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Vympel Weapon Systems

Vympel is a Russian defense and aerospace research-and-development corporation focused on missile and space-defense systems, command posts, and supporting software. In this catalog it is the builder facet behind the R-73 air-to-air missile and the 2K12 Kub / SA-6 missile family, linking Soviet-era missile design to the current Russian defense-industrial network.

2 weapon systems

Vympel's public site presents the company as a Russian defense-industry leader in missile and space defense, with work centered on designing, testing, and supporting automated systems for missile warning, missile defense, and space monitoring.

For this archive, Vympel matters as the builder facet behind the cataloged R-73 and 2K12 Kub entries, while also representing the broader corporate lineage of missile-design and command-system work associated with the current Vympel organization.

Missile and space defenseCommand posts and control softwareRadar and sensor systemsAir-to-air missilesSurface-to-air missiles

Notable Systems

R-73 short-range air-to-air missile

Rosoboronexport describes the export R-73E as a Vympel-produced short-range, all-aspect infrared-guided air-to-air missile.

Sources: Rosoboronexport R-73E

2K12 Kub / SA-6 Gainful

The Czech Ministry of Defence identifies the 2K12 Kub system as developed by the Toropov design office and produced by Vympel MKB and NIIP, tying the cataloged SA-6 family to Vympel's missile work.

Sources: Czech MoD 2K12 Kub

Builder History

  1. Current legal entity registration

    OpenSanctions records 29 September 1992 as the registration date for the current Public Joint Stock Company Vympel Interstate Corporation.

    Sources: OpenSanctions Vympel profile

  2. EU sanctions materials reiterate Almaz-Antey affiliation

    EU sanctions materials describe JSC MAK Vympel as part of the Almaz-Antey concern, a Russian state-owned arms manufacturer.

    Sources: EU Council sanctions text

Website links
Official websiteAbout VympelVympel todayContactsProjects

Vympel's public corporate history is easier to source for current role, ownership, and address than for older Soviet-era name changes, so this profile keeps the focus on the current corporation and its catalog-relevant output. No rights-clear reusable builder image was verified, so images are omitted.

Builder Sources

  • Official websitePublisher: Vympel | Note: Supports the current corporate identity, defense-industry positioning, and the public English-language site structure used for this profile. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • About VympelPublisher: Vympel | Note: Supports the company's current mission, missile and space-defense focus, and the statement that it is part of the Almaz-Antey Air and Space Defense Corporation. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • ContactsPublisher: Vympel | Note: Supports the Moscow headquarters address and current contact details shown on the company site. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • OpenSanctions Vympel profilePublisher: OpenSanctions | Note: Supports the current legal-entity registration date and sanctions-context identification for JSC MAK Vympel. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • EU Council sanctions textPublisher: EUR-Lex | Note: Supports the 2024 sanctions-context reference and the description of JSC MAK Vympel as part of the Almaz-Antey concern. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Rosoboronexport R-73EPublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Supports the R-73E product family as a Vympel-produced missile and the broader manufacturer background for Vympel's air-to-air missile work. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Czech MoD 2K12 KubPublisher: Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic | Note: Supports the 2K12 Kub system as a Vympel-produced missile family and gives broader reference context for the builder's surface-to-air missile work. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Category

Air Defense

Systems that contest aircraft, missiles, helicopters, and drones.

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2K12 Kub / Kvadrat / SA-6 Gainful, Tracked medium-range surface-to-air missile system, Air Defense2018 Syria Missile Strikes, Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict +2 more2K12 Kub / Kvadrat / SA-6 GainfulTracked medium-range surface-to-air missile systemBuilt in: Soviet UnionThe 2K12 Kub, exported as Kvadrat and known to NATO as SA-6 Gainful, is a Soviet tracked medium-range surface-to-air missile system built around 3M9 missiles, 2P25 launch vehicles, and the 1S91 Straight Flush radar. In recent conflict archives it appears as a legacy medium-range air-defense system, including Syrian use during the 2018 missile strikes, Armenian use in Nagorno-Karabakh, and a Houthi SA-6/Kub-family engagement that downed a U.S. MQ-9 over Yemen in 2019.

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

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