| K-13 AA-2 "Atoll" | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Type | Short-rangeinfrared homingair-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1961 |
| Used by | SeeOperators |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Vympel |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 90 kg (200 lb) (R-13M) |
| Length | 2.830 m (9 ft 3.4 in) (R-13M) 3.48 m (11 ft 5 in) (R-3R) |
| Diameter | 127 mm (5.0 in) |
| Wingspan | 631 mm (24.8 in) (R-13M) |
| Warhead | 7.4 kg (16 lb) |
| Engine | solid-fuel rocket engine |
Operational range | 1.0 to 3.5kilometres (0.6 to 2.2 mi)[1] |
| Maximum speed | Mach 2.5 |
Guidance system | infrared homing |
Launch platform | |
TheVympel K-13 (NATO reporting name:AA-2 "Atoll") is a short-range,infrared homingair-to-air missile developed by theSoviet Union. It is similar in appearance and function to the AmericanAIM-9B Sidewinder from which it wasreverse-engineered. Although it since has been replaced by more modern missiles in frontline service, it saw widespread service in many nations.
During theSecond Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958, Taiwan'sF-86 Sabres faced the much higher performance mainland ChinesePLAAFMiG-17s. The MiG-17s had speed, maneuverability, and altitude advantages over the Sabres, allowing them to engage only when they desired, normally at advantageous times. In response, theUS Navy rushed to modify 100 ROCAF Sabres to carry the newly introducedAIM-9 Sidewinder missile. These were introduced into combat on 24 September 1958, when a group of MiG-17s cruised past a flight of Sabres, only for them to be attacked by missiles. This was the first instance of guided missiles being used in air-to-air combat.[2]
On 28 September 1958,[3] a similar engagement resulted in one of the missiles becoming lodged in aMiG-17 without exploding, allowing it to be removed after landing. The Soviets later became aware that the Chinese had at least one Sidewinder, and after some wrangling, were able to persuade the Chinese to send them one of the captured missiles.[4] Gennadiy Sokolovskiy, later chief engineer at the Vympel team, said that "the Sidewinder missile was to us a university offering a course in missile construction technology which has upgraded our engineering education and updated our approach to production of future missiles."[5]
A subsequent claim was made byRon Westrum in his bookSidewinder that the Soviets obtained the plans for the Sidewinder from Swedish Colonel and convictedspyStig Wennerström, and rushed their version into service by 1961 copying it so closely that even the part numbers were duplicated.[6] Although Wennerström did leak information of the Sidewinder after negotiating its purchase for Sweden, none of the known Soviet sources mention this, while all explicitly mention the Chinese example.[5]
The Sidewinder was quicklyreverse engineered as theK-13 (also calledR-3 or Object 300) and entered limited service only two years later in 1960. This was followed by the improvedK-13A (R-3S, Object 310), which entered service in 1962. The R-3S was the first version to enter widespread production, in spite of a very long seeker settling time on the order of 22 seconds, as opposed to 11 seconds for the original version.[5][dead link]
The R-3S was seen by the West in 1961 and given the NATO reporting nameAA-2A 'Atoll'. Minimum engagement range for the R-3S is about one kilometre. All K-13 variants are physically similar to Sidewinder, sharing the 5 inch (127 mm) diameter. Subsequent examination of AA-2 missiles captured by NATO forces showed that parts from an AIM-9 could be interchanged with parts from an AA-2 and either combination would still work.[1]
In 1962, work started on asemi-active radar homing (SARH) version for high-altitude use, theK-13R (R-3R or Object 320) with 8 km range,[citation needed] similar to the little-usedUS Navy AIM-9C Sidewinder (carried by theF-8 Crusader). This took longer to develop, and while its first launches were in 1963, it did not enter service until 1967, alongside the radar required for it, the RP-22S, on the MiG-21S, produced from 1965. This missile was available on all subsequent MiG-21 variants.[5][dead link] This version was designatedAA-2B by NATO.
Three training versions were also developed. TheR-3U ("uchebnaya", training) was an empty missile body with a homing set, allowing pilots to get used to the aiming of the system. TheR-3P ("prakticheskaya", practice) was a complete missile without an explosive warhead. TheRM-3V ("raketa-mishen", target-missile) served as an aerial target.[5][dead link]
The Vympel team started working on a more ambitious upgrade in the late 1960s, emerging as theK-13M (R-13M, Object 380) for the IRH andK-13R (R-3R) for the SARH variant, were developed in the late 1960s. These were dubbedAdvanced Atoll (AA-2C andAA-2D, respectively) in the west. The R-13M was roughly equivalent to the improvedUSN AIM-9G Sidewinder, with a newproximity fuse, more propellant for longer range, better maneuverability, and a more sensitivenitrogen-cooled seeker head. None wereall-aspect missiles. The same electronics upgrades were also applied to theKaliningrad K-5 (AA-1) to arm fighters that did not carry the K-13.
The K-13 in different versions was widely exported to theWarsaw Pact and other air forces, and remains in service with a few smaller nations. A license-built version calledA-91 was built in Romania, and thePeople's Republic of China copied the K-13 as thePL-2. Updated Chinese versions were thePL-3 andPL-5. Soviet Union provided China K-13 missile technology as a part of MiG-21 fighter jet deal in 1962. In 1967, China successfully completed locally produced K-13 (PL-2) missile tests, and started to deploy this missile to combat units. It was first used to intercept USAF UAVs flown from Vietnam and other south east Asian countries to mainland China.
Angola[7]
Bulgaria[8]
Congo[9]
Cuba[10]
Ethiopia[11]
Guinea[12]
Libya[13] − Used by the internationally recognizedGovernment of National Unity and theLibyan National Army[14]
Nigeria[15][16]
North Korea[17]
Peru[18] – On theSukhoi Su-22 and theDassault Mirage 5[19]
Sudan[20][21]
Afghanistan[22]
Algeria[22]
Azerbaijan[22]
Bangladesh[22]
Belarus[22] Bulgaria[22]
Cambodia[22]
China − Produced under license[22]
Croatia[22]
Czech Republic[22] Czechoslovakia[23] − Passed on to successor states[22]
East Germany[23]
Egypt[24]
Finland[22]
Georgia[22] Guinea[22]
Hungary[22]
India − Produced under license[22]
Indonesia[23]
Iraq[25]
Kazakhstan[22]
Laos[22]
Madagascar[22]
Mali[26]
Moldova[22]
Mongolia[22]
Mozambique[22]
North Yemen[27]
Poland[22]
Romania − Produced under license as the A-91[22]
Serbia and Montenegro[22]
Slovakia[22]
Somalia[28]
South Yemen[29]
Soviet Union − Passed on to successor states[22]
Syria[30]
Uganda[23]
Ukraine[22]
Vietnam[22]
Yemen[31]
Yugoslavia[23] − Passed on to successor states[22]
Zambia[22]The K-13 missile was used by North Vietnamese MiG-21 pilots.[32] Due to the NVAF's very limited number of MiG-21s, their common tactic was to approach an American formation at maximum reasonable speed, fire their missiles in volleys, and exit the area at maximum speed to avoid engagement.
Some of these missiles were seized by Israel during theSix-Day War in the Sinai Peninsula. They were used during theWar of Attrition, bySquadron 101[33] (Mirage IIICJ) and probably also by 117 and 119 squadrons, all Mirage squadrons of the Israeli Air Force. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Israelis shot down dozens of MiGs – but there had been no success in using this missile, as Israeli pilots preferred to use cannons or indigenous missiles such asShafrir 1 and Shafrir 2.
K-3 or K-13 missiles were also used during theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971 by the Indian Air Force; they were integrated on MiG-21FLs and used to shoot down at least two to four PakistaniF-104 Starfighters. They were used during theYom Kippur War by the Arab Air Forces in 1973, and during theIran–Iraq War by the Iraqi Air Force between 1980 and 1988.
On 19 August 1981, during the1981 Gulf of Sidra incident, a Libyan Air Force Su-22 fired a K-13 missile head on at approaching US NavyF-14As; the missile was evaded.[citation needed]
