R-77

R-77/RVV-AE AA-12 Adder
Type	Medium-range, active radar homing air-to-air missile
Service history
In service	1994 (R-77)
Production history
Manufacturer	Vympel
Specifications
Weight	175 kg (R-77), 190 kg (R-77-1)
Length	3.6 m (R-77), 3.71 m (R-77-1)
Diameter	200 mm
Warhead	22.5 kg HE fragmenting (R-77)
Detonation mechanism	laser proximity fuze
Engine	Solid fuel rocket motor (R-77), air-breathing ramjet (R-77-PD)
Wingspan	350 mm
Operational range	80 km (R-77), 110 km (R-77-1) >200km (K-77M)
Flight altitude	5–25 km (16,000–82,000 ft)
Guidance system	Inertial with mid-course update and terminal active radar homing
Launch platform	Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21-93/LanceR/Bison, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-27, Mikoyan MiG-29, Mikoyan MiG-31, Mikoyan MiG-35, Sukhoi Su-27, Sukhoi Su-30, Sukhoi Su-33, Sukhoi Su-34, Sukhoi Su-35, HAL Tejas, Yakovlev Yak-141, Chengdu J-10 Future Platforms: Sukhoi PAK FA

80 km (R-77), 110 km (R-77-1)

The Vympel NPO R-77 missile (NATO reporting name: AA-12 Adder) is a Russian medium range, active radar homing air-to-air missile system. It is also known by its export model designation RVV-AE. It is the Russian counterpart to the American AIM-120 AMRAAM missile.

Work on the R-77 began in 1982. It represented Russia's first multi-purpose missile for both tactical and strategic aircraft for fire-and-forget use against a range of aircraft from hovering helicopters to high speed, low altitude aircraft. Gennadiy Sokolovski, general designer of the Vympel Design Bureau, said that the R-77 missile can be used against medium and long range air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-54 Phoenix, as well as SAMs such as the Patriot. The weapon has a laser-triggered proximity fuze and an expanding rod warhead that can destroy variable sized targets. It can be used against cruise missiles and precision-guided munitions (PGMs). First seen in 1992 at the Moscow Airshow (MAKS) 1992, the R-77 was immediately nicknamed Amraamski by Western journalists. The basic R-77 is known as the izdeliye 170, while the export variant is known as the izdeliye 190, or RVV-AE. The R-77 and RVV-AE have a range of 80 km. Vympel did not have adequate funding during the 1990s and the first part of the following decade to support further evolution of the R-77, either for the Russian air force or the export market. The basic version of the R-77 is not thought to have entered the Russian air force inventory in significant numbers.

The R-77 can be used by upgraded Su-27, MiG-29 and MiG-31 variants in Russian Air Force service. Some variants of the Su-27 in China's People's Liberation Army Air Force, including the domestically produced J-11 variants, can also employ the missile. The newer Su-30MKK has a N001 (Su-27 radar) with a digital bypass channel incorporating a mode allowing it to use R-77s. The export RVV-AE has been sold widely, with China and India placing significant orders for the weapon, as was the case for the R-73. The baseline R-77 was designed in the 1980s, with development complete by around 1994. India was the first export customer for the export variant, known as the RVV-AE, with the final batch delivered in 2002.