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R.550 Magic | |
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Type | Short-range air-to-air missile |
Place of origin | France |
Service history | |
In service | 1968 (Magic) and 1986 (Magic 2) |
Used by | See Operators |
Production history | |
Manufacturer | Matra, MBDA France |
Unit cost | $38 000 - $90 000 (USD) |
Specifications | |
Mass | 89 kg (196 lb) |
Length | 2.72 m (8 ft 11 in) |
Height | 2.75 Meters |
Diameter | 157 mm (6 in) |
Wingspan | 0.66 Metres |
Warhead | High explosive pre-fragmented 12.7 kg (28 lb) warhead |
Detonation mechanism | Contact and RF proximity fuzing |
Engine | Richard single-stage butylene solid-propellant rocket |
Propellant | Solid fuel |
Operational range | 10 km (6 mi) (Magic 1) 20 km (12 mi) (Magic 2) |
Flight ceiling | 18,000 m (59,000 ft) |
Maximum speed | Mach 3 (Magic 1) Mach 2 (Magic 2) |
Guidance system | Infrared homing |
Launch platform | British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS.51, Dassault Étendard IV, Dassault Mirage III, Dassault Mirage 5, Dassault Mirage F1, Dassault Mirage 2000, Dassault Super Étendard, Dassault Rafale, General Dynamics F-16, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 LanceR, SEPECAT Jaguar, Vought F-8E(FN). |
The R.550 Magic (backronym for Missile Auto-Guidé Interception et Combat[1][2]) is a short-range air-to-air missile designed in 1965 by French company Matra to compete with the American AIM-9 Sidewinder, and it was made backwards compatible with the Sidewinder launch hardware.