Russian Ministry of Defence released recently a video showing a Su-35S fighter jet shooting an R-37M air-to-air hypersonic missile.
Initially designed in the 1980s as a long-range air-to-air weapon. However, in 2006 work resumed on the R-37M, also known as RVV-BD (for Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile), to create a replacement to the R-77 supersonic missile for the current and upcoming fighter jets of the Russian Aerospace Forces. The new variant was reduced, both in weight and length, to fit modern aircraft.
The weapon has a reported maximum range of up to 200 kilometers (124 miles) and can hit a target at an altitude from 15 meters (49 feet) to 25 kilometers (15 miles), at a speed of Mach 6. The Su-35S fighter jet is reportedly capable of carrying up to four R-37Ms. Along with the Su-35S, the MiG-31BM heavy interceptor should eventually include the R-37M in its arsenal. Compatibility tests with the internal weapons bay of a Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jet are also planned.
