A Su-35S fighter jet of the Russian Aerospace Forces firing a R-37M missile during a test. (Russian Ministry of Defense)
On January 28, video footage showing a Su-25 close air support jet of the Ukrainian Air Force (UAF) 299th Tactical Aviation Brigade getting shredded into pieces by a Russian R-37M very-long-range air-to-air missile surfaced online.
The jet was shot down on February 7 of 2024. The pilot, Vladislav Rykov, was killed. He was described by Ukrainian media at the time as “highly experienced”. The footage were retrieved from a GoPro camera that was installed on the left wing of the jet.
The R-37M was developed to engage all types of aerial targets day and night and under all conditions, including hostile electronic countermeasures, from a very long range.
Its range is reported to be between 200 and 400 kilometers, and it is capable of hypersonic speed, more than Mach 5, in the final stage of its flight.
The missile utilizes a complex guidance system. An inertial navigation system, built on high-precision laser gyroscopes, guides the missile for most of the flight path to the target. If the target suddenly changes course, the missile trajectory can be corrected from the launching fighter jet via a secured data link.
The active homing radar seeker 9B-1103M-350 is activated in close proximity to the target causing its warhead to explode and to avoid detection until too late.
During the Russian special military operation zone, the R-37M proved to be highly effective against faster warplanes, as was the case with the Su-25 seen in the newly-released footage, which was even flying on a very low altitude when it got hit.
The Su-25 was likely shot down by a Su-35, but it is also possible that the R-37M was fired from other warplanes capable of carrying the missile like the MiG-31, Su-30, or even the stealth Su-57.
The UAF has lost most of its Su-25s, at least 29, since the start of the Russian special military operation. Currently, around 16 are reported to be still in service, and it is very likely that most of them are no longer in operational condition.
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another bites the dust. 👏👏👏
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yet another reason why the usadmin and its nato poodles don’t want to commit to a war they cannot possibly win.
il presidente putin è morto al suo posto generali e industriali hanno messo un sosia, così portano la russia al crollo e fanno entrare le multinazionali americane e tedesche a mangiarsi la russia.
so iran received r-37m for their almost-non-existant air defense, or not included in that strategic partnership programme?