Dubai Air Show- First international appearance of Russian RVV-MD2 short range air-to-air missile
At the Dubai Air Show 2023 JSC Rosoboronexport, part of the Russian Rostec state corporation, presented abroad for the first time its new RVV-MD2 short-range air-to-air missile
First shown in Moscow at the Army 2023 exhibition, in Dubai the missile was on a static display alongside with the long-range RVV-BD air-to-air missile and the new Kh-69 air-to-surface cruise missile. All these missiles were created for the 5th generation Su-57 fighter, where they are hosted in the weapons’ bay. They can however also be installed on Su-35 and Su-30SM fighters, as well as on the Su-34 all-weather supersonic medium-range fighter-bomber/strike aircraft.
According to Rosoboronexport representatives interviewed by EDR On-Line, US analogues of the RVV-MD2 missile are 5-10 years behind to the missile of Russian design. Russian Aerospace Forces are already putting the missile into operational use.
The RVV-MD2 missile is equipped with a combined guidance system, which includes inertial guidance plus a multi-element double-channel infrared seeker with increased resistance to interference, plus a radio correction receiving channel. The missile can independently determine its coordinates in space, regardless of external factors. The scanning area of the homing seeker in the forward hemisphere is 180°, which allows tracking all evasive maneuvers of the attacked enemy aircraft.
The RVV-MD2 missile is equipped with a single-stage, single-mode solid propellant engine with gasdynamic control system spoilers, which allow the missile to perform high-G maneuvers in the operating area.
The missile has a mass of 117 kg, the warhead mass being 8 kg, the maximum flight range is up to 50 km, and the maximum acceleration is up to 12 G.
Photos by N. Novichkov
