The
Matra
Matra (an acronym for Mécanique Aviation Traction) was a French industrial conglomerate. During its years of operation, it was engaged in a wide range of business activities, primarily focused around automobiles, bicycles, aeronautics and we ...
R.530 is a French medium to short range
air-to-air missile
The newest and the oldest member of Rafael's Python family of AAM for comparisons, Python-5 (displayed lower-front) and Shafrir-1 (upper-back)
An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying a ...
.
It was available in
infrared homing
Infrared homing is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared (IR) light emission from a target to track and follow it seamlessly. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers" since infrared is radi ...
and
semi active radar homing
Semi-active radar homing (SARH) is a common type of missile guidance system, perhaps the most common type for longer-range air-to-air and surface-to-air missile systems. The name refers to the fact that the missile itself is only a passive det ...
as the main armament of the
Mirage III
The Dassault Mirage III () is a family of single/dual-seat, single-engine, fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company Dassault Aviation. It was the first Western European combat aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in horizonta ...
which was able to carry a single missile in the centerline, the
Mirage F1
The Dassault Mirage F1 is a French fighter and attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was developed as a successor to the popular Mirage III family.
During the 1960s, Dassault commenced development of what would b ...
, which carried two under the wings, and the
F-8 Crusader
The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) is a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps (replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass), and for the Frenc ...
, also carrying two on the sides of the fuselage in French Navy service.
Operational history
The Israeli
Heyl Ha'Avir (IDF/AF) purchased 15 semi-active radar-homing R.530 missiles from France, along with three training rounds and eight launch pylons, to go with the new Mirage IIICJ "Shahak". It was intended to complement the domestic
Rafael
Rafael may refer to:
* Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin
* Rafael, California
* Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology
* Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane
Fiction
* ''R ...
Shafrir infrared-homing air-to-air missile. The missile was christened "Yahalom" (Hebrew for "diamond") in Israeli service and was issued to the No. 110 and No. 117 squadrons for their
quick reaction alert
Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) is state of readiness and '' modus operandi'' of air defence maintained at all hours of the day by NATO air forces. The United States usually refers to Quick Reaction Alert as 'Airspace Control Alert'.
Some non-NATO c ...
(QRA) aircraft. Both squadrons achieved weapons qualification in 1964.
[Aloni, Shlomo. ''Duel 28: Mirage III vs. MiG-21''. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2010. .]
On 29 November 1966, an Israeli Air Force
Dassault Mirage III
The Dassault Mirage III () is a family of single/dual-seat, single-engine, fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company Dassault Aviation. It was the first Western European combat aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in horizonta ...
shot down two Egyptian
MiG-19s which were trying to intercept an Israeli reconnaissance
Piper J-3 Cub
The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is Pi ...
in Israeli airspace. The first MiG was destroyed with an R.530 fired from less than a mile away, marking the first aerial kill for the missile. The second MiG-19 was destroyed with cannon fire.
During the
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...
, the R.530, as was common for early air-to-air missiles in the 1960s, proved to be chronically unreliable and difficult to use, especially in the close-range dogfights that characterized aerial combat in the war. The R.530 required a radar lock from the Cyrano radar of the Mirage III in order to be launched, but the Cyrano radar was severely hampered by ground clutter at low altitude, where most air combat took place during the Six-Day War, rendering the R.530 nearly useless. The weapon failed to achieve any kills during the Six-Day War.
Gallery
File:R.530-21.jpg, Matra R.530 missile
File:R.530-19.jpg, Matra R.530 missile
File:R.530-20.jpg, Matra R.530 missile
File:R.530-29.jpg, Matra R.530 missile
File:R.530-25.jpg, Matra R.530 missile
File:R.530-23.jpg, Matra R.530 missile
File:R.530-24.jpg, Matra R.530 missile
File:R.530-30.jpg, Matra R.530 missile
File:R.530 operators.png, Map with former R.530 operators in red
File:Dassault Mirage IIIC, France - Air Force AN0695826.jpg, Mirage IIIC of Escadron de Chasse 2/10 Seine in 1980 armed with a Matra R.530
File:Two French air force Dassault Mirage F1C aircraft.jpg, Mirage F1s of Escadron de Chasse 2/30 Normandie-Niemen
Fighter Squadron 2/30 Normandie-Niemen (Escadron de Chasse 2/30 Normandie-Niemen) is a French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'air et de l'espace) fighter squadron which flies the Dassault Rafale C from BA 118 Mont-de-Marsan Air Base. During ...
and Escadron de Chasse 3/30 Lorraine
The ''Escadron de Chasse 3/30 Lorraine'' ("fighter Squadron 3/30 Lorraine") is a fighter Squadron of the French Air and Space Force (''Armée de l'air et de l'espace'') located at BA 118 Mont-de-Marsan Air Base which flies the Dassault Rafale C. ...
in 1986 armed with Matra R.530s
Former operators
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See also
Related development:
*
Super 530
The Matra Super 530 is a French short to medium-range air-to-air missile. The Super 530 series is an improved type of the R.530 missile.
*Super 530F is carried on the Dassault Mirage F1. It was introduced in 1979.
*Super 530D is carried on the ...
Similar weapons
*
AIM-4 Falcon
The Hughes AIM-4 Falcon was the first operational guided air-to-air missile of the United States Air Force. Development began in 1946; the weapon was first tested in 1949. The missile entered service with the USAF in 1956.
Produced in both heat ...
*
AIM-26 Falcon
The AIM-26 Falcon was a larger, more powerful version of the AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile built by Hughes. It is the only guided American air-to-air missile with a nuclear warhead to be produced; the unguided AIR-2 Genie rocket was also nuclea ...
*
AIM-7 Sparrow
The AIM-7 Sparrow (Air Intercept Missile) is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy, and United States Marine Corps, as well as other various air forces ...
(initial variants)
*
K-8 (missile)
The Kaliningrad K-8 (R-8) (NATO reporting name AA-3 'Anab') was a medium-range air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union for interceptor aircraft use.Gordon, Yefim. ''Soviet/Russian Aircraft Weapons''. Midland. 2004.
The missile was devel ...
References
;Citations
;Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matra Super 530
R.530
The Matra R.530 is a French medium to short range air-to-air missile.
It was available in infrared homing and semi active radar homing as the main armament of the Mirage III which was able to carry a single missile in the centerline, the Mirage ...
R.530
The Matra R.530 is a French medium to short range air-to-air missile.
It was available in infrared homing and semi active radar homing as the main armament of the Mirage III which was able to carry a single missile in the centerline, the Mirage ...
Military equipment introduced in the 1960s
fr:Matra R530