There were stories of the R-33 being a ripoff of the AIM-54 with the Phoenix to Russia coming by the way of Iran.
Not true- the R-33 was in development before the Soviet Union got a look at Phoenix.
I doubt the Amos ever actually worked unlike the Phoenix 😀
In 1977 US satellites observed the destruction of a low-flying RPV by a MiG-31 flying at 20,000 feet, and later, the destruction of an RPV flying at 70,000 feet when the MiG was at 55,000 feet. I’d say that’s proof of the missile working. Considering that the AIM-54 doesn’t exactly have a rock-hard combat record and the evidence of it’s combat use with Iran (only place it’s alleged to have scored a kill, btw- in USN hands it’s missed, against Iraqi MiG-25s) is exceedingly vague at best, if you’re going to doubt R-33 worked, you might as well doubt Phoenix worked. R-33, to its credit, also didn’t have the whole scandal that followed the AIM-54C around.
The AWG-9 was marvellous. By comparison, the n007 Zaslon of the MiG-31 weighs twice that of AWG-9 (i.e. Zaslon weighs 1,000 kilos) and didn’t have as much processing power (10 track, engage 4- two above and two below, while the AWG-9 was track 24, engage 6); though it does have the advantage of PESA as well as superior elevation and azimuth look angle. The MiG-31M fixed the processing power issue; the Zaslon-AM of the MiG-31BM with the Baguet processors achieves the same thing; both can match AWG-9.
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