Which Countries Will Buy Russia’s New R-77M ‘Stealth Killer’ Air-to-Air Missile?

Following confirmation of the entry into service of the R-77M active radar guided air-to-air missile in the Russian Aerospace Forces, the scale on which the new missile will be fielded and the impact it will have on the ongoing war in the Ukrainian theatre have been widely speculated. The air-to-air armaments of Russian fighter aircraft have long lagged behind their American, Chinese and even European counterparts, with the R-77M belatedly providing a direct counterpart to the Chinese PL-15 and the American AIM-120D which entered service in the mid-2010s. The new missile provides a revolutionary improvement in capabilities, with its 200 kilometre range far exceeding the 110 kilometres of the preceding R-77-1 missile, while it is reported to use an AESA radar in its homing head for greater immunity to jamming and a longer target lock on range. It is also reported to use active phased array antenna technology to provide the missile with a fuller and wider angle picture of its target making it far more difficult to evade even for manoeuvrable fighter-sized targets.

The R-77M is expected to significantly increase foreign interest in Russian fighter aircraft, and to be offered to clients for modern Russian ‘4+ generation’ and fifth generation fighters to enhance their air-to-air capabilities. Some of the leading potential clients for the missiles could include Kazakhstan, Belarus, India and Algeria to enhance their Su-30SM, MKI and MKA fighters, as well as Egypt where the missile could have a transformative impact on the performance of its MiG-29M fighters. Following its recent procurement ofSu-35 fighters in early 2025, Algeria’s plan to begin receiving Su-57 fifth generation fighters before the end of the year makes deliveries of the R-77M highly likely, as the missile class is the only one which can fit inside the aircraft’s internal weapons bays and provide a beyond visual range air-to-air capability. The missiles may also be included in Iran’s contract to procure Su-35 fighters, or in a followup sale to enhance the fighters, as the country faces significant threats from the fighter fleets of Israel and countries across the Western world.

The R-77M’s ability to bridge the gap with the Chinese PL-15 may lead it to appeal particularly highly to the Indian Air Force, as neighbouring Pakistan has procured J-10C and JF-17 Block 3 fighters with PL-15s in significant numbers.The missiles could make Indian Su-30MKI and MiG-29UPG fighters much more competitive against these threats, while India could seek to acquire technologies from the new Russian missile to enhance its own Astra air-to-air missile program. Another potential client for both complete missiles and for technology transfers is North Korea, as the Korean People’s Army Air Force received its first indigenous class of active radar guided air-to-air missile in May 2025, and could potentially enhance the design with technologies from the R-77M. There have been growing indications that the East Asian state will procure modern fighter aircraft from Russia, with modernised MiG-29s and Su-57 fifth generation fighters though to be among the most likely to be transferred. These could be equipped with the R-77M or an indigenous missile class with the same technologies to improve their performances.