AA-1 "Alkali"

Date of Production	19611957
Country of Origin	Russia (Former Soviet Union)
Proliferation: Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, China, Cuba,Hungary, Eritrea,Poland, Libya,Romania, NorthRussian Korea, Syria, Viet Nam, YemenFederation

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Background

The VympelKaliningrad K-135 (NATO reporting name:name AA-21 "Atoll")Alkali), isalso aknown short-range,as infraredRS-1U homingor product ShM, was an early Soviet air-to-air missilemissile. developedThe development of the K-5 began in 1951. The first test firings were in 1953. It was tested (but not operationally carried) by the SovietYakovlev Union.Yak-25. ItThe isweapon similarentered service as the Grushin/Tomashevich (Russian: Грушин/Томашевич) RS-2U (also known as the R-5MS or K-5MS) in appearance1957. andThe functioninitial version was matched to the AmericanRP-2U AIM-9(Izumrud-2) Sidewinderradar fromused whichon itthe MiG-17PFU, MiG-19PM. An improved variant, K-5M or RS-2US in PVO service, entered production in 1959, matched to the RP-9/RP-9U (Sapfir) radar of the Sukhoi Su-9. The People's Republic of China developed a copy under the designation PL-1, for use by their J-6B fighters. The difficulties associated with beam-riding guidance, particularly in a single-seat fighter aircraft, were substantial, making the 'Alkali' primarily a short-range anti-bomber missile. Around 1967 the K-5 was reverse-engineered. Although it since has been replaced by morethe modernK-55 missiles(R-55 in frontlineservice), service,which itreplaced sawthe widespreadbeam-riding serviceseeker inwith manythe nations.semi-active Theradar Sidewinderhoming wasor quicklyinfrared reverseseekers engineered asof the K-13 (alsoAA-2 called'Atoll'). R-3The orweapon Objectwas 300)7.8 andkg entered(17 limitedlb) heavier than the K-5, but had a smaller 9.1 kg (20 lb) warhead. The K-55 remained in service onlythrough twoabout years1977, laterprobably inbeing 1960.retired This was followed bywith the improvedlast K-13A (R-3S, Object 310), which entered service in 1962. The R-3S wasof the firstSukhoi version to enter widespread production, in spite of a very long seeker settling time on the order of 22 seconds, as opposed to 11 seconds for the original version. The R-3S was seen by the West in 1961 and given the NATO reporting name AA-2A 'Atoll'. Minimum engagement range for the R-3S is about one kilometer. All K-13 variants are physically similar to Sidewinder, sharing the 5-inch (127 mm) diameter. Subsequent examination of AA-2 missiles captured by NATO forces showed that parts from an AIM-Su-9 could be interfaced with parts from an AA-2 and either combination would still work.interceptors.

 General Characteristics

Name	K-13;5; NATO: AA-21 AtollAlkali
Type	Infraredbeam-riding Homingseeker Air-to-Air/ Missilesemi active radar homing
Manufacturer	VympelKaliningrad Series Production Plant
Length	2.83049 m
Diameter	127200 mm
Wingspan	631654 mm
Weight	9082.7 kg
Warhead Weight	7.413 kg
Engine	solid-fuel rocket engine
Operational Range	1.0 to 3.52-6 km
Maximum Speed	Mach 2.533
Guidance System	infraredBeam homingriding
Launch Platform(s)	MiG-21, MiG-23,17, MiG-19, SukhoiMiG-21, Su-17/20/229

Threat Characteristics

Rear Aspect Range	2 Nautical Miles
Front Aspect Range	3 Nautical Miles
Countermeasure Vulnerability	Very High

Threat Counter Tactics Discussion

The AA-2 Atoll is most dangerous when launched undetected. Counter tactics should emphasis visual lookout responsibilities and sanitization. 1

Threat Reactions

A maximum performance turn in excess of 3Gs while deploying flares has a high probability of defeating this threat.

Countermeasure Employment

Exploitation Datasets