Wympel R-40

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Wympel R-40

R-40, MAKS, Schukowski, 1999
R-40, MAKS , Schukowski, 1999

General Information
Type Air-to-air missile
Local name R-40
NATO designation AA-6 Acrid
Country of origin Soviet Union 1955Soviet Union Soviet Union
Manufacturer Pennant
development 1959
Commissioning 1970
Technical specifications
length 6.20 m (R-40T), 6.24 m (R-40R)
diameter 310 mm
Combat weight 468 kg (R-40T), 475 kg (R-40R)
span 1450 mm
drive Solid
speed Do 4.5
Range 30 km (R-40T), 50 km (R-40R)
Furnishing
steering Inertial navigation
Target location IR (R-40T), SARH (R-40R)
Warhead 38 kg fragmentation warhead
Detonator Proximity & impact fuze
Weapon platforms MiG-25 , MiG-31
Lists on the subject

Wympel R-40 ( Russian Вымпел Р-40 ) is a Russian , formerly Soviet , air-to-air missile with the NATO designation AA-6 "Acrid" .

This guided missile was specially developed for use with the MiG-25 (NATO code name "Foxbat") in the 1960s and was introduced under the designation R-40T and R-40R . After the Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko left for Japan on September 6, 1976 with a MiG-25 , the aircraft model and the guided missiles were revised. The new versions were named R-40RD and R-40TD . In use on the MiG-25 it was planned to fire two missiles at an air target in order to guarantee the destruction of the target even with countermeasures. Since the standard armament of the MiG-25 consisted of two infrared and two radar-guided missiles, one of each variant was fired. But first the infrared-guided missile, so that it does not switch to the exhaust jet of the radar-guided missile.

It is currently the largest air-to-air missile in use in the world and is currently used on the MiG-31 ("Foxhound").

variants

  • R-40T: 1. Series version with infrared seeker head. Range 30 km.
  • R-40R: 1st series version with semi-active radar seeker head. Range 50 km.
  • R-40TD: Improved R-40T with revised electronics and a range of 40 km.
  • R-40RD: Improved R-40R with revised electronics and a range of over 60 km.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Data on AA-6 ACRID at globalsecurity.org (accessed on September 14, 2009)
  2. ↑ Data on AA-6 ACRID at fas.org (accessed on September 14, 2009)