R-73E

R-37E SRAAM

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