RES/KIT 72-0053 R-550 Magic-2 missile (4 pcs) (Mirage f.1, Mirage 2000, Mirage III, Rafale, Super Etendard)

The Matra R-550 Magic is a French short- and medium-range air-to-air missile from the Cold War and modern times. The weight of the first version of the missile was 89 kilograms, length - 2.72 meters, diameter - 15.7 centimeters. The range was up to 10 kilometers, and the maximum speed did not exceed 3 Ma. The missile was powered by solid fuel. The R-550 Magic missile was developed to replace the R-530 missiles in the line and was a specific response to the American AIM-9 Sidewinder missile. Design work on the new missile began in the late 1960s and was introduced to the lines in Armee de l'Air and the French naval aviation in 1976. The first version of the missile had passive infrared guidance. In 1986, a modernized version of the missile, called Magic 2, was presented, which has a guidance system based on the same principle, but can also attack targets from the front, not like the R-550 Magic, only from the rear hemisphere. Currently, in French aviation, Magic and Magic 2 missiles are being replaced by MBDA MICA missiles. The R-550 missiles of both versions were operated not only in France, but also exported to Argentina, Greece, Peru and Taiwan, among others. They were used in combat, e.g. during the Falklands war in 1982.