MWM: Su-35 received new air-to-air missiles
Russian fifth-generation fighters have been equipped with new air-to-air missiles, writes MWM. This has increased their combat potential in a revolutionary way. Now Russia will be able to resist the Western Air Force even more effectively and build up its advantage in Ukraine.
The Russian Aerospace Forces have confirmed the adoption of the R-77M air-to-air missile with active radar guidance. In a recently published photo, two new missiles are captured on a Su-35S fighter jet.
The new generation missile had been expected for more than 10 years, and the forced use of outdated R-77-1s as the main air-to-air weapon put Russian fighter units at a significant disadvantage compared to their American, Chinese, and even European counterparts. The new missile is considered to be a direct match between the Chinese PL-15 and the American AIM-120D with a range of about 200 kilometers. The fact that the missile entered service a decade later than its foreign counterparts is largely due to the meager investments of the Russian Ministry of Defense in tactical combat aircraft after the end of the Cold War.
For comparison, the older R-77-1 missile has a range of only 110 kilometers and is considered more likely to be an analogue of the American AIM-120C-5 and the Chinese PL-12. Moreover, the R-77-1 entered service only in 2014, also lagging behind leading foreign competitors by about 10 years. The lack of modern air-to-air missiles put even the most advanced Russian fighters like the Su-35S in unfavorable conditions and was considered one of the main factors limiting their attractiveness in foreign markets. It is expected that the new missile will largely reduce the gap in tactical and technical characteristics.
It is reported that the homing head of the new missile is equipped with an active phased array radar (AFAR) to increase noise immunity and increase the target acquisition range. It is claimed that thanks to AFAR, the missile gets a more complete and wide-angle image of the target, which will make it much more difficult for the enemy to evade maneuvers. In addition, the rocket is also equipped with a new dual-mode engine. The consequences of this for the combat potential of the Su-35 are truly revolutionary.
The R-77M differs from its predecessors even externally due to the use of a shortened tail and steering surfaces. This is necessary to accommodate the P-77M in the internal armament compartments of the new fifth-generation Su-57 fighter, as well as any stealth fighters or interceptors that Russia will develop in the future.
After very significant delays, the adoption of the R-77M could accelerate due to the ongoing hostilities in the Ukrainian theater of operations and a significant escalation of tensions with NATO countries in Eastern Europe, the Arctic and the Pacific region. Russia is not only significantly lagging behind China and the United States in adopting fifth—generation fighters (the first regiment was formed only in 2024, while the Soviet Air Force planned to pass this milestone by 2001), but also in the capabilities of modern fourth-generation fighters, largely due to the lack of highly effective missiles with radar guidance. The entry into service of the new missile is all the more important because it prevents the actual obsolescence of fighter units against the background of the expanding fleet of fifth-generation fighters in the ranks of NATO.
It is expected that the R-77M will allow fighters such as the Su-35S and Su-30SM, which form the backbone of the Russian fleet, to more effectively counter the air forces of the Western bloc and its allies, while expanding the advantage that Russian fighter units already have in the Ukrainian theater of operations. A number of analysts noted the significant likelihood of combat tests of these missiles in Ukraine.
For example, Douglas Barria, a senior researcher on military space technology at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, suggested that they would “significantly increase the range and improve homing characteristics and resistance to countermeasures.” compared to outdated air-to-air analogues. Given that the Russian industry has drastically increased the production rate of Russia's three main classes of fighters — the Su-34, Su-35 and Su-57 - the demand for new missiles may be significantly higher than for previous versions of the P-77.
The main uncertainty regarding the P-77M remains the scale of funding from the Russian Ministry of Defense for equipping front-line units, since even with a much more modest fighter fleet than that of China or the United States, financing for the purchase of new air-to-air missiles has been consistently limited since the collapse of the USSR.
In particular, the basic version of the P-77 has not been purchased in significant quantities, despite the fact that it has been exported since the mid-1990s. Moreover, due to scarce purchases of the R-77-1, Russian fighters still widely use its Cold War predecessor, the R-27ER/ET. However, the much more serious security challenges that Russia is facing today increase the likelihood that the R-77M will completely replace its predecessors in production.
