious. That is for high-value targets such as early warning aircraft and strategic bombers.
In fact, Russia has always had an urgent need for long-range air-to-air missiles. Air-to-air missiles with a longer range and Mach 31 with a speed of Mach 2.8 can intercept invading bombers as far as possible. , So as to maximize the security of its own territory, and the MiG 31 standard R33 air-to-air missile has a maximum range of 200 kilometers, which has been the exclusive weapon of the MiG 31 interceptor.
Following the R33 air-to-air missile, Russia did not interrupt the development of ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles. Instead, in the early 21st century, it developed the KS172 ultra-long-range air-to-air missile with a longer range, but mainly for foreign trade. The KS172 of the product has never been exported. According to Russian data, its self-use model has a range of up to 400 kilometers, even the export model has a range of up to 300 kilometers. It adopts a two-stage mode and has a huge booster at the tail.
Due to its huge size, this missile is difficult to be integrated into other fighters. Even the Flanker family can only rely on the heavy-load mount point to mount two missiles. The R73M missile perfectly avoids a series of shortcomings of the KS172, greatly shortens the length of the missile body, and can be incorporated into the built-in weapon bay of the Su 57 fighter. It can be seen from the previously announced Su 57 mounting plan that it is in stealth In the mode, the Su 57 can mount 4 R37M and two R74 combat missiles, with extremely powerful firepower.
Compared with the previous R33 semi-active radar guidance mode, the R37M air-to-air missile uses an active radar guidance head. It can be judged by its huge diameter. The radar search distance may be about 100 kilometers. With the Su 35's Snow Leopard E passive phased array radar, the maximum detection range of 400 kilometers has greatly increased the Su 35's long-range interception capabilities. In the absence of results in the Russian next-generation interceptor program, the Su-35 may assume duties similar to the MiG 31 interceptor.
At present, the R37M ultra-long-range air-to-air missile has been integrated into the weapon systems of the Su 57 and MiG 31, plus the Su 35 fighter jets. The Russian Air Force has three fighters capable of launching R37M. Its air combat Performance has been greatly enhanced. In addition, as the main force of the Russian Air and Space Army's long-range patrol, the Su-30SM may also incorporate this powerful ultra-long-range air-to-air missile.
Ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles are a huge threat to early warning aircraft. In the era of traditional medium-range bombs, the engagement distance of fighters is generally between 40-60 kilometers, and rarely exceeds 80 kilometers. , And the detection range of large early warning aircraft is generally more than 300 kilometers, which allows early warning aircraft to hide behind and direct fighters to conduct air combat. After the emergence of the Su-57 and R37M missile combination, on the one hand, the detection range of the early warning aircraft can be greatly reduced, on the other hand, the R37M can be used to launch missiles outside the interception range of the opponent's fighter aircraft, which sharply increases the risk of the early warning aircraft being shot down.
Author: bolted engine
