View source for R.550 Magic

{{more citations needed|date=December 2007}}
{{Infobox weapon
| is_missile         = yes
| name               = R.550 Magic
| image              = File:Matra R550 Loaded on Pylon of Mirage 2000-5EI 2046 20120811.jpg
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = R.550 Magic loaded on the pylon of a ROCAF Mirage 2000-5EI.
| origin             = France
| type               = [[air-to-air missile|Short-range air-to-air missile]]
| used_by            = See ''Operators''
| wars               = [[South African Border War]]<br/>[[Iran-Iraq War]]
| manufacturer       = [[Matra]], [[MBDA|MBDA France]]
| unit_cost          = $38 000 - $90 000 (USD)
| propellant         = Solid fuel
| service            = 1968 (Magic) and 1986 (Magic 2)
| engine             = Richard single-stage butylene solid-propellant rocket
| engine_power       = 
| weight             = {{cvt|89|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| length             = {{cvt|2.72|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| height             = 2.75 Meters
| diameter           = {{cvt|157|mm|in|0|abbr=on}}
| wingspan           = 0.66 Metres
| speed              = Mach 3 (Magic 1)<br>Mach 2 (Magic 2)
| vehicle_range      = {{cvt|10|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} (Magic 1)<br>{{cvt|20|km|mi|abbr=on}} (Magic 2)
| ceiling            = {{cvt|18000|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| altitude           = 
| filling            = High explosive pre-fragmented {{cvt|12.7|kg|lb|abbr=on}} warhead
| guidance           = [[Infrared homing]]
| detonation         = Contact and RF proximity fuzing
| launch_platform    = [[British Aerospace Sea Harrier#Indian Navy|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 Fighting Falcon|General Dynamics F-16]], [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21#Romania|Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 LanceR]], [[SEPECAT Jaguar]], [[Vought F-8 Crusader#French Navy|Vought F-8E(FN)]].
}}

The '''R.550 Magic''' ([[backronym]] for ''Missile Auto-Guidé Interception et Combat''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dan1959.centerblog.net/rub-armement-des-avions-.html|title=armement des avions|website=dan1959.centerblog.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://petaf-shop.e-monsite.com/pages/page.html|title=EC 2/13 Alpes jeunesse oblige|website=petaf-shop.e-monsite.com|access-date=2016-03-30|archive-date=2022-01-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128001220/http://petaf-shop.e-monsite.com/pages/page.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>) 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.

== Development ==
Developed originally as a short-range [[Infrared homing|infrared]] [[air-to-air missile]], the R.550 was meant to be France's lighter short-range missile, replacing the previous heavy [[R.530]]. During a trial on 11 January 1965, a [[Gloster Meteor]] of the centre for in-flight trials fired an R.550 Magic and shot down a [[Nord CT20]] target drone. 

The Magic was then mass-produced from 1967. The Magic was adopted by the [[French Air Force]] and [[French Navy|Navy]] for active service.

An upgraded version, the ''Magic 2'', replaced the original model in 1986. In total, 11,300 Magics (7,000 Magic 1s and 4,000 Magic 2s)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Matra R.550 Magic |url=https://weaponsystems.net/system/516-Matra+R.550+Magic |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=Weaponsystems.net |language=en}}</ref> were produced; they were exported, notably to Iraq and Greece, who used them in combat.

The Magic has been used by the [[Dassault Rafale]], [[Dassault Mirage 2000]], [[F-16]], [[Sea Harrier]] (FRS51), [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|MiG-21]], [[Super Étendard]], [[Mirage F1]], [[Mirage 5]], and [[Mirage III]]. However, the R.550 is gradually being replaced by the [[MBDA MICA]]. 480 Magics were sold to Taiwan and are used by the [[Republic of China Air Force]]'s [[Dassault Mirage 2000|Mirage 2000s]].

The [[PL-7]] is the [[China|Chinese]] [[Reverse engineering|reversed-engineered]] version of the R.550 Magic 1.

== Description ==
[[File:Mirage F1 France.jpg|thumb|left|A Mirage F1C of Escadron de chasse 1/5 ''Vendée'' with a R.550 Magic on the wingtip hardpoint, 1985.]]
The Magic has four fixed fins, four movable fins directly behind the fixed fins, and four notched fins on the tail. As the canards move to guide the missile to the target, small vortices generated by the canards impart roll moments on the tail fins, which can slow the roll attempted by the missile, or even roll reversal. To prevent interfering moments from the tail, the fins are mounted on bearings allowing the tail fins to spin freely.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ODIN - OE Data Integration Network |url=https://odin.tradoc.army.mil/WEG/Asset/R550_Magic_2_French_Short-Range_Air-to-Air_Missile |access-date=2024-05-15 |website=odin.tradoc.army.mil}}</ref> This is in contrast with the AIM-9, which makes use of "rollerons," which are slipstream driven gyros mounted on the tail fins which stabilize the missile in three axes, and have no fixed fin "[[Canard (aeronautics)|canards]]" forward of the moving fins.  Its diameter is larger than the Sidewinder's, which is 5 inches (127&nbsp;mm) and a legacy of the US Navy's five-inch rocket, from which the AIM-9 is derived; the larger diameter simplified engineering.  It has a Romeo [[solid rocket|solid-fuel engine]], and can engage the target independently from the firing aircraft with its all-aspect cooled [[infrared homing]] system. The homing system utilizes sulfur lead granting it a high sensitivity and immunity to noise, or thermal clutter.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Short range guided missile Magic-2 {{!}} Missilery.info |url=https://en.missilery.info/missile/magic2 |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=en.missilery.info}}</ref> The missile can attain track through information transmitted (prior to launch) by the aircraft's radar system, helmet mounted target designation system, optoelectronic sighting system, or through merely being pointed at the target and then being uncaged (allowing the seeker head to move freely on the gimbal onboard the missile).<ref name=":0" /> 

The missile has no minimum launch speed, making it a prime candidate for arming helicopters which often fly at significantly lower speeds than fighter fixed-wing platforms.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=ODIN - OE Data Integration Network |url=https://odin.tradoc.army.mil/WEG/Asset/R550_Magic_2_French_Short-Range_Air-to-Air_Missile |access-date=2024-05-15 |website=odin.tradoc.army.mil}}</ref> It utilizes a silver-zinc battery to power its electronics.  

The missile features a 13kg pre-fragmented controlled splinter warhead which makes up 14.6% of the missile's total weight, and uses a proximity fuse for detonation. The warhead is armed 1.8 seconds after launch, making its minimum WEZ (Weapon Employment Zone) 0.3 kilometers (0.18 miles). It utilizes a Richard single-stage butylene [[solid-propellant rocket]] for propulsion, propelling it to speeds up to Mach 3 for the Magic 1, and Mach 2 for the Magic 2. The missile can be outfitted on any aircraft capable of firing the [[AIM-9 Sidewinder]]. If the missile misses, it self-destructs after 26 seconds.

While the missile was satisfactory as a dogfight missile in the 1980s, it is outdated by today's standards. The Magic 2 replaced the AD3601 seeker head by the all-aspect AD3633, allowing all-aspect capability (the Magic 1 can only be fired from the rear on the target). The Magic 1 has a transparent dome on its nose, while the Magic 2 is opaque. The Magic 2 also had a reduced amount of time required for the weapon to be prepared for launch.<ref name=":1" /> The seeker head has a gimbal limit of 30 degrees, meaning that it can track targets up to 30 degrees off of its boresight. Once launched, the R.550 Magic 1 is capable of withstanding 35g's, and the Magic 2 capable of 50g's.

==Operators==
[[File:R.550 operators.png|thumb|upright=1.35|Operators: {{legend|#0b60d4|Current}}{{legend|#dc0023|Former}}]]

===Current operators===
*{{EGY}}
*{{FRA}}
*{{IND}}<ref>{{cite web |last1=Som |first1=Vishnu |title=The Mirage 2000 Upgrade: What Makes India's Fighter Jet Better |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/the-mirage-2000-upgrade-what-makes-indias-fighter-jet-better-749715 |website=NDTV |access-date=19 February 2022 |date=26 March 2015}}</ref>
*{{flag|Morocco}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Tom |last2=Grandolini |first2=Albert |last3=Fontanellaz |first3=Adrien |title=Showdown in Western Sahara, Volume 2: Air Warfare Over the Last African Colony, 1975-1991 |date=2019 |publisher=Helion & Company Publishing |location=Warwick, UK |isbn=978-1-912866-29-8 |page=20}}</ref>
*{{PAK}}<ref>{{harvnb|Chenel|Liébert|Moreau|2014|page=151}}</ref>
*{{flag|Peru}}: Magic 1 and 2 on Mirage 2000<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tincopa |first1=Amaru |title=Defending the skies of Peru |url=https://indd.adobe.com/view/e1c599d7-b963-4e8f-ba78-6bb762dd38ed |work=Revista Pucará |issue=7 |date=May–June 2021 |page=35}}</ref>
*{{TWN}}
*{{UAE}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Tom |title=Hot Skies Over Yemen, Volume 2: Aerial Warfare Over the Southern Arabian Peninsula, 1994-2017 |date=2018 |publisher=Helion & Company Publishing |location=Warwick, UK |isbn=978-1-911628-18-7 |page=III}}</ref>
*{{UKR}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ukrainian Mirage 2000 Sports Kill Markings of Russian Cruise Missiles |url=https://theaviationist.com/2025/11/17/ukrainian-mirage-2000-kill-markings/ |website=The Aviationist}}</ref>

===Former operators===
*{{ARG}}: Magic 1 on the Mirage IIIEA, Dagger, Mirage 5P Mara and Super Étendard.<ref>{{harvnb|Chenel|Liébert|Moreau|2014|pages=247,257,261}}</ref>
*{{AUS}}: Magic 1 on the Mirage IIIO.<ref>{{harvnb|Chenel|Liébert|Moreau|2014|page=71}}</ref>
*{{BRA}}: Magic 2 on Mirage 2000B/C.
*{{flag|Ecuador}}: Magic 2 on Mirage F1.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rivas |first1=Santiago |title=Ecuadorian Cheetahs |url=https://online.fliphtml5.com/soips/mxgs/#p=36 |work=Revista Pucará |issue=12 |date=March–April 2022 |page=36}}</ref>
*{{GRE}}: Magic 2 on Mirage 2000EGM.
*{{flag|Iraq|1963}}: Magic 1 and 2 on Mirage F1.
*{{JOR}}
*{{KUW}}: Magic 1 and 2 on Mirage F1.
*{{flag|Libya|1977}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Tom |last2=Grandolini |first2=Albert |last3=Delalande |first3=Arnaud |title=Libyan Air Wars, Part 3: 1986-1989 |publisher=Helion & Company Publishing |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-910294-54-3 |page=IV}}</ref>
*{{flag|Oman}}
*{{ROM}}: Magic 2 on MiG-21 LanceR.
*{{RSA}}: Magic 1 on the Mirage F1.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fontanellaz |first1=Adrien |last2=Cooper |first2=Tom |last3=Matos |first3=Jose Augusto |title=War of Intervention in Angola, Volume 4: Angolan and Cuban Air Forces, 1985-1987 |date=2021 |publisher=Helion & Company Publishing |location=Warwick, UK |isbn=978-1-914059-25-4 |page=64}}</ref>
*{{VEN}}: On the Mirage 50.<ref>{{harvnb|Chenel|Liébert|Moreau|2014|page=285}}</ref>

==Operational history==
===Greece===
On 8 October 1996, 7 months after the escalation over [[Imia/Kardak]] a [[Hellenic Air Force|Greek]] Mirage 2000 fired an R550 Magic II and [[1996 Turkish F-16 shootdown|shot down a Turkish F-16D]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121104212512/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4362620.html Turkish F-16 jet crashes after Greek interception]. Chicago Sun-Times, October 9, 1996.</ref> over the [[Aegean Sea]]. The Turkish pilot died, while the co-pilot ejected and was rescued by Greek forces.<ref>Anon. [http://www.f-16.net/f-16_fighting_falcon_airframe-3371.html "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 91-0023"].  ''F-16.net''.  Retrieved: 18 May 2008.</ref><ref>Anon. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20040220181022/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_299.shtml "Greek & Turkish Air-to-Air Victories"]}}. ''Air Combat Information Group (ACIG)'', 18 September 2004.  Retrieved: 16 May 2008.</ref> In August 2012, after [[Turkish-Syrian relations#Friction due to Syrian civil war|the downing of a Turkish RF-4E on the Syrian Coast]], in response to a parliamentary question, Turkish Defence Minister İsmet Yılmaz confirmed that Turkish F-16D Block 40 (s/n 91-0023) of 192 Filo was shot down by a Greek Mirage 2000 with an R.550 Magic II on 8 October 1996 in the [[Aegean dispute|disputed]] airspace near [[Chios]] island.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://theaviationist.com/2012/09/06/tuaf-incidents/|title = 30 years later, Ankara admits Turkish Air Force jet was shot down by Iraq|date = 6 September 2012}}</ref>

===South Africa===
The [[South African Air Force]] (SAAF) received a number of R.550 missiles before a widespread international arms embargo took effect in 1977. SAAF [[Dassault Mirage F1|Mirage F1]] aircraft carried the R.550. South African Mirage F1s fired early generation R550 missiles in combat over Angola against [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|MiG-21]] and [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23|MiG-23]] adversaries on a number of occasions. In all but one case, the missiles failed to damage or destroy the MiGs. In an engagement between a Mirage F1CZ and MiG-21 in October 1982, two R.550s were fired by SAAF Major Rankin and one of them damaged the [[People's Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola|FAPLA]] MiG-21.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sa-transport.co.za/aircraft/mirage_f1_saaf_service.html|title=Mirage F1 in SAAF Service by Paul Dubois|website=www.sa-transport.co.za}}</ref> The limited performance envelope of early generation R.550s led South Africa to begin developing an indigenous AAM called the V-3 Kukri.

==See also==
* {{lwc|PL-7}} Chinese version of R.550 Magic
*{{lwc|ASRAAM}}
*{{lwc|IRIS-T}}
*{{lwc|MICA (missile)|MICA}}
*[[List of missiles]]

==References==
;Citations
{{reflist|2}}
;Bibliography
* {{cite book |last1=Chenel |first1=Bernard |last2=Liébert |first2=Michel |last3=Moreau |first3=Eric |title=Mirage III/5/50 en service à l'étranger |date=2014 |publisher=Editions LELA Presse |location=Le Vigen, France |isbn=978-2-914017-76-3}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:R550 Magic}}
[[Category:Air-to-air missiles of France|R.550]]
[[Category:Matra]]
[[Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1970s]]
[[Category:Short range air-to-air missiles]]