New-Generation RVV-MD2 Missile Unveiled at Army-2023 Forum: Evolution of the Iconic Russian R-73 Design

During the military-technical forum «Army-2023», which is being held from August 14 to 20 in Patriot Park near Moscow, a mock-up of the new-generation RVV-MD2 missile was shown to the public for the first time.

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RVV-MD2 / Izd. 760. Development of the AA-11 Archer short range air to air missile. 1/2#ARMY2023 pic.twitter.com/VgnKg8bvo7

— Michael Jerdev (@MuxelAero) August 14, 2023

As we previously analyzed, it is clear that the new RVV-MD2 is an evolution of the RVV-MD, which in turn was the latest version of the well-known Vympel R-73 (A-11 «Archer» in NATO code), which caused so much astonishment in the West when the first examples could be analyzed after the German reunification in the 1990s.

RVV-MD2: What does the new generation of air-to-air missiles that Russia will put into service be like?

Based on the images, the RVV-MD2 seems to retain the same aerodynamic solutions and flight control systems of the R-73 missile family (including its effective engine thrust vectoring system), except that the rear aerodynamic surfaces are somewhat smaller, probably to be able to stow inside the Su-57’s side armament bays.

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Evidently most of the improvements must be internal, such as new rocket engine, new homing sensors, new software, etc. It can be seen from the photos (of great quality) that the proximity fuze sensors look different from those of the RVV-MD, smaller and…. streamlined? This could indicate a certain degree of advancement in Russian miniaturization technology.

In short, the Russians remain true to their philosophy that «if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it», choosing to continue the evolution of the successful R-73 design, which was revolutionary for its time.