The Bisnovat (later Molniya then Vympel) R-40 (NATO reporting name AA-6 ' Acrid') is a long-range air-to-air missile developed in the 1960s by the Soviet Union specifically for the MiG-25P interceptor, but can also be carried by the later MiG-31. It is one of the largest production air-to-air missiles ever developed.

It is the largest air-to-air missile in the world to ever go into production. The development of the Mach 3+ North American XB-70 Valkyrie threatened to make the entire interceptor and missile force of the Voyska PVO obsolete at one stroke, thanks …

The last variant of the missile R-40 was a variant of the R-40D1 (R-40RD1 and R-40TD1) with the new shard warhead weighing 80 kg (shot was in the arsenal of the air force of the USSR introduced in 1985).

Though only slightly larger than the predecessor R-4, the range of the R-40 is over three times greater. This missile was produced in two variants: R-40R (Object RD46 with PARG-12 head) and...

The R-40RD-1 (R-40TD-1) missile is equipped with a high-efficiency shrapnel and blast warhead with a total mass of 55 kg. The BC is equipped with an advanced Bekas radio-optical fuse. The radius of destruction is 13 m.

The R-40 basic model features a 30 kilometers range. Improved models R-40TD and R-40RD have an extended range to over 50 kilometers and a maximum speed in excess of Mach 4. The R-40 missiles were deployed with Su-15, Mig-25 and Mig-31 interceptors.

Dec 31, 2024 · It is a missile developed for interceptors in the 1960s and boasts the largest size among air-to-air missiles actually deployed . It was developed to be mounted on the MiG-25, which was developed to respond to high-altitude supersonic targets such as the XB-70 .

All this necessitated a very large missile; as a result, the R-40 is the largest air-to-air missile ever to enter production. It is slightly larger than the MIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air missile.

The AA-6 Acrid, designated R-40 in Russia, was a long-range air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s. It was one of the first Soviet missiles capable of engaging targets beyond visual range and served to counter the American AIM-54 Phoenix missile carried by the F …

The Semi-Active-Radar-Homing (SARH) and the Passive-IR (PIR) missiles are about the same dimensions, having a length of 6.2m, a body diameter of 355mm and a wingspan of 1.8m. The …