Exactly 30 years ago, the Russian Air Force and Air Defense adopted the R-77 supersonic medium-range missile.

It was intended to combat highly maneuverable enemy targets and achieve parity with the United States in air-to-air weapons.

According to experts interviewed by RT, the R-77 was primarily in demand in the arsenal of the MiG-29, the newest light fighter at that time, which could conduct air combat at different distances and destroy American aircraft and missiles.

“The main work on the R-77 took place in the 1980s.

They were part of, so to speak, a strategic plan to prevent the United States from gaining air superiority.

Let me remind you that at the end of the Cold War, American aviation was re-equipped with F-16 and F-15 with highly effective missiles.

To combat these threats, the USSR created the super-maneuverable MiG-29 and new weapons for it,” recalled Colonel Sergei Khatylev, ex-chief of the anti-aircraft missile forces of the Special Forces Command of the Russian Air Force, in a commentary to RT.

For his part, military expert Alexey Leonkov noted in a conversation with RT that the new missile for the MiG-29 was well adapted to defeat NATO air targets at medium range.

“For medium-range air combat, the country needed a missile that could perform maneuvers with overloads.

For this purpose, an innovative solution was provided in the design of the R-77, using lattice-type keels.

When blown in aerodynamic chambers, they allowed the missile to form angles of attack relative to the target over a wide range.

In addition, the R-77 flew at a fairly high speed, having a solid fuel engine,” Leonkov said.

  • R-77 air-to-air missile on the weapon hardpoint of a Russian Aerospace Forces fighter involved in the SVO

  • RIA News

New modifications

The development of the R-77 started by decision of the Military-Industrial Commission under the USSR government on March 19, 1980.

The ammunition was supposed to hit not only aircraft, but also air-to-air missiles AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-54 Phoenix, as well as missiles of the MIM-104 Patriot air defense system.

The implementation of the project was entrusted to the State Machine-Building Design Bureau (GosMKB) "Vympel", NPO "Molniya", the State Research Institute of Aviation Systems (GosNIIAS) and the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI).

Testing of the R-77 began in 1983, initially without a target guidance system.

Target launches were carried out from 1988 to 1991.

La-17 UAVs and unmanned modifications of Tu-16 and MiG-21 aircraft were used as conditional targets for destruction.

The R-77 is made according to a normal aerodynamic design with an X-shaped wing and an all-moving X-shaped tail with lattice aerodynamic surfaces.

The length of the rocket was 3.6 m, weight - 175 kg, range of use - up to 100 km, speed - 4-4.5 M, flight altitude of the target - from 20 m to 25 km.

The R-77 could be equipped with high-explosive fragmentation, rod with micro-cumulative destructive elements and other types of warheads.

As military expert Vasily Dandykin, captain of the 1st rank in the reserve, said in a commentary to RT, the tests of the R-77 were successful, but as a result, the missile could not be fully adopted by aviation due to the crisis that arose after the collapse of the USSR.

In the difficult conditions of the early 1990s, the project practically saved the contract with India, the analyst said.

For the needs of the Air Force of this country, a modification of the RVV-AE was developed, which is actually a copy of the tested product.

“Work on creating the rocket lasted more than ten years.

It was necessary to take into account all the features of its operation in the north and south of the country and, in addition, take into account the wishes of partners in military-technical cooperation, to whom we supplied our aircraft and weapon kits for them.

Also, the tests took place during the era of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Then the project was in fact revived by India, which decided to equip its Air Force with our aircraft and aircraft missiles.

According to open data, New Delhi has purchased hundreds of export P-77s,” Dandykin explained.

According to the Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation (KTRV), the RVV-AE is designed to intercept fighters, bombers, attack aircraft, helicopters, military transport aircraft, cruise missiles at any time of the day and in conditions of electronic interference by the enemy.

  • Illustrative image of the RVV-AE missile (modification R-77)

  • © KTRV

A design feature of the RVV-AE is the use of lattice rudders with an electric drive.

This technical solution still has no analogues in the world.

The missile is equipped with an inertial guidance system with radio correction.

It has a range of 80 km and carries a warhead weighing 22.5 kg.

Later, Vympel developed a modification called RVV-AE-PD with a combined ramjet engine.

Thanks to the new power plant, the product has a significantly higher range compared to the base and export models.

Experts suggest that the RVV-AE-PD is capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 120-180 km.

Vympel also developed a modification called RVV-SD (R-77-1) with a range of 110 km.

The missile is equipped with a rod-based multi-cumulative warhead.

The starting weight of the ammunition does not exceed 190 kg.

Air defense support

As experts note, modern modifications of the R-77 are included in the arsenal of almost all Russian operational-tactical aviation aircraft, allowing them, if necessary, to strike various types of air targets, including missiles.

According to Alexey Leonkov, equipping the R-77 family of missiles and other air-to-air ammunition allows multi-role aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces to perform the function of air defense systems.

“Now, as during the Cold War, the fighter plays the role of supporting the air defense system.

It is capable of being the first to meet enemy attack weapons at long range, before cruise missiles reach the coverage area of ​​such long-range air defense systems as the S-400 and S-300V4,” the expert explained.

Leonkov named the main advantages of the R-77 family of missiles as supersonic speed, high maneuverability, modern guidance equipment and countermeasures against enemy electronic interference.

“The R-77 is capable of quickly moving to the attack line and, after maneuvering, hitting the target.

The missile implements the “fire and forget” principle, that is, the pilot does not need to accompany it.

As far as I understand, if the R-77 locks onto a target, then the probability of its destruction is very high.

The missile has an effective guidance system and excellent speed characteristics.

The R-77 is almost impossible to intercept, jam and predict its flight path,” Leonkov noted.

As experts suggest, modifications of the R-77 can be used by the Russian Aerospace Forces as part of a special operation to destroy aircraft, cruise and anti-aircraft missiles.

“The use of the R-77 in the Northern Military District has not been officially reported.

However, data from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the number and range of intercepted targets allows us to conclude that air-to-air missiles, including R-77, are used quite widely against missiles and aircraft of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” said Alexey Leonkov.

  • Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft

  • © UAC

In his opinion, the P-77 family will be able to effectively work against Western aircraft, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces will probably receive this year.

Vasily Dandykin shares a similar point of view.

“The F-16 is the main workhorse of the NATO Air Force.

Having received these aircraft, the enemy expects to start hunting for our Su-34 fighter-bombers, which, with the help of aerial bombs, destroy defense centers and destroy equipment and warehouses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The F-16 can be countered by the Su-57 and Su-35, including with the help of the R-77,” the expert predicts.

At the same time, he clarified that the average radius remains the optimal engagement distance in modern air combat, when aircraft are equipped with on-board radar stations, and missiles are equipped with homing heads.

“The R-77 was created taking into account the fact that it will be used against air targets of a technologically advanced enemy possessing electronic suppression systems.

Considering the plans of the sponsors of the Kyiv regime, it will certainly prove itself during the Northern Military District in the fight against Western missiles and aircraft,” Dandykin concluded.