The name of the weapon is the Russian R-37M missile, a long-range air-to-air beast so fast and deadly that even the United States and China are known to shudder at its capabilities.
New Delhi: After Operation Sindoor, where India destroyed 9 terror bases in Pakistan and PoK killing hundreds of dreaded terrorists, the arms race across the globe has escalated. According to the reports, India is likely to acquire a deadly weapon that could rewrite South Asia’s air warfare equation. The name of the weapon is the Russian R-37M missile, a long-range air-to-air beast so fast and deadly that even the United States and China are known to shudder at its capabilities.
Reports further added that the Putin administration has offered India to supply the R-37M and license its production on Indian soil. If the deal goes through, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will gain a powerful edge over adversaries such as China and Pakistan in high-stakes aerial confrontations.
It is important to note that the R-37M is far more powerful than Pakistan’s F-16s and AWACS. The missile is made to destroy enemy aircraft from beyond visual range (BVR), it can take down Pakistan’s prized F-16s and AWACS surveillance aircraft before they even detect an Indian fighter jet.
“It’s not a missile but an airborne predator. It allows India to destroy enemy aircraft without ever entering their strike zone. That flips the entire doctrine of air combat,” said a senior defense analyst.
Here are some of the key features of the missile:
- The R-37M has speeds of up to Mach 6 six times the speed of sound
- The R-37M can strike targets more than 300 kilometers away.
- Its mid-flight target switch capability and active radar guidance system make it almost impossible to dodge, even for highly maneuverable jets.
- Currently, the IAF deploys R-77 missiles on its Su-30MKI jets.
- Reports suggest that the R-37M could replace the R-77 entirely, offering a dramatic leap in range, speed and precision.
- The R-37M’s induction into India’s arsenal would render Pakistan’s air surveillance systems deeply vulnerable.
- R-37M has a speed – Up to Mach 6 (7,400 km/h); range – estimated 300-400 km; weight – 510 kg, length – over four metres; warhead – 60 kg high-explosive; designation – NATO calls it the AA-13 Axehead; and targets – fighter jets, AWACS, drones and tanker aircraft.
Unlike previous systems, the R-37M doesn’t require visual confirmation to engage. It can lock onto targets well beyond the range of enemy radars or weapons, delivering strikes from safe, stand-off distances. For Indian pilots, this means they can hit first, from afar, without ever being seen.
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