cgren@pyramid.swansea.ac.uk (Zoran Ren) (03/13/91)
From: Zoran Ren <cgren@pyramid.swansea.ac.uk>
Bellow I am including some interesting facts about the Soviet ASRAAM that
I've come across in the World Air-Power Journal:
AA - 11 "Archer": The Soviet ASRAAM
The AA-11 "Archer" (the Soviet designation AKU-72) is a
super-maneuverable "dogfight" missile designed to replace the old AA-8
"Aphid", which is hampered by a very short range and poor all-aspect
capability.
AA-11 has a new, more sensitive seeker head with a wider angle of view,
and by increased size of the missile (in order to accommodate more
rocket fuel), longer range.
With its distinctive double canard fins the AA-11 bears a passing
resemblance to missiles like the French Magic and South African Kukri,
but is considerably more advanced. The missile's designers wanted to
increase agility at launch (to allow off-boresight launches) and in
the terminal phase (to counter the agilitiy of a maneuvering fighter
target). The rectangular forward canards are fixed, with moveable delta
canards behind. In front of these are four small AoA sensors. Also the
rear fins incorporate trailing-edge control surfaces, and to further
enhance maneuverability the rocket nozzle can be vectored by the missile's
control system.
The "Archer" is believed to have entered service in 1986 or 1987,
but
demand far outstripped supply, and for some time MiG-29s were seen
flying
with one AA-11 and one older AA-8 "Aphid".
"Archer" is reportedly also carried by the Su-27 "Flanker", which can
carry up to six of these advanced new missiles. Both "Flanker" and
"Fulcrum" pilots are provided with a helmet-mounted target designator
system, to make full use of the AA-11's formidable off-boresight
capability, since the missile can be launched at targets well outside the
field of view of any head-up display. For now "Archer" is not for sale to
any foreign nation, although I am not sure about India (in order to
convince them to buy a batch of "Fulcrums", the Soviets were very
forthcomming in the evaluation phase which allow us some speculations on
the final agreement).
And now question time!
Does anybody have some more "hard" data on "Archer"?
How many degrees max could be an effective (kill) off-boresight launch of
the missile (my guess 15-20 degrees)?
Does any Western SRAAM allow an off-boresight launch (therefore
helm-mounted target designator system required)? I've read somewhere that
such a system is still in an evaluation/testing phase on the West.
-- Zoran
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