R-23 (missile)

The Wympel R-23 (DIA Code: AA -7, NATO reporting name: Apex ) is a Soviet air -to-air missile for medium combat distances. This rocket is considered as primary armament for the MiG -23 in the main use as a fighter.

Development

The mid- 1960s began to develop a new air - to-air missile for also being developed MiG- 23 in the OKB -134 Wympel (Russian Вымпел ). Developed under the name of K -23 missile was originally get a dual-mode seeker, which should have both infrared and semi-active radar control. However, this proved to be impractical, and so two variants of the same missile were developed; one with infrared and radar homing head ( isdelije 340 and 360), as R - 23T or R- 23R became known later. In 1967 the first test starts took place, with the semi-active seeker of the R- 23R proved to be very problematic.

1968 was the Soviet Union access to an AIM -7 Sparrow and Wympel built this by under the name of K -25 in order to compare the performance of both missiles can. From this comparison, the K -23 came out because of its greater range and its higher resistance to defensive measures as the winner. In 1971 the project K -25 has been discontinued.

The R- 23 was put into service in January 1974. Both versions differed only by the search head and were referred to in the West as AA and AA -7A -7B. Externally, the IR version at the rounded, or the radar - version of the conical nose and longer can be identified. A training missile without a warhead was called R- 23UT.

R -23 has four delta wings mounted slightly behind the center of the Rakentenkörpers four small control surfaces on the rear and small triangular control surfaces at the nose. All these surfaces are attached one behind the other, so that R-23 looks in a cross shape in the front view.

The R- 23R has an effective range of about 14 km, when it is fired at a low altitude and 25 km in the high altitudes. The infrared-guided R- 23T is limited by the range of the search head to about 11 km, which gives it by using the same drive more maneuvers reserves. The R-23 can be used up to a load factor of 4g against targets maneuvering at up to 5g. The minimum range of the R- 23T is 1,300 m and 2 km for the R- 23R.

Versions

  • R- 23T - infrared guided
  • R- 23R - radar- controlled ( semi- active)
  • R- 23UT - School missile ( UT - Utschitsa training)

License version

  • A- 911 ( Romania)

R -24

From 1975, an uprated version of the R-23 was developed for the MiG-23ML/MLD with the R -24. Both versions had a larger engine, a larger explosive charge and a greatly shortened minimal use of distance of 500 m. The range could be increased to up to 50 km, the maximum altitude up to 25,000 m, in addition, they had the " lock-on after launch" - ( " intrusion after the start " ) capability. The viewfinder of the R- 24T has been improved and now had a larger resolution. Both models could now be used against maneuvering targets with 7g. The factory designations denominated isdelije 140 or 160, in the West they were called AA - 7C and 7D AA.

The R -24 remained at least until the end of the service period of the last Russian MiG -23 in 1997 in the inventory of the WWS.

Pictures

R- 23T

R- 24R

R- 24T under a Ukrainian MiG- 23MLD

MiG -23 with two R- 24R (white, long) and R-60 (white, short)

Comparable models

  • AIM -7 Sparrow
  • Wympel R -27
  • Wympel R -40
  • British Aerospace Skyflash
Solid-fuel rocket Mach number Defense Intelligence Agency Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23
21986
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