R-77

Description

The Vympel NPO "Izdelie 170" R-77 with NATO codename AA-12 Adder (a type of viper), aka RVV-AE when export, is a Soviet/Ukrainian/Russian (note: developed in Ukrainian SSR but also manufactured by Vympel in Russia after dissolution) beyond-visual range ARH AAM by early 1990s; the missile was developed by OKB Molnija (Lightning) in Ukrainian SSR since 1982 as the new BVR AAM for the Soviet Air Force, due to the dissolution of the Red Giant and subsequence lack of funding, the export RVV-AE was in fact the very first production series while CIS countries would have to acquire the serial R-77 after the supply chain was secured since 2000s.

As one of the new ARH AAM introduced in "Seek & Destroy" for VVS and PLAAF for their Flankers/Fulcrum series, although it might not have the range of some of its counterparts, its extremely high overload turns it into an active seeker "dogfight" missile thanks to its unique tail design.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• J-11A
• MiG-29SMT
• Su-27SM

General info

Missile characteristics
Mass	177 kg
Guidance	ARH+IOG+DL
Band	I
Lock range	16 km
Launch range	80 km
Maximum speed	4.0 M
Maximum overload	50 G
Missile guidance time	90 secs
Explosive mass	15.56 kg TNTeq

Effective damage

Having a warhead at 15.56 kg TNTe, it has some of the highest explosive content among ARH AAMs of its tier and the proximity fuse will make sure enemy jets will face the most miserable end once being hit within the radius.

Comparison with analogues

Give a comparative description of missiles that have firepower equal to this weapon.

Usage in battles

By the era of BVR combats, the main thumb of rule for all ARH AAMs is: higher the carrier speed, the longer radius and higher the speed. Considering that jets have to utilize altitude advantage to gain farther range, players will also have to be expect enemy jets doing so; be sure to guide the missile as close as it could before the missile active seeker itself activates - but the problem is, due to the unique design with grid fins at very high drag, this in fact limits the overall range of R-77 at non-ideal scenario, the velocity drops at much higher rates than other ARH AAMs. But considering that it has rather high overload in this case, players can use it as a supersize "dogfight" AAM especially within 10 km radius, this also means the missile seeker would already been activated at this range; this tactics also rely on the carrier's radar performance - for example, while Su-27SM can guide 6 missiles, PLAAF's J-11A would only guide one at a time, and the inferior radar performance for its carriers do affect how they lock onto enemy targets, so players will have to be patient for the hunt down.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Rather high overload
• High explosive content
• Requires no further guidance once onboard seeker activates

Cons:

• Much shorter range due to missile design
• Very dependent on carrier's radar performance for acquisition

History

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Media

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See also

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• reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;
• references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

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