Ukraine’s Artem Wins $200M to Provide R-27 Missiles to Mystery Customer

Ukraine’s Artem Wins $200M to Provide R-27 Missiles to Mystery Customer

Ukraine’s Artem Holding company reportedly won a $200 million contract from an unnamed customer to provide R-27 medium-range air-to-air missiles.

“The company received an advance payment and began to fulfill the largest contract for the last 10-15 years for the supply of R-27 missiles worth more than $200 million,” Artem director Vladimir Zimin was quoted as saying by Defence Blog on Wednesday.

An unnamed Asian customer, speculated to be India or Indonesia, has contracted Artem to supply a batch of medium-range missiles designed to intercept and destroy hostile piloted aircraft, drone targets and cruise missiles in a long-range and close-in dogfight.

The Vympel R-27 is a family of air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union. The R-27 is manufactured in infrared-homing (R-27T, R-27ET), semi-active-radar-homing (R-27R, R-27ER), and active-radar-homing (R-27EA) versions. R-27 family missiles are produced by both Russian and Ukrainian manufacturers. The R-27 missile is carried by the Mikoyan MiG-29 and Sukhoi Su-27 family fighters, and some of the later-model MiG-23MLD fighters have also been adapted to carry it.