The R550 Magic is a a short-range missile designed in 1968 by Matra to compete with the American AIM-9 Sidewinder. On the 11th of January 1972, a Gloster Meteor of the centre for in-flight trials fired the R550 Magic and shot down a CT20 target drone.
Mass-produced from 1976, the Magic was adopted by the French Air Force, and the French Navy. In 1986, an upgraded version, the "Magic 2", replaced the original model. Now obsolete, the Magic 2 was produced in 11,300 copies and was exported notably to Iraq and Argentina, which used them in actual combat.
The Magic has 8 fixed fins, and 4 movable fins. It has a solid-powder engine, and can engage the target independently from the firing aircraft with its passive IR guidance system. The Magic 2 replaced the AD3601 seeking head by the AD3633, allowing frontal fire on the target (the Magic 1 could 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 is still carried by the Super Etendard, the Mirage 2000 and the Rafale. It is gradually being replaced by the MBDA MICA.
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