R-23 (missile)
The Vympel R-23 (NATO reporting name AA-7 'Apex') is a medium-range air-to-air missile (AAM) developed by the Soviet Union for fighter aircraft. It is roughly comparable to the American AIM-7 Sparrow.
Development
The new weapon, designated K-23 by the design bureau, was developed in the mid-1960s to arm the new MiG-23 fighter. Its development was supervised by V.A. Pustyakov's design team. The new weapon was intended for use against bomber-sized targets, with "snap-up" capability (usable against targets at higher altitude than the launch aircraft). It originally was intended to have a dual-mode seeker using both semi-active radar homing and infrared guidance, but this proved unfeasible, and separate SARH and IR models (zdeliye 340 and 360, respectively) were developed instead. Test firings were carried out in 1967, although the SARH missile's seeker head proved to be extremely problematic.
The missile, designated R-23, entered service in January 1974. The IR version was the R-23T, the SARH missile R-23R. Both versions used the same motor and warhead, which had a lethal radius of 8 m (26 ft). An inert training round, the R-23UT, was also developed.
Western analysts later dubbed the R-23 rather crude, but Soviet engineers compared it to captured examples of the AIM-7 Sparrow, which was reverse-engineered as the K-25 in 1968, and felt that the R-23R's range and countermeasures resistance were superior to the contemporary AIM-7E.
Maximum effective range for the R-23R was about 14 km (8.8 mi) at low level and 25 km (15.6 mi) at high altitude. The range for the R-23T was about 11 km (6.9 mi). Both could be launched with the aircraft maneuvering at up to 4g against a target maneuvering at up to 5g. One of its greatest tactical limitations was its lengthy minimum range, which was 1,300 m (4,160 ft) for a rear engagement.
Large numbers of R-23s were built. The R-23 was also produced under license in Romania as the A-911.
Starting in 1975 an improved version of the weapon was developed to arm the MiG-23ML/MLD. The resultant R-24T had a much improved seeker with greater sensitivity, while the radar-guided R-24R had lock-on after launch capability and expanded range and altitude capability (up to 25,000 meters/82,000 ft). Both versions had a larger motor, a heavier warhead, and a greatly reduced minimum range of 500 m (1,600) for a rear-quarter engagement. They also could be used by or against aircraft maneuvering at up to 7g.
The R-24 remained in at least limited Russian service until the withdrawal of the last Russian MiG-23s in 1997.
Combat Record
Despite it has been said the R-23/R-24 have been scarsely successful air to air missiles, several sources have stated that the R-23/24 did indeed shoot down a few aircraft, the Bekka Valley has been one of the most known scenarios where the R-23/24 were used by the MiG-23.
While many sources claim the reliability was similar to the AIM-7 Sparrow or ECM jamming did not allow any chances of success, Russian articles claim it had a limited success even better than the AIM-7 at BVR combat because the Israeli Python III was the most successful weapon employed by Israel during the Bekka Valley air combats in June 1982 over Lebanon
Specifications
- Length: (R-23R, R-24R) 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in); (R-23T, R-24T) 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 1 m (3 ft 5 in)
- Diameter: 223 mm (8.8 in)
- Launch weight: (R-23R, R-24R) 222 kg (489 lb), 243 kg (536 lb); (R-23T, R-24T) 215 kg (474 lb), 235 kg (518 lb)
- Speed: Mach 3
- Range: (R-23R) 35 km (22 mi); (R-24R) 50 km (31 mi); (R-23T, R-24T) 15 km (9.4 mi)
- Guidance: (R-23R, R-24R) SARH; (R-23T, R-24T), infrared-homing
- Warhead: expanding-rod high explosive with proximity fuze, 25 kg (55 lb)(R-23) or 35 kg (77 lb) (R-24)