VYMPEL R-77                                     1993 Sep 10

Here follows a repost. As you could see from one of my recent
postings, the vertical launch SAM version has successfully
completed its test program and a ramjet/rocket variant is beeing
developed. The basic version is in low rate production, but none
of the versions has a Russian air force production contract for
now.

RVV-AE                                          1993 Feb 02

The Vympel R-77 RVV-AE (or AAM-AE for air-to-air, active radar,
export variant -- sometimes called Amraamski -- NATO code AA-12),
is 3.6 m long, weighs 175 kg, has a "best" range of 100 km, can
attack targets that manoeuver at 12 G. Inertial guidance,
midcourse updates, terminal active radar. It has mid mounted
short span long chord small wings, and rear mounted control
surfaces.

The radar version is in seris production, an IR version is in
development, as well as a longer range version. Vympel recently
test fired one vertically as a surface-to-air missile.

The control surfaces to the rear of the small wings        _           _
are grids of close spaced, short chord vanes, called     _!_!_       _!_!_
lattice wings This is much a high speed technique.      !_!_!_!_   _!_!_!_!
Advantages are:                                           !_!_!_! !_!_!_!
- at Mach 4: 3 times the lift of normal wing taking         !_!XXXXX!_!
  up the same space                                          _XXXXXXX_
- can give lift up to 60 deg angle of attack               _!_!XXXXX!_!_
- large total wing area in small space                   _!_!_!_! !_!_!_!_
- through the speed range, lift coeffecient for         !_!_!_!     !_!_!_!
  varying angles of attack remains almost the same        !_!         !_!
- because they are small, smaller less powerful         Missile seen head on.
  actuators can be used                                 You have to imagine
                                                        the outline frames
                                                        around the grids.