In early September of this year, experts presented to the general public the latest modification of the old and well-known to many rocket R-33. For thirty years it was this missile that was the main armament of the MiG-31 fighter-interceptor. However, this fighter was the only one on which a rocket of this type was used. However, the modification, called RVV-BD, not only surpasses its predecessor in a number of characteristics, but can also be installed on almost any fighter. If the R-33 was effective at a range of 120 kilometers, then the new development has a flight range of 200 kilometers. Even more important is the fact that now each missile is equipped with its own radar, which significantly increases the possibility of destroying the target, despite any turns and attempts to escape.
Many skeptics have argued that the R-33 is simply a copy of the American analogue of the AIM-54 Phoenix. The main argument of such skeptics is the surprisingly similar appearance. Indeed, the same caliber, similarity of shape and approximately the same length can confuse many amateurs who are fond of military equipment, but do not understand it at a professional level. However, any specialist will only laugh at such arguments. After all, the R-33 is an exclusively domestic development, which was created by the best minds of military scientists. The close external characteristics are easy to explain - the same requirements for missiles and very similar conditions of use simply created two missiles that are remarkably similar to each other, at least in external shape, which corresponded to aerodynamic conditions.
For the first time, they started talking about the need to create a rocket like the R-33 back in the distant sixties of the twentieth century. Then it was decided to create a rocket that could become the main weapon of modification of the MiG-25 fighter. As you know, the next model of the fighter was named MiG-31. And for the new aircraft, a unique rocket was needed, which could have a flight range of 120 kilometers. After the creation of a whole series of missiles with constant improvements, a new weapon was created - the R-33. Outwardly similar to its American counterpart, it significantly surpassed it in reliability, was distinguished by its simplicity and had a much lower cost. All this became possible thanks to the fast electronic transmission of the radio beam. I must say that such an innovation made it possible to carry out rearmament in a relatively short time, adopting the R-33 as the main armament for the MiG-31. In the United States, however, specialists had to face a serious problem - each Phoenix rocket cost one million dollars. So the rearmament was seriously delayed due to the usual lack of funding. This was also the reason that the "Phoenix" was practically not used in the exercises, and even during the hostilities it was used with great reluctance. Due to the same high cost in 2004, it was decided to remove this missile from service. Well, the R-33 continues to be successfully modified, which allows it to constantly correspond to world analogues.
The very same rocket R-33 was also distinguished by its simplicity. In general, it consisted of four compartments. The first of them contained a radio and contact fuse, as well as a seeker. In the second there was an autopilot and a high-explosive fragmentation warhead. The third compartment housed the power plant, which consisted of a two-mode solid fuel engine, as well as an elongated gas duct and a nozzle tank. And, finally, the fourth compartment housed a gas generator, a turbo generator and steering gears powered by hot gas, which was constantly collected around the gas duct.
The rocket, like many of its predecessors, was located in ejection mounts under the fuselage.
The maximum flight range became possible thanks to the use of two-stage guidance. Firstly, this is inertial control, which is involved only at the beginning of the flight. At the end of the flight, guidance is performed by semi-active guidance, when the target is captured by an all-aspect seeker. Immediately before the launch of the rocket, the angular target designation for the position of the questionnaire is set by the carrier aircraft. A superbly thought-out missile system is capable of independently detecting a target against the background of the earth's surface, and then recognizing interference and eliminating them, which significantly increases the likelihood of a hit. I must say that passive interference does not have any effect on the progress of the seeker. The well-developed tail design, the missile control system in almost the entire range and the ability to hit targets at the lowest altitudes allowed the R-33 to remain relevant and competitive until more modern analogues such as the RVV-BD appeared.
