Non-Subscriber Extract
China, India close in on Russian 'Adder' sale
- Article Tools
| 04 September 2000 |
DUNCAN LENNOX Editor,
Jane's Air-Launched Weapons
London
The
Russian prime contractor Vympel NPO is close to concluding the sale of its
R-77/RVV-AE (NATO reporting name: AA-12 'Adder') medium-range air-to-air
missile to China and India, company officials have revealed. China's long-held interest in acquiring an export version of the 75km-capable missile for its Sukhoi Su-30MKK ('Flanker-C') fighters has yet to be officially finalised, but is expected to lead to an initial order for around 100 missiles for evaluation purposes. Beijing plans to assemble and eventually manufacture the weapon, which is believed to have been designated the R-77E, under the local designation R-129.
India is also believed to be close to signing a contract to equip its Su-30MKI and upgraded MiG-21/93 ('Fishbed' ) aircraft with the AA-12, and an Indian Air Force crew earlier this year conducted a test firing of the weapon from a MiG-29SE ('Fulcrum-C').
The status of Malaysia's interest in the missile remains unclear, although a small number of weapons are thought to have been delivered for evaluation with its MiG-29N fighters in 1996.
Only 200 examples of the active radar guided R-77 have been built to date, according to Vympel sources; about half this number have already been used during development and evaluation trials. While the Russian Air Force is believed to have tested the missile with its MiG-29M, MiG-29SMT, MiG-31M and Su-30MK aircraft, it is not expected to field the weapon until 2004 or 2005, with initial production of the weapon expected to hinge on the receipt of export orders.
Funding shortages and the current use of the R-27 (AA-10 'Alamo') family of missiles, later versions of which have a maximum range of 70-110km, have further delayed the AA-12 programme, as has the fact that Russia currently possesses few of the upgraded aircraft required to deploy the weapon.
Vympel has suggested design improvements, including the integration of an improved active radar seeker or a new infrared seeker, a larger two-phase solid-propellant motor offering increased range, and a ramjet-powered version of the missile.
A smaller version of the missile has also been proposed for internal carriage by future stealth aircraft, and a surface-to-air version, designated the R-77-3PK, has also been demonstrated, but has yet to be offered for export.
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| AA-12 'Adder' missile shown on a Su-30MK aircraft (Source: D Lennox/Jane's) |