Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The Vympel R-73 (NATO reporting name AA-11 Archer) developed by Vympel machine-building design bureau, is the most modern Russian short-range air-to-air missile. The R-73 was developed to replace the earlier R-60 (AA-8 ''Aphid'') weapon for short-range use by Soviet fighter aircraft. Work began in 1973, and the first missiles entered service in 1982.The R-73 is an infrared-guided (heat-seeking) missile with a sensitive, cryogenic cooled seeker with a substantial "off-boresight" capability: the seeker can "see" targets up to 60° off the missile''s centerline.