The AA-11 Archer (another name: R-73) is an air-to-air guided missile of Soviet, and now Russian, Cold War and modern times. The missile entered the line in 1984-1985. Its length is 290 cm with a diameter of 17 centimeters. The mass of the ready-to-fire projectile is approximately 105 kg, while the weight of the warhead is 7.4 kg. However, the effective range of the shot is up to 30-40 kilometers, depending on the version.
Development work on the AA-11 Archer missile began in 1973 with the goal of developing a new short-range air-to-air missile to replace the AA-8 Aphid missiles in line. Compared to its predecessor, the AA-11 Archer was significantly larger in size, but was also able to carry a warhead with a much greater mass, and had a significantly improved range of effective shot. Due to the use of gas-dynamic steering, it is considered a highly maneuverable missile, possibly exceeding the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile of earlier versions on this plane. However, just like the AA-8, it was a fully homing missile, referred to as "fire and forget". Various variants of the AA-11 Archer missile can be used on such machines as: MiG-21, MiG-29, Su-27, Su-35, but also Mi-24 or Ka-50.