The missile was designed in the early 1980s and first flown in 1989.
Zvezda TV reports have recorded the
Su-35 carrying the R-37, apparently as part of an air combat loadout. In this configuration, the craft carries two
R-73s in the central wing pylon, two
R-77s slung underneath the engine nacelles, and two R-37s on the
hardpoints between the engines, with an option to carry a few more missiles, such as a
Kh-31 anti-radiation missile. The US
Defense Intelligence Agency revealed in a 2025 report that Russia is fielding a nuclear-armed air-to-air missile. While the report does not mention any specific missile, analysts believe that it refers to a nuclear-capable variant of the R-37M missile.
Operational history The R-37M has, since October 2022, been the main threat against the
Ukrainian Air Force. During the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, MiG-31 aircraft have reportedly shot down several Ukrainian aircraft, mainly by using the long range R-37. By remaining at high speed and high altitude, MiG-31s have been able to operate virtually unopposed due to Ukrainian fighters lacking range, speed, or altitude necessary to engage the MiG-31. The Ukrainian Air Force lacked fire and forget missiles until the introduction of the AMRAAM and MICA. They relied on the
R-27 missiles, both the R-27R and R-27ER. The Ukrainian pilot must illuminate the Russian aircraft with their radar to guide the missile to the target. Russian pilots firing active radar, fire and forget,
R-77 give the Russian pilots the ability to launch their missiles and then take evasive action. Ukrainian pilots were forced to "exploit ground clutter and terrain-masking to get close enough to fire before being engaged". A report by the
Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) states that in October some six R-37Ms were being fired at the Ukrainian Air Force a day. The Su-35S is also used as a carrier for the R-37M. Four MiG-31 were also deployed to Crimea at the
Belbek Air Base in mid 2022. In August 2022, Russian forces maintained a Combat Air Patrol of either a pair of Su-35S or MiG-31s on station to shoot down Ukrainian aircraft. The RUSI stated: "The VKS has been firing up to six R-37Ms per day during October. The extremely high speed of the weapon, coupled with very long effective range and a seeker designed for engaging low-altitude targets, makes it particularly difficult to evade." In February 2023, Ukraine obtained wreckage of a R-37M which would be of interest to Ukraine and Western countries. According to Ukrainian pilots, the R-37M isn't achieving a lot of "hard kills", the destruction of actual Ukrainian aircraft. However, their launch forces pilots to abandon their current mission and take evasive action.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/05/30/with-f-16s-ukrainian-pilots-can-finally-beat-back-russias-mig-31s/?ss=aerospace-defense&sh=de6e14c5c0b4|title=With F-16s, Ukrainian Pilots Could Finally Beat Back Russia's MiG-31s|website=Forbes.com|author= David Axe == Operators ==