AA.25

The AA.25, also mentioned as Nord 5104, was a radar beam-riding version of the AA.20. It was developed to overcome the original missile’s reliance on visual guidance and its inability to operate at night or in poor weather. It was specifically designed for use with the Dassault Mirage IIIC, leveraging the aircraft’s CSF Cyrano Ibis radar.

The AA.25 entered service in the late 1950s and was used briefly before being replaced by the Matra R.530. It saw no combat use but represented a transitional step toward radar-guided missiles.

Key features & differences:

• New guidance system: replaced MCLOS with radar beam-riding guidance (follows the target-tracking beam of the Mirage IIIC’s CSF Cyrano Ibis radar)
• Optimized compatibility for the Mirage IIIC