New Russian Air Launched Weapons, Clarifications

Yes, the Kh-59MK is subsonic, and you’d use an ARM for an emitting SAM system, but a TV-guided missile like the Kh-59MK would be useful for attacking, say, an S-300V travelling down the road. IE, not emitting signals that a Kh-31P could target.

Wouldn’t you use a ARM against SAMs and radars? Considering a Kh-31P like weapon is very fast and such. BTW isnt Kh-59MK subsonic and low flying?

Actually, for Kh-59M, why would you need to hit a moving target like a tank 100+kms away?

Who is talking about tanks… a moving cruise or ballistic missile carrying truck like a Scud truck would constitute a target worthy of an expensive weapon… as would a mobile radar system in transit, or mobile SAM system.

Actually, for Kh-59M, why would you need to hit a moving target like a tank 100+kms away? With a missile that expensive and heavy, you’d want to hit larger and more important fixed targets like airfields, ammo depots, command posts and whatever. Against armoured columns, you don’t exactly need a TV guided bomb to hit these moving targets, and like you said a GPS bomb like kAB-500S can receive updates from the radar or even use something like a radar guided ATGM like Brimstone or even Hermes and JCM in the future. The JDAM is being updated and modified to hit moving targets now. I think in the future the KAB-500S could be modified too and probably will. But the point is, for hitting moving targets like tanks and such, I’d rather use the cheaper 50 kg Brimstone than a 250+ kg JDAM.

The LGB-250, ie the LGB stands for Laser Guided Bomb on the export market probably, will probably given a designation KAB-250 or KAB-250L. However the 250 is sopposed to mean how much it weighs, in reality I have seen figures from different sources saying it weighs some 300kg.

According to the makers it is a 250kg bomb.

BTW, wouldnt it be just easier and cheaper to give the Kh-59M GPS guidance than the more expensive TV guidance?

GPS is only cheaper if you know where the target is exactly. A TV guidance allows the engagement of moving targets. It can also be fitted with a computer that allows it to independantly identify targets itself… something a GPS system cannot do.

TV guided bombs are the least accurate when compared to GPS and LGBs.

Rubbish. In fine conditions generally TV guided are the most accurate followed by Laser guided and then GPS. Needless to say that a laser spot from a marker 4km away can be 3-4 metres across.

GLONASS would still give you better accuracy than a TV guided bomb.

GLONASS accuracy is about on par with non military GPS… better than TV in the dark in bad weather, but not good enough for real precision. Of course GLONASS guided weapons also have INS systems and can use radar updates and TERCOM to improve accuracy to an acceptable level. Kh-101s showed accuracy better than 4 times what they expected, and accuracy was expected to be a CEP of 10 metres or so. Suggests a CEP of 2.5m accuracy to me.

Also, one can question the vulnerability of satellites. How hard would it be to develop Anti-Satellite weapons? Destroyign these satellites would totally **** up all the GPS supported platforms.

The ABM missiles being developed in the US and the ones around Moscow would be ideal weapons for systems in most orbits.

Also, one can question the vulnerability of satellites. How hard would it be to develop Anti-Satellite weapons? Destroyign these satellites would totally **** up all the GPS supported platforms.

GPS has been jammed, but only at short range. That was during a Greek tender for a new tank. The French had put a jammer somewhere near the battlefield when the US Abrams tanks and British ChallengerII were doing the test. Yet they did quite bad, since their GPS was out…
I don’t know how this kind of jammers would work against bombs, since it’s only at short range and I suppose the bomb can just fly through…

TV guided bombs are the least accurate when compared to GPS and LGBs. LGBs are the most accurate followed by GPS munitions.
GLONASS would still give you better accuracy than a TV guided bomb.
India and Russia both have reasonable number of LGBs for precision strikes.
BUT – LGBs need good clear conditions to work as advertised. TV aided bombs need good clear conditions to work as advertised. Only GPS munitions are resitant to any type of battlefield conditions be it weather or smoke. This is what makes them so versatile.
The much more important question that everyone should be asking is how resistant is GLONASS to enemy ECM. GPS has never been tested against an enemy with formidable ECM support. GLONASS has not been tested at all.
These are relatively weak signals we are talking about. Tampering with them is not hard if good ECCM is not provided to the datalinks.

Just wait a time.

India is now fully compromised with Glonass, and the russians are getting better budget for space forces in all those years and years to come.

I think we can expect a fully deployed Glonass-M/K constellation by 2010…as good as GPS or Galileo?, don’t know…but at least as good as the current GPS network…

The implications of the indian/russian deal about Glonass are more intersting many could beleive.

GPS? Relying on an American system? Yeah very reliable when you have a war…
Glonass, is unfortunately not very accurate and certainly not as accurate as a TV-guided bomb. So, I suppose they would use their Glonass bombs for less important targets while the TV guidance is probably used against targets that really have to be taken out accurately.
Just an opinion from a Maritime enthousiast though… Not an expert in missiles or guidance methods for AL missiles.

BTW, wouldnt it be just easier and cheaper to give the Kh-59M GPS guidance than the more expensive TV guidance?

The LGB-250, ie the LGB stands for Laser Guided Bomb on the export market probably, will probably given a designation KAB-250 or KAB-250L. However the 250 is sopposed to mean how much it weighs, in reality I have seen figures from different sources saying it weighs some 300kg.

KAB-1500TK is a “all the way” guided TV version of the KAB-1500Kr bomb for the Su-24M. Is a very expensive weapon (few Su-24M regiments were equipped with this, same with Kh-59/59M), and its similar in concept to the US’s CWW.

Yes, the 130km range is for the surface launched ones, for the air launched Kh-35 it we are not sure. I have also seen 480kgs for the air launched ones as thats what most sites keep telling me.

No, the Airlaunched Kh-35 and sea/sub/truck/helicopter launched Kh-35 are the same missile. The only difference is the rocket booster for the sea/sub/truck/helo launched version to get it up to speed. In all launch platforms the flight profile of the weapon is high subsonic speed at very low level. The range for all weapons is about 130km. ie launched from a Mig-29 the missile drops down to about 10-14m and flys at mach 0.8. For the other launch platforms the rocket booster accelerates the missile to a speed comparable to the release speed from a fixed wing aircraft and the weapon then uses its own engine to fly at low level at high subsonic speed to the target.

like bazalt MPK bomb enhancement programme,and KAB 1500TK

The MPK gliding kit is listed in the unguided bomb section so I am assuming that it does not include GPS/GLONASS. It does refer to the system being the GCM or gliding and correction module so I would assume there is some sort of INS included to keep it flying striaght and level for accuracy.

Data listed is for the FAB-500M62… with and without the GCM.
Diameter is 400mm for both, and length is 2,470mm for both. The weight is 497kg for both bombs but all up weight with the GCM kit is 540kg maximum. HE content for both is 300kg. Destructive radius for both weapons is the same… (31-54m/110-190m for vulnerable material, and 15m/55m for lightly armoured material).

Range of release for the base weapon is not listed but for the GCM fitted weapon it is up to 15km effective, at point targets 6km-16km, and against area targets up to 40km. Drop conditions are 100m-10km altitude and 500-1100km/h. (compared to 570-12,000m altitude and 500-1,900km/h aircraft speed).

Regarding the KAB-1500TK the only new 1500kg weapons listed are the KAB-1500LG gyro stabilised laser homing bombs.

Then there is the KAB-250, as it appears a 300kg version of the KAB-500.

Do you mean the LGB-250? That is a 250kg weapon.

Anything Kh-35 should be an ASM. The ship-launched weapons should be 3M24s.

What guidance type does the Kh-59MEh use?

Wait, is the Kh-35E1 Uranium just the air launched Kh-35 Uran or is it a further development and also comes in an air launched variant?

Kh-59MK is a anti-ship missile which was developed from Kh-59M/ME, while the Kh-59MEh appears to be also the same, developed from the Kh-59M/ME but for land attack purposes.

KAB-1500TK is a TV guided bomb.

Kh-35E1 is Uranium (as opposed to Uran), with a 250km range and GPS guidance. 3M24M1 missile.
Kh-59MK may be the designator, not Kh-59MEh.

Indian Navy FULCRUMs are potential launch platforms for the air-launched Kh-35.

KAB-1500TK? I’ve never heard of that one. One of the latest ones I’ve heard of is the KAB-500S which is the GPS version of KAB-500. Then there is the KAB-250, as it appears a 300kg version of the KAB-500. I think eventually, all of these will come in GPS guided versions.

Can you be more specific?

like bazalt MPK bomb enhancement programme,and KAB 1500TK

I have no information on this but an improvement to its design is not really a surprise to me as it is a rather old missile. The Kh-35 was offered on East German ships in the mid 80s as the SS-N-25.

Yes and there are rumors from Bharat-Rhakshak and other sites regarding a Kh-35E1 for Delhi class destroyers to replace the older Kh-35s.

Launch ranges: 130km max, 5-7km minimum.

Missile flight altitude: During mid course phase: 10-15m, At terminal phase: about 4m.

Flight speed: 270m/s. 0.8 Mach

Weight: 610kg with solid rocket booster for ground, ship or helicopter launch, fighter launched weapon without booster is 520kgs. (Both weapons are identical except for the solid booster for the fixed or slow platforms).

Warhead is 145kg HE and dimensions are length/w/wo booster x diameter x wingspan: 4.4/3.85 x 0.42 x 1.33m

Yes, the 130km range is for the surface launched ones, for the air launched Kh-35 it we are not sure. I have also seen 480kgs for the air launched ones as thats what most sites keep telling me.

The Kh-59ME is the export version of the KH-59M and has a range of 115km. It is a TV command guided weapon with a datalink like SLAM.

as it appears, the designation for the 285km version is Kh-59MEh

They are not for export yet it seems as they are not in Russias’ Arms 2004.

Any info? Are the missiles the same and therefore what would be the designation?