which fighter types exactly? in 1990 the r-73 could be carried by su-27, mig-29 and 500-1000 of modernized mig-23mld. So total of roughly 2000 fighters was capable of carrying it, with usual loadout configuration of 2 per mig23, 4 per mig29 and 2/4 per flanker. Roughly some 7000 missiles would have been needed if half the mentioned fleet had the operational chance to use two full loads.

I’ve no numbers on r-73 production but if it was anything close to US production of sidewinder, it should’ve been at least 1500 per year, once full serial production was commenced.

I was thinking mostly Mig-23, when was the R-73 accepted for full scale production?

After all the long range aviation from VVS and AVMF that were equipped with Tu 22 Blinder, Tu 22M2/3 Backfire, Tu 16K Badger had been designed to strike sea targets or ships in blue water as well far way from its air bases or the Soviet territory.

The Su 24M has had another capability over the Tu 22M2/3 once the Su 24M has been equipped with refueling probes that has been forbidden for the Tu 22M3 even today.

Once with its in-fly refueling capability the Su 24M could reach almost the same range of the Tu 22M2/3, but instead to strike sea targets in blue waters as the long range aviation, the Su 24M were highly suitable to strike sea targets in brown water or near of the shore ,as well close the harbors where the air defenses assets would be quite active

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Do you think the missiles carried by Tu-22 Backfire and Badgers AS-4 and AS-6 kingfish and Kitchen could be used against naval targets like destroyers ? approx. 3000-5000 tonne ? or were these targets too small for these missiles ?

^ Thank you very much for the detailed reply

AN-26

Thanks look really hippie

Nah, just in the initial study….

http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-84.html

The Harpoon missile is powered by a Teledyne/CAE J402 turbojet in an A/B44G-1 propulsion section, giving it a maximum range of about 185 km (100 nm) for the air-launched version. For surface launches, RGM/UGM-84 variants use a solid-fueled rocket booster in an A/B44G-2 or -3 booster section, which is discarded after burn-out. Maximum range for surface launches is around 140 km (75 nm). After launch, the missile is guided towards the target location as determined by the launching aircraft or ship by a three-axis Attitude Reference Assembly (ATA) in an AN/DSQ-44 guidance section. The ATA is less accurate than a full-fledged inertial system, but good enough for Harpoon’s range

But here it says its 75nm…im so confused

Laser or TV guided munitions that can be guided by a person. Laze the target from standoff distances, launch the missile, then guide it in. I’d say an attack helicopter could even do it too with something like Vikhrs.

But that’s my conjecture based on capability. I generally don’t know the actual plan.
What did the attack plans you saw say the attack profiles or missions were? Sharing that would be a help.

I didn’t , but it seems like that the enormous number of Su-24 available to the VVS a fair number of them could be diverted to anti-ship missions esp against those vessels not equipped with SAMs