The MiG-35 Fulcrum, a Russian fighter jet, is equipped with hypersonic R-37M Vympel missiles. The MiG-35 Fulcrum’s reputation as a middle-heavy class fighter makes it an unlikely candidate for this mission, as it is better suited to indirect targeting of armored vehicles and naval vessels.
High-value aircraft like AWACS is in the sights of the R-37M Vympel hypersonic missile (Airborne Warning and Control System). NATO’s Axehead moniker for the hypersonic Vympel missiles, which were developed for the primary Russian Mig-31 Foxhound fighter plane.
Russia has recently equipped its Su-35 and Su-30SM/SM2 heavyweight fighter aircraft with Vympel hypersonic missiles.
Several foreign news outlets say that putting Vympel hypersonic missiles on the MiG-35 is a brave move by Russia. ” Some experts say, and it may be true, that the R-37M won’t work the same way in the MiG-35 as it does in the MiG-31.
Also, as a middle-class fighter plane, the MiG-35 could carry different weapons than three Russian heavyweight fighter planes. Not to mention that the MiG-35’s sensor circuit, which is thought to be incompatible, can aim at the 400-km-range R-37 hypersonic missile.
If Russia is able to add missiles to this fighter plane, it will become a very powerful missile. But because there are only six MiG-35 fighter planes, putting Vympel missiles in place is not a good investment.
Also, Russia is thought to be less interested in making the MiG-35, which is the plane that will replace the MiG-29. It’s possible that the decision to put Vympel hypersonic missiles on the MiG-35 was made to impress possible buyers from other countries.
The NATO code name for the Mikoyan Mig-35 fighter plane is Fulcrum-F. It was made by combining the MiG-29 M/M2 and MiG-29K/KUB. At the Aero India air show in Bangalore in 2007, Russia officially showed off the MiG-35.
The characteristics of MiG-35 are impressive, and Western experts give him an “A+” for super maneuvering capabilities. Some analysts in the US call the MiG-35 “brain strength” because it is developed to allow full integration and autonomy with other fighter aircraft.
MMiG-35 can fly as high as 65,000 feet and reach a top speed of Mach 2.25. The body of this supersonic plane is made to handle 9G at positive and 3G at negative limits. MIG-35 has two Klimov RD-33MK turbofan engines with afterburners that power it. With Radar Aesa, the MiG-35 can keep track of up to 30 targets and attack six of them at the same time.
Specifications of the Vympel Hypersonic Missiles
Russian R-37M missiles are big, fast, strong, and can travel long distances. The Vympel missile is the fastest in the world. It can reach six machs, about 7,350 km/h or hypersonic speed. Even the United States and China don’t have anything like that.
This missile is intended to be carried and launched by the MIG-31, the workhorse of the Russian Air Force. The R-37 missile, measuring 4.06 meters in length and 0.38 meters in diameter, was designed to replace the MiG-31’s R-33 (AMOS) missile. The 50-kilogram missile’s primary objective is to destroy a high-value aircraft, especially an Awacs.
R-37M missiles are highly effective due to their maneuverability and ability to engage targets from altitudes between 15,000 and 25,000 meters. Fragmentation warheads weighing 60 kilograms are highly explosive and capable of causing significant damage to large aircraft.