There is no air-Aire missile as fast as the R-37M in any world army. Capable of reaching Mach 6 (7,350 km/h)a new variant is being deployed by Russiawith a much greater destructive capacity when incorporating A nuclear eye. Is what ensures a report of the US Defense Intelligence Agency. (Day, for its acronym in English), on the process of Russian military modernization ongoing. According to the day, Russia is significantly expanding their nuclear capabilities With the expansion of tactical nuclear forces in Belarus, the development of new strategic weapons and The deployment of new nuclear air-air missiles.
‘Russia is expanding its nuclear forces through the addition of new capacities, including Aire-Aire nuclear missiles and new nuclear systems. Russia probably maintains a nuclear arsenal of about 1,550 strategic eyes deployed and up to 2,000 non -strategic eyes‘, warns the day.
The report also refers to the construction of nuclear weapons storage facilities, the deployment of double capacity aircraft (conventional and nuclear) and the formation of bellly personnel for the management and use of tactical nuclear armament.
New Air-Aire Nuclear Missile of Russia based on R-37M
One of the most outstanding revelations is Russia’s advance in Air-Aire missiles with nuclear capacity. The day believes that this effort focuses In a new R-37m missile varianta long -range weapon originally developed in the 80s under the name R-37canceled after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and resumed in the first decade of this century as R-37m. NATO calls it AA-13 Axehead.
During the Cold warThe United States also had Aire-Aire nuclear missiles, such as the AIM-26a and the Air-2 Geniebut today Only the Russian Army maintains weapons of this type in its arsenal. In addition to the mysterious new missile, its predecessor, the Air-Aire missile R-33it also has a variant with nuclear eye, the R-33sin service since 1991.
The details of the model based on the R-37M are classified, but the space it offers, capable of hosting A 60 -kilogram eyewould allow integrating a Miniaturized nuclear load. The R-37M measures some 4 metersweighs approximately 510 kilograms and is propelled by a double pulse solid fuel rocket engine.
The missile, of the manufacturer Vympeluse A multi -phase guidance system which includes inertial navigation, course correction and active radar for the terminal phase, which allows high precision at large distances, according to the specialized medium The War Zone. In addition, it has a disposable reinforcement stage that makes it easier to accelerate rapidly. Its scope, speed and load capacity make it adequate for a nuclear role.
Launched from great altitude by a MIG-31BMR-37M can reach white almost 400 kilometers awaya rank surpassed only by the Chinese missile PL-XX. It is designed for neutralize high -value air platformssuch as Awacs systems, cistern aircraft and electronic war systems before they represent a threat to Russian airspace.
A single aircraft armed with R-37m missiles with nuclear ojiva could, in theory, neutralize whole squadrons of enemy fighters, intercept waves of cruise missiles or destroy drone swarms.
Despite the periodic threats of Russia, the day concludes that It is unlikely to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine Warunless the regime receives an existential threat.