RuAviation

Su-57 fighter in the course of the military operation (SVO) in Ukraine hits targets at a range of 120 km, in the near future is expected to receive aircraft missiles that will be able to hit targets at a distance of up to 300 km, a source in the defense industry complex told TASS.

“In the SVO, the Su-57 solves tasks with high quality, effectively strikes targets, its distinctive feature is low visibility. Today the fighter operates at a range of 120 kilometers, in the near future expect the arrival of aircraft missiles for high-speed aerial targets at a range of up to 300 kilometers,” the agency interlocutor said.

In January 2023, the UK Ministry of Defense reported that Su-57s “launch long-range air-to-surface or air-to-air missiles at Ukraine.” The range strongly suggests that the Su-57s were using Russia’s longest-range R-37M air-to-air missile. According to the British military department, it is the only non-Chinese missile of this class capable of hitting maneuvering targets at a range of more than 200 km.

Later, in mid-February, The Conversation reported that MiG-31 and Su-57 fighter jets equipped with the R-37M long-range hypersonic missile struck Ukrainian aircraft at a range of more than 200 kilometers from Russian airspace.

According to open sources, the R-37M refers to long-range air-to-air missiles and is designed to defeat enemy fighters, attack aircraft, bombers, military transport aircraft, helicopters, UAVs and cruise missiles at any time of day, at all angles, as well as in conditions of electronic suppression and against the background of land and water surfaces.

The maximum launch range of the R-37M, according to open data, reaches 300 kilometers, the height of target engagement from 30 meters to 25 kilometers, the maximum speed of flight of the missile is six speeds of sound, in fact, the missile is hypersonic.