Matra R530
| This page is about the semi-active radar homing missile Matra R530. For the infrared homing version, see Matra R530E. |
Contents
Description
The Matra R530 is a BVR, semi-active, radar guided, heavy missile originating from France. It is the fist iteration of the Matra 530 series of missiles, and is the fist widely used SARH missile used by the French army.
Vehicles equipped with this weapon
General info
The Matra 530 missile is a heavy anti-air weapon. it is a Semi Active, Radar Homing (SARH) missile. Meaning the missile is guided by a beam, emitted by the carrier aircraft's radar. This fact implies that the carrier aircraft must keep radar lock on it's target for the entire duration of the missile flight. Note that contrary to IR guided missiles, this SARH missile can lock on a target from much further away (up to 15 km and above), and from a front aspect. An advantage shared withe the US AIM-7 Sparrow and the USSR R3R missiles.
The missile can reach the speed of Mach 2.7, and accelerates for a long time before gliding to it's target, keeping good manoeuvrability throughout the entire flight.
The missile being of SARH type, launching the missile will trigger an RWR alert in the target aircraft, if it is equipped with such a technology. On the other hand, the missile is not seduced by flares, as it is guided by radar emission, and not heat emission.
Effective damage
The missiles carries a 10Kg warhead, which is more than enough to destroy any target in the Fighter/Attacker role. The missile detonation is triggered by a proximity fuze. The missile cannot be fired at a ground target.
Comparison with analogues
- AIM-7E Sparrow : The Matra 530 is bigger, flies longer, and is generally better. On the other hand, the carrier platforms of the sparrow carry a set of more (2 or 4) missiles, whereas the Mirage IIIC, and other variants, can only carry one Matra 530 missile.
- R-3R : The R3R missile, while technically the same of weapon, is based on the sidewinder B missile body. As such, this missile has a very weak range and manoeuvrability. Being used as a "close-range surprise SARH weapon", often used to confuse Flare-equipped aircraft, expecting an IR-guided missile. Overall, the R3R and the R530 are not comparable.
Usage in battles
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Pros and cons
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Pros:
Cons:
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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- topic on the official game forum;
- encyclopedia page on the weapon;
- other literature.
