The R.550 Magic (backronym for Missile Auto-Guidé Interception et Combat[1][2]) 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.

It has a Romeo 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.

The warhead is armed 1.8 seconds after launch, making its minimum WEZ (Weapon Employment Zone) 0.3 kilometers (0.18 miles).

On 8 October 1996, 7 months after the escalation over Imia/Kardak a Greek Mirage 2000 fired an R550 Magic II and shot down a Turkish F-16D[18] over the Aegean Sea.

[21] The South African Air Force (SAAF) received a number of R.550 missiles before a widespread international arms embargo took effect in 1977.

South African Mirage F1s fired early generation R550 missiles in combat over Angola against MiG-21 and MiG-23 adversaries on a number of occasions.

[22] The limited performance envelope of early generation R.550s led South Africa to begin developing an indigenous AAM called the V-3 Kukri.