R-3S

This page is about the infrared homing missile R-3S. For the semi-active radar homing version, see R-3R.

Description

The R-3S missile (scale is approximate)

The R-3S (K13A, AA-2A 'Atoll') is a Soviet infrared homing air-to-air missile, it was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic". It is an improved version of the original R-3 missile, which was itself a reverse-engineered AIM-9B. In-game the R-3S performs similarly to the AIM-9B, but is slightly worse in some respects.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• MiG-17AS
• MiG-19PT
• MiG-21F-13
• MiG-21PFM
• MiG-21S (R-13-300)
• ◄MiG-21 SPS-K
• ◊MiG-21MF
• MiG-21SMT
• MiG-21bis
• ◊MiG-21bis-SAU
• MiG-23M
• ◊MiG-23MF

General info

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Effective damage

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Comparison with analogues

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Usage in battles

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Pros and cons

Pros:

• Able to reach out and attack non-manoeuvring aircraft

Cons:

• Poor tracking
• Very low launch overload limit
• Low in-flight G-overload

History

The origin of the R-3 missile has many stories, but it starts in 1954 with Matus Ruvimovich Bisnovat's OKB-4 (renamed 1967 as GMKB Vympel), which was specialized in the development of air-to-air missiles. Bisnovat's OKB-4 soon received a captured and intact AIM-9B Sidewinder from China. The Chinese reportedly obtained the Sidewinder either as an unexploded missile launched by a Taiwanese F-86, or in a crashed fighter wreckage that carried the missile. Either way, OKB-4 was instructed to reverse-engineer the missile into a working design for Soviet aircraft.

By 1959, OKB-4 has reproduced the missile and tested their design on a Mikoyan SM-9/3T (a variant of the MiG-19S for testing purposes) and the Ye-6T (likewise variant of the MiG-21). The conclusion of the tests allowed OKB-4's missile to move towards production and service as the R-3S (S - sereeynaya (Production)). The missile was also known by the name K-13, or under its NATO designation AA-2 Atoll.

The missile would first arm the MiG-21F-13 , and would go on to arm many other variants of the MiG-21 family and other Soviet fighter aircraft. It would later be improved in the R-3R and R-13M missile.

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

References

Bibliography

• Gordon, Yefim. Soviet/Russian Aircraft Weapons Since World War II. Midland Publishing, 2004.
• Lai, Benjamin. The Dragon's Teeth: The Chinese People's Liberation Army - Its History, Traditions, and Air Sea and Land Capability in the 21st Century. Casemate Publishers, 14 July 2016.