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 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Janet (UK only): cgren@uk.ac.swansea.pyramid \ Zoran Ren Earn/Bitnet: cgren%pyramid.swansea.ac.uk@ukacrl.bitnet \ Dept. of Civil Eng. Ean: cgren@vax.swansea.ac.uk / University College Voice: + (44) (792) 205678 ext.4166 / of Swansea, UK --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "A beer wont get upset if you come home and have another beer." -- one of the reasons why beer is better than women