The R-37M LRAAM Set the Record for Longest-Range Air-To-Air Kill in Ukraine: How Do NATO and the West Compare with Chinese and Russian Air-To-Air Technology?
In late October a Ukrainian Sukhoi-27 Flanker, Soviet-era fighter, was shot down by a long-range air-to-air missile (LRAAM) – the R-37M. This is not the first Ukrainian aircraft to be shot down since Russia’s invasion commenced in February, but it is nevertheless a significant feat for the Russian Air Force because the R-37M took down the Ukrainian Sukhoi-27 from a range of 217km (about 140 miles). This would make the kill the longest on record. The R-37M is a hypersonic long-range air-to-air missile (LRAAM) reportedly capable of reaching Mach 6 and striking targets up to 400km (250 miles) away.
The R-37M has become virtually unmatched, with few potential rivals.Furthermore, it is reported that the R-37M was fired from Russia’s fifth-generation fighter the Sukhoi-57 Felon rather than the Mikoyan MiG-31 Foxhound, Russia’s primary interceptor. The possibility of a fifth-generation Felon executing a target from such a long range is not at all impossible; the Sukhoi-57 has a sophisticated actively electronic scanned arrays (AESA) radar system comprising of the solid state AN/APG-77 – with a range of at least 200km (125 miles); and the N036 Byelka radar which boasts a maximum range just under 400km (250 miles).
Russia is not the only Western rival boasting such long-range capabilities. China’s PL-17 and PL-20 LRAAMs can reportedly strike targets from a distance of 300km (just under 190 miles). In the weapons bays of China’s own fifth-generation fighter – the Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon – the PL-17 and PL-20 can grant Beijing a similar strike capability displayed by the Russian Air Force in Ukraine. If indeed the Felon’s strike capabilities can be matched by the Mighty Dragon, this would allow Beijing to execute an island invasion of Taiwan with the ability to cripple Taiwan’s Air Force. Taiwan’s best-performing fighters are the fourth-generation Lockheed Martin F-16 and the Dassault Mirage, which They are supported by the Lockheed Martin-Raytheon PATRIOT air defence system with a maximum range of only 70 km (about 45 miles).
Despite the proven strike capabilities of the R-37M, and the estimated 300km (190 mile) range of the Chinese PL-20, the United States and NATO have air-to-air missile technologies on par with their rivals’. The old Raytheon AIM-54 Pheonix LRAAM had a range of 135km (85 miles), but has now been replaced by Raytheon’s AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile. The Raytheon AIM-120 is with a maximum range of only 55km (35 miles), but its beyond-visual-range (BVR) capabilities still makes it a potent missile.
The de facto replacement for the AIM-54 LRAAM can be found in MBDA’s Meteor. The Meteor is an innovative LRAAM for its BVR capabilities, and being the first air-to-air missile with a ramjet motor. This means that the missile is constantly thrusted by its engine until reaching its target “providing the largest No-Escape Zone of any air-to-air missile” according to MBDA. The range of the Meteor is estimated to be in excess of 100km ( just over 60 miles), although there is no confirmed official number.
The reported range of the Meteor remains inferior to the reported ranges of the M-37R and the PL-20. However, the aircraft is equipped to fire both the AIM-120 and the Meteor do maximise their respective potential. The AIM-120 can be carried by most ‘legacy’ American and European fourth generation including Lockheed Martin’s F-15, F-16, and F-18; the Saab Gripen, the Transavia Tornado, the British Aerospace Harrier, and the Eurofighter Typhoon. The Meteor – being a European project – is carried primarily by aircraft possessed by major European air forces such as the Gripen, Tornado, and the Dassault Rafale. Crucially, both missiles can also be carried by fifth generation fighters like the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning, although only the f-35 carries the Meteor (only the United States has an active fleet of F-22s). Despite that officially the F-22 has no LRAAM system, Boeing unveiled a concept LRAAM design capable of fitting into the F-22’s internal weapons bays. Whether or not such an LRAAM system will come into production officially is purely speculative Even though the F-22, despite does not have a LRAAM systems, it does have flight capabilities that most other aircraft do not.Tts supercruise capabilities enable the F-22 to travel in excess of the speed of sound without the use of afterburner, impressive kill ratios in training exercises, and its superior stealth capabilities and manoeuvrability. On paper, it would seem that both China and Russia have a range advantage over Western LRAAMs. However, an important caveat is that a lot of the figures reported over weapons’ ranges is most probably estimative speculation, meaning they should be taken as an indicative measure and not as an absolute definite.
This does not change the fact a Ukrainian Flanker was shot down by the Russian R-37M last month holding the longest-range air-to-air kill on record. In assessing whether Russia’s strike capabilities give it a significant advantage in Ukraine – yet alone against the West – this feat is not necessarily a major factor. For one, Russia has failed to establish air superiority in Ukraine despite high-caliberfirepower. Secondly, the reported amount of operational Felons in possession of the Russian Air Force is, according to some estimates, less than twenty. Similarly, China reportedly has only a small fleet of Mighty Dragons. For comparison, the United States Air Force has at least 150 F-22s, and the United States and NATO expect to have at least 500 F-35s in Europe by 2025, in addition to the F-35 fleets of allied countries like Australia and Japan. Therefore, the question of superiority is ostensibly a question of quantity and quality. It appears that China and Russia have aircraft and weapons systems on par with their Western counterparts but lack the numbers to capitalise on their engineering accomplishments.
That being said, the ability of the R-37M to take down Ukrainian aircraft from distances in excess of 200km (125 miles) could well be a deterrent for NATO and the West to give Ukraine advanced aircraft and help Kyiv’s war effort. For one, fighter aircraft are costly and time-consuming to manufacture and the risk of having aircraft shot down for the West is arguably a deterrent to provide Ukraine with this type of military assistance. Considering how successful the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been in resisting the Russian invasion – having recently recaptured the city of Kherson – the lack of air support from NATO will not significantly influence the conflict in the short-term.