The US Department of Defense Intelligence Agency, in its report "2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment", reported on a new threat from Russia - the expansion of its nuclear arsenal through air-to-air missiles with nuclear warheads. This is reported by Defense Express.
Such missiles existed back in the days of the USSR, in particular the R-33, which was developed in the 1970s and adopted for service in 1981. It has a launch range of 120 km in the basic version and 160 km in the R-33S modification with an active radar homing head. The usual warhead of such a missile is 55 kg, which allows it to use low-power nuclear charges of up to 5 kt.
However, Russia is now developing new models, including the R-37, also known as the RVV-BD. This missile was developed in the USSR, but it entered service with the Russian Federation only in 2014. The R-37 missile has a range of 200 or 300 km (for the R-37M version) and is also equipped with an active radar guidance system. The weight of its warhead is 60 kg, which allows it to carry a nuclear charge.
Another air-to-air nuclear carrier is the KS-172 missile, created on the basis of the 9M83 missile for the S-300V complex. It has a range of up to 400 km and a powerful homing system capable of capturing a target at a distance of 80-100 km. The warhead of this missile is 50 kg.
Such missiles can be used on MiG-31, Su-35 and Su-57 fighters. Their use is worrying, because even during the Cold War, such missiles were intended to destroy groups of strategic bombers. At the same time, modern air battles are significantly different, which calls into question the effectiveness of such weapons. However, if the aggressor country has become more active in this direction again, then it is purposefully increasing its military potential, relying on nuclear technologies, which may indicate preparation for new scenarios of combat operations.