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The R-73 was developed to replace the earlier R-60 (AA-8 'Aphid') weapon for short-range use by Soviet fighter aircraft. Work began in 1973, and the first missiles entered service in 1985.
The R-73 is an infrared-guided (heat-seeking) missile with a sensitive, cryogenic cooled seeker with a substantial 'off-boresight' capability: the seeker can "see" targets up to 45° off the missile's centerline. It can be linked to a helmet-mounted sight, allowing pilots to designate targets by looking at them. Minimum engagement range is about 300 meters, with maximum aerodynamic range of nearly 30 km (18.75 mi) at altitude.
The R-73 is a highly maneuverable missile that in many respects is believed to be superior to the United States AIM-9M Sidewinder, prompting the development of a more sophisticated AIM-9X now entering squadron service.
From 1994 the R-73 has been upgraded in production to R-74EM standard (originally R-73M), which entered CIS service in 1997. The R-74EM has greater range and a wider seeker angle (to 60° off-boresight), as well as improved ECCM (resistance to countermeasures).
The weapon is used by the MiG-29, Su-27 and Su-35, and can be carried by some older MiG-21, MiG-23, Sukhoi Su-24Sukhoi Su-24 ( NATO reporting name Fencer was the Soviet Union's most advanced all-weather interdiction and attack aircraft in the 1970s and 1980s. The two-seat, twin- engined aircraft, which carried the USSR's first integrated digital nav/attack system,, and Su-25 aircraft. It can also be carried by Russian attack helicopters, including the Mil Mi-24The Mil Mi-24 is a large combat helicopter, a gunship, and low-capacity troop transport operated from 1976 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and over thirty other nations. Its NATO reporting name is Hind and variants are identified with an addition, Mil Mi-28 , and Kamov Ka-50.
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