The Bisnovat R-40 (AA-6 'Acrid') was a long-range air-to-air missile developed in the 1960s by the Soviet Union for use by interceptor aircraft.
The Bisnovat design bureau began development of a long-range air-to-air missile in 1962. The resulting R-40 was initially matched with the Smerch-A ('Tornado-A') radar of the MiG-25. It was built in semi-active radar homing (R-40R) and infrared-homing (R-40T) versions.
Following the defection of PVO pilot Viktor Belenko in 1976, Vympel developed an improved version of the missile with a better infrared countermeasures (IRCM) resistance and more sensitive seekers. The upgraded missiles were designated with the suffix -D (for 'development', "finalized"). Later -D1 versions were also developed.
Production of the R-40 ended in 1991, but it remains in limited service arming surviving MiG-25 and some MiG-31 interceptors.
| Bisnovat R-40 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Air-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1970- present |
| Used by | Soviet Union, Syria, Iraq |
| Wars | Gulf War, Operation Southern Watch |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1959 |
| Produced | 1960s- 1991 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | (R-40TD) 450 kg (990 lb); (R-40RD) 461 kg (1,020 lb) |
| Length | (R-40TD) 5.98 m (19 ft 7 in); (R-40RD) 6.22 m (20 ft 5 in) |
| Diameter | 31 cm (12 in) |
| | |
| Warhead | blast fragmentation |
| Warhead weight | 70 kg (154 lb) |
| Detonation mechanism | Radar and active laser fuzes |
 | |
| Engine | solid-propellant rocket motor |
| Wingspan | 1,450 mm (4 ft 9 in) |
| Operational range | 30–60 km (19–37 mi) |
| Speed | Mach 4.5 |
| Guidance system | (R-40TD) infrared homing; (R-40RD) semi-active radar homing |
| Launch platform | MiG-25, MiG-31 |
