MISSILE R-60 WITH SIMPLE LAUNCHER

The AA-8 Aphid (also known as R-60) is a Soviet, and now Russian, short-range air-to-air guided missile from the Cold War and modern times. The length of the projectile in the basic version was 209 cm with a span of approx. 40 cm and a diameter of 12 centimeters. The mass of the ready-to-fire projectile was approximately 43.5 kg, while the weight of the warhead was 3.5 kg. However, the maximum range was 8-10 kilometers. Development work on the AA-8 missile started in the 1960s, and the weapon entered service in the Soviet Air Force in 1974. From the very beginning, when designing it, emphasis was placed on the smallest possible size, but also efforts were made to maintain the highest possible combat effectiveness of the missile. Moreover, the R-60 was developed as a fire-and-forget missile, ie it was a typical homing missile that did not require its constant illumination (eg with a radar beam). It is worth noting that in 1982 a modernized version of the missile, designated R-60MK (or Aphid-B), was introduced into service, with increased reliability and an even shorter minimum range than the Aphid-A version. The presented missile was widely exported and found its way to countries such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland and Slovakia. It could be carried by such planes as: MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-31, Su-25 or Jak-38.