Russian Su-35S’ R-37M Missile Strikes Ukrainian MiG-29 at a record 213 Km Distance

A Russian Su-35S fighter jet armed with an R-37M missile struck a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter at a record 213 km distance which is claimed to be a record in air-to-air combat.

The stricken MiG-29 “vanished” from Russian radar screens thereafter suggesting a direct hit and disintegration of the aircraft. The fate of the pilot is not known, Russian media reported.

The maximum launch radius of the R-37M air-guided missile is 300 kilometers.

As per Russian media claims no other missile has traveled at such a distance to strike enemy aircraft in air combat.

Russian social media sources are interpreting the strike as a “warning” to the Ukrainian Air Force (UAF) that the older generation F-16s, which Kyiv is expecting to receive in the coming weeks, could meet with the same fate as the MiG-29.

The R-37M is integrated into the armament complex of the Su-57 fifth-generation fighter besides the Su-35S and can also be deployed on the Su-30SM2.

The need for F-16s armed with superior air-to-air missiles was justified by the UAF which is wary of the speed and accuracy of the R-37M missiles.

The US Air Force is equipped with the AIM-174B (Air Intercept Missile, whose range can reach 370 kilometers.