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| Vympel R-60 AA-8 "Aphid" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Lightweightshort-range air-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1970–present |
| Wars | Iran–Iraq War South African Border War Lebanese Civil War Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Vympel |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 44 kg (97 lb) |
| Length | 2,090 mm (6 ft 10 in) |
| Diameter | 120 mm (4.7 in) |
| Wingspan | 390 mm (15 in) |
| Warhead | 3 kg (6.6 lb) |
Detonation mechanism | proximity |
| Engine | Solid-fuel rocket engine |
Operational range | 8kilometres (5.0 mi) |
| Flight altitude | 20,000 m (66,000 ft) |
| Maximum speed | Mach 2.47 |
Guidance system | Infrared homing[1] |
Launch platform | MiG-21,MiG-23,MiG-25,MiG-27,MiG-29,MiG-31,Su-15,Su-17,Su-20,Su-22,Su-24,Su-25,Yak-28,Yak-38,Yak-141,Mi-24,BAE Systems Hawk,L39ZA,J-22 Orao |
TheMolniya (nowVympel)R-60 (NATO reporting name:AA-8 "Aphid") is a short-range lightweightinfrared homingair-to-air missile designed for use bySovietfighter aircraft. It has been widelyexported, and remains in service with theCIS and many other nations.
The R-60 was initially developed for theMiG-23. Work began on the weapon, under the bureau designationK-60 (izdeliye 62), in the late 1960s. Series production began in 1973. It entered service with the designationR-60 (NATO reporting name"Aphid-A").
When introduced, the R-60 was one of the world's lightest and most agile air-to-air missiles, with a launch weight of 44 kg (97 lb). It hasinfrared guidance, with an uncooledKomar (Mosquito) seeker head. Control is by forwardrudders with large rear fins. The distinctivecanards on the nose, known as "destabilizers," serve to improve the rudders' efficiency at highangles of attack. The R-60 uses a very small, 3 kg (6.6 lb),tungstenexpanding-rod warhead.
According to Russian sources,[which?] practical engagement range is about 4,000 m (4,400 yd), although "brochure range" is 8 km (5.0 mi) athigh altitude. The weapon was one of the most agile air-to-air missiles until the advent of thrust vectored missiles like theR-73 andAIM-9X. The R-60 can be used by aircraft maneuvering at up to 9g against targets maneuvering at up to 8g. A tactical advantage is the short minimum range of only 300 m (330 yd).
Soviet practice was to manufacture most air-to-air missiles with interchangeable IR-homer andsemi-active radar homing (SARH) seekers – however, an SARH version of the R-60 was never contemplated due to the small size of the missile which makes a radar-homing version with an antenna of reasonable size impractical.
An inert training version, alternatively designatedUZ-62 andUZR-60, was also built.
An upgraded version, theR-60M (NATO reporting name:"Aphid-B"), using anitrogen-cooled seeker with an expanded view angle of ±20°, was introduced around 1982. Although its seeker is more sensitive than its predecessor, the R-60M has only limitedall-aspect capability. Minimum engagement range was further reduced, to only 200 m (220 yd).[2] The proximity fuzes had improved resistance toECM, although both optical and radar fuzes remained available. The export version with theKolibri-M Radar-fuze are designatedR-60MK (NATO reporting name:"Aphid-C").[3] The R-60M is 42 mm (1.7 in) longer, and has a heavier, 3.5 kg (7.7 lb)continuous-rod warhead, increasing launch weight to 45 kg (99 lb). In the R-60M the continuous rod warhead now uses 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) ofdepleted uranium rods for enhanced fragmentation.[4]
The inert training version of the R-60M was theR-60MU.
Since 1999, a modified version of the weapon has been used as asurface-to-air missile (SAM) as part of theYugoslavM55A3B1 towedanti-aircraft artillery system. It has also been seen carried on a twin rail mount on a modifiedM53/59 Praga armoredSPAAG of (former) Czechoslovakian origin. These missiles have been modified with the addition of a first stage booster motor, with the missile's own motor becoming the sustainer. This was done in lieu of modifying the missile's motor for ground launch, as in the case of the USMIM-72 Chaparral.
The current Russian dogfight missile is theR-73 (AA-11 "Archer"), but large numbers of R-60 missiles remain in service.
On 20 April 1978, two R-60 missiles were fired atKorean Air Lines Flight 902 after a navigational error had caused it to fly into Soviet airspace. One missile hit, detaching 4 meters of the left wing and killing 2 passengers. The plane made an emergency landing on a frozen lake.[5]
On 21 June 1978, a PVO MiG-23M flown by Pilot Captain V. Shkindershot down two Iranian Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters that had trespassed into Soviet airspace, one helicopter being dispatched by two R-60 missiles and the other by cannon fire.
Several Russian reports affirm the R-60 was widely used during the1982 Lebanon war, and it was the main weapon used by theSyrians in air-to-air combat. Some Russian reports affirm that the R-60 was the most successful air-to-air missile deployed by the Syrians in Lebanon over theBekaa Valley.[6][7] According to Israeli reports, the vast majority of air-to-air combat consisted of visual range dogfights, and this has been also confirmed by Russian sources. The Russian reports also mentioned that severalF-4s,F-16s, andIAI Kfirs were destroyed by R-60s among other aircraft. Israel claims some F-4s and Kfirs were lost in 1982, but listssurface-to-air missiles as responsible for all Israeli aircraft losses. However, on 9 June 1982, a Syrian MiG-21 heavily damaged anF-15 using an R-60, but the Israeli aircraft was able to make it back to its base and was subsequently repaired.[8]
On 11 August 1984, during theIran–Iraq War, anIraqi Air ForceMiG-23ML shot down an IranianF-14A piloted by Hashem All-e-Agha using an R-60.[9]
Iraqi MiG-23s damaged two EF-111A Raven by R-60 (missile)s during the Gulf War.[10]
On 19 January 1991, during theGulf War, Iraqi air force pilot Jameel Sayhood claimed to have shot down aRoyal Air ForcePanavia Tornado with an R-60 missile. However, the Royal Air Force claimed that the aircraft crashed on 22 January 1991 on a bombing mission in Ar Rutba.
On 27 September 1987, duringOperation Moduler, twoCuban FARMiG-23MLs intercepted Captain Arthur Piercy'sMirage F1CZ, which was damaged by an R-60 fired head-on by Major Alberto Ley Rivas. The explosion destroyed the aircraft'sdrag chute and damaged the hydraulics. Piercy was able to recover to AFB Rundu, but the aircraft overshot the runway. The impact with the rough terrain caused Piercy'sejection seat to fire, but he failed to separate from the seat and suffered major spinal injuries.[11][8]
In 1999, anIndian Air ForceMiG-21 used an infrared-homing R-60 to bring down a Pakistani NavyBreguet Atlantic which intruded over Indian airspace. Part of the wreckage was found in contested territory, this incident is widely known as theAtlantic incident.
In 2024, the R-60 has seen some minor use by theArmed Forces of Ukraine during theRussian invasion, being reportedly adapted for the surface-to-air role and mounted onSea Baby naval drones. The R-60M has also been mounted onSu-25s, possibly for shooting down drones.[12][13]
Algeria[14]
Angola[15]
Azerbaijan[16]
Belarus[17]
Cuba[18]
Eritrea[19]
Ethiopia[20]
Georgia[21]
India[22]
Iran[23]
Kazakhstan[24]
Libya[25]
North Korea[26]
Peru[27]
Poland[28]
Russia − Used by the Air Force and Naval Aviation[29]
Serbia[30]
Sudan[31]
Syria[32]
Turkmenistan[33]
Ukraine[34]
Uzbekistan[35]
Vietnam[36]
Afghanistan[37]
Bulgaria[37]
China[37]
Croatia − R-60 and R-60MK[38]
Czechoslovakia[39] − Passed on to successor states. Czech Republic[40]
East Germany[41]
Finland − Was used on theMiG-21bis[39]
Germany[37]
Hungary[37]
Iraq[42]
Malaysia[37]
Romania[37]
Slovakia[37]
Soviet Union[43] − Passed on to successor states.
South Yemen[39]
Yemen[44]
Yugoslavia[37] − Passed on to successor states.
Zimbabwe[45]