Talk:R-60 (missile)

Just like me / they long to be / close to you
The article describes the missile as being fitted with proximity fuses. As I understand it, most air-to-air missiles are designed to detonate within close range of an enemy aircraft, rather than hitting it directly. The article also describes later versions of the missile being weighted with depleted uranium in order to improve penetration (the provided source is down, but there is an admittedly crappy source here, from Newsmax). Are later versions designed to strike the enemy aircraft, and if this is not the case, what function does the depleted uranium serve? Is it just used as shrapnel? -Ashley Pomeroy (talk) 01:19, 24 November 2007 (UTC)
 * No, the DU is only to increase penetrative power of the shrapnel. --Mikoyan21 (talk) 09:47, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

If either of you were to click on the link to Expanding-rod warhead, it would become clear that the missile neither has to directly hit the target, nor does it produce much "shrapnel",or even fragments (if it operates as designed). In fact, if the missile does hitthe target, it will do far less damage than if it explodes next to it (although it will still likely do some damage). An expanding rod warhead is designed to detonate NEXT to an aircraft, whereapon an explosive charge expands a carefully folded bunch of metal rods brazed together at alternating ends. This expands outwards, forming a ring as it expands. When this expanding ring of metal rods encounters the aircraft, it cuts off whatever part of the aircraft it encounters, or at least severely damages it. If the warhead produces "shrapnel", it means the the welds holding the ends of the rods together have failed, and the effectiveness is severely diminished. In any case, since the rods work on a projectile basis(accelerated by the blast, damaging the target by impact energy/inertia), the added weight and density of depleted uranium serves to make it more effective. And not all missiles have proximity fuses, although they certainly increase the effectiveness. .45Colt 20:44, 5 May 2014 (UTC)

Small size got you down?
I'm surprised that there is no mention of the R-60's remarkably small size for an AAM, and the fact that it lacks a lot of power compared to even a Sidewinder. Given that pilots have complained that the AIM-9 lacks "hitting power" in the past, the tiny size of the R-60 makes one wonder at how effective it would be. I've seen it pointed out that its 6.6lb explosive charge is not much more than a large autocannon shell (although admittedly not many autocannon shells use expanding-rod warheads). I'm not saying that it's a useless missile, just that it seems that the article would remark on this fact, given that it is by far the smallest aerial guided missile out there..45Colt 20:50, 5 May 2014 (UTC)

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