R-73E
The R-73 was developed to replace the earlier R-60 (AA-8 'Aphid') weapon for short-range use by Soviet fighter aircraft. Work began in 1973, operational in 1982 and the first missiles formally entered service in 1984.
The R-73 is an infrared homing (heat-seeking) missile with a sensitive, cryogenic cooled seeker with a substantial "off-boresight" capability: the seeker can detect targets up to 40° off the missile's centerline. It can be targeted by a helmet-mounted sight (HMS) allowing pilots to designate targets by looking at them. Minimum engagement range is about 300 meters, with maximum aerodynamic range of nearly 30 km (19 mi) at altitude. The weapon is used by the MiG-29, MiG-31, Su-27/33, Su-34 and Su-35, and can be carried by newer versions of the MiG-21, MiG-23, Sukhoi Su-24, and Su-25 aircraft.
Shortly after German reunification in 1990, Germany and other ex-Warsaw Pact countries found themselves with large stockpiles of the R-73 missiles or AA-11 Archers as designated by NATO, and had concluded that the R-73/AA-11's capabilities had been noticeably underestimated by the west. In particular, the R-73 was found to be both far more maneuverable, and far more capable in terms of seeker acquisition and tracking than the latest AIM-9 Sidewinder. This realization started the development of newer missiles to help compete, including the ASRAAM, IRIS-T and AIM-9X.
According to an interview with a Ukrainian pilot, the R-73 does not track well in clouds. This makes the missile difficult to use against Shahed-136 drones, forcing pilots to rely on their 30 mm cannon.
| Real World against Arma | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Detail | Real | ARMA | Config Value |
| Weapon Type | SRAAM | weaponType = "x"; | |
| Mass | 105 | 105 | mag: mass = "n"; |
| Warhead Mass | 7.4 | 101 | ammo: hit = "n"; |
| Warhead Type | HE Blast Frag | HE | ammo: warheadName = "x"; |
| Fuse Type | Prox/impact | NOTE: No Direct Arma value | |
| Fuse Range | 3-5m | 30 | ammo: proximityExplosionDistance = n; |
| Seeker | IIR | IR | See class component type |
| Auto Seek Target | Yes | Yes | ammo: autoseektarget = n; (0 or 1) |
| Counter Measure Immunity | High | 0.92 | ammo: cmimmunity = n; (Range 0 > 1) |
| Camera View Available | No | No | ammo: cameraViewAvailable = n; (0 or 1) |
| Flight Profile | N/A | N/A | ammo: flightProfiles[] = {"<TYPE>"}; |
| BoreSight Angle | 180 | 180 | ammo: missileLockCone = n; (Degrees) |
| Max Speed (m/s) | 1372 | 700 | ammo: maxSpeed = n; (n= m/s) |
| Min Range | 1000 | 250 | ammo: minRange = n; (Dist in m) |
| Max Range | 30000 | 8000 | ammo: maxRange = n; (Dist in m) |
| Indirect Hit Value | 85 | ammo: indirectHit = 50; | |
| Indirect Hit Range | 13 | ammo: indirectHitRange = n; (m) | |
| Maneuverability | 50G | 23 | ammo: maneuvrability = n; (Higher = more agile) |
| Danger Radius Hit | N/A | ammo: DangerRadiusHit = n; (Dist for AI aware in m) | |
| Suppression Radius Hit | N/A | ammo: SuppresionRadiusHit = n; (Dist for AI suppresion in m) | |
| Pylon/Rail | AKU-73 / APU-50 | N/A See Hardpoint below | |
| ARMA Class details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ammo | Mag | Weapon | Hardpoint |
| rksl_amo_r73e | rksl_mag_r73e_x1_direct | rksl_wpn_r73e | R73E_DIRECT |
| rksl_mag_r73e_x1_aku73 | R73E_AKU73 | ||
| rksl_mag_r73e_x1_apu50 | R73E_APU50 | ||