combat. This was confirmed during initial joint trainings of the former Warsaw Pact countries (in
particular, East Germany) with NATO pilots who flew some of the best western fighters.
In the 1990s, "Vympel", in the course of international exhibitions, displayed various enhancements of
the of R-73, In particular, photos of attack aircraft using a backwards launching version that could
attack threats approaching from the rear hemisphere were shown.
The launch range of the R-73 is between 0.3 and 20 km and engage targets as high as 20 km. The
initial weight is 105 kg. The missile length is 2.9 m. and the maximum body diameter is 0.17 m. The
wing span is 0.51 m. The control surfaces span .0.38 m. Maximum speed of the target is 2500 km/h.
The warhead weight is 7.4 kg. The maximum target G is 12 units. MiG-29, Su-27 and their variants
are equipped with this missile system.
The table below compares the characteristics of R-27 missiles family.
Inertial guidance with radio correction; self-guidance with semi-
active TSD with lock-on after launch; infrared TSD cooled by
nitrogen
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