Russia unveil 3 new air to surface missiles

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Crossposting from BRF, originally poste by NRao.

AWST:

Moscow Air Show

War on Two Fronts for Russia’s Missile Builders
Aviation Week & Space Technology
09/10/2007, page 68

Douglas Barrie and Alexey Komarov
Zhukovsky, Russia

Funding tap turned back on for Russia’s guided-weapons sector, but hurdles remain

Printed headline: Family Affair

Russia’s guided-weapons manufacturers face a war on two fronts—a battle to sustain and expand their position in the export market, and a fight to retain and attract specialist staff at home.

Future success in the export arena will hang on the air-launched weapons now in (sometimes prolonged) development for the Russian air force. The Moscow air show, held here Aug. 21-26, provided an insight into major programs, including a key tactical air-to-surface weapon for a modular missile family.

The Tactical Missiles Corp. revealed the basic configuration of its Kh-38M, a modular guided-weapon design to succeed its Kh-25 (AS-10 Karen/AS-12 Kegler) type of tactical air-to-surface missiles. A mockup was unveiled at the air show, though the Kh-38M program has been in development for more than a decade, with the requirement for a successor to the Kh-25 family likely originating no later than the early 1990s.

“The Kh-38M is a multirole medium-range missile that will replace a number of different missiles we have in our corporation,” says Boris Obnosov, the company’s director. “The main characteristics of this missile have been tested,” he adds.

Established in 2002, Tactical Missiles incorporates the bulk of Russia’s tactical guided-weapons design and manufacturing industry. Its formation and operation, however, have been challenging.

The Russian defense ministry late last year atypically highlighted the guided-weapons sector for public criticism. Then Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov cautioned that “development of aircraft weapon systems is unsatisfactory.”

A contributory cause, however, was the lack of adequate government funding. While this situation has improved, the sector still faces challenges. Obnosov suggests the sector needs state support for the training of specialist engineers. He suggests that within five years the company will face a serious shortfall in specific areas of expertise if nothing is done.

The Kh-38M has been designed for internal carriage, with the missile’s mid-body wings and rear control surfaces folding. The missile is earmarked for inclusion on the Russian air force’s fifth-generation fighter program, known as the PAK FA, for which the Sukhoi T-50 design has been selected. The missile also would conceivably fit within the internal carriage bay of MiG’s Skat unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV).

No performance figures or dimensions were released by the company for the Kh-38M. The mockup appeared to be slightly longer than the Kh-25MSE, giving it a length of around 4.4 meters (14.4 ft.). Obnosov confirms that the Kh-38M airframe is designed to be fitted with various seekers. The mockup appeared to represent a version fitted for an electro-optical sensor. The Kh-25 family includes television, imaging infrared, semiactive laser, millimeter-wave radar and passive radar-homing guidance options. The Kh-38M family will also likely offer these features.

The Kh-38M (middle) design is a key development for Tactical Missiles Corp., replacing the Kh-25 family of weapons.Credit: DOUGLAS BARRIE/AW&ST PHOTOS

[b]Some of the more recent seeker options proposed as upgrades for the Kh-25 may be related to the overall Kh-38M development program, including the imaging infrared seeker and the broad-band passive seeker.

The Kh-38M is potentially the most important of the company’s tactical air-to-surface missile projects, not least of all since it will provide a replacement offering for the Kh-25 in the export market. Various models of the Kh-25 have been sold to about 20 countries since the basic type was introduced into service in the mid-1970s.

Besides the PAK FA, the Kh-38M will likely be integrated on derivatives of the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker and MiG-29 Fulcrum aircraft, as well as the Su-34 (Su-27IB) strike variant of the Flanker.

The Tactical Missiles Corp. also unveiled two considerably modified versions of missiles already in production—the Kh-31AD (AS-17 Krypton) antiship missile and the Kh-58UShK antiradiation weapon.

The Kh-31AD is an extended-range version of the Kh-31. Like the Kh-38M, the extended-range variant has been in development for a prolonged period. The mockup also appeared notably longer than the basic Kh-31, also displayed. Previous brochure material has given the Kh-31AD as being 4.8 meters in length. Beyond the Kh-31AD, a significantly lengthened variant of the Kh-31 has also been in development since at least the 1990s, with a body length of 5.2 meters.

The Kh-31AM/PM program was, in effect, a midlife upgrade for the missile, with improvements to the guidance and control system and additional fuel.

The company did not provide any performance information on the Kh-31AD; however, the modification was previously described as giving a modest range increase. The more extensive Kh-31AM/PM program is aimed at improving the missile’s maximum engagement range to more than 170 km. (105 mi.) from 110 km.

The mockup shown at the air show had a notably larger gap between the short-chord wings and the four rear control surfaces compared with the basic version of the weapon. The missile’s solid propellant booster motor also appears to have been extended.[b]

The Kh-58 (AS-11 Kilter) may see an extended life with the latest iteration, the Kh-58UShK, intended for carriage in an internal weapons bay.Credit: DOUGLAS BARRIE/AW&ST PHOTOS

While the Kh-31 was displayed alongside MiG’s Skat UCAV, the missile may well not fit the PAK FA internal bay dimensions. This would provide one explanation as to why Tactical Missiles is developing a further variant of its Kh-58 (AS-11 Kilter) antiradiation missile, originally designed in the mid-1970s.

The Kh-58UShK is intended for internal carriage, with the missile’s mid-body wings and rear control fins all folding to reduce the weapon’s diameter. The improved versions of the anti-radiation Kilter and Krypton will also have broadband passive seekers, rather than the waveband-specific seekers of the original missiles.

Although Tactical Missiles Corp. was able to display some of its ongoing air-to-surface developments at the show, it was not in a similar position in the air-to-air arena. The company had planned to display several improved systems, but the necessary government clearance was not forthcoming.

In the air-to-air missile (AAM) market, the company is confronting similar pressures as those it faces in the air-to-surface sector—the need to refresh its products, both for the air force and export. The R-73 (AA-11 Archer) infrared-guided short-range missile design is around 30 years old, with the weapon already in service for 20 years. The R-77 (AA-12 Adder) active radar-guided medium-range missile program began in the early 1980s.

Russian industry sources suggest the company was planning to display an improved version of the R-73, likely the K-74M. This program was first revealed at the Moscow air show in 1997; but in recent years, the company has not been able to discuss the development. This improved variant of the Archer is now believed to be in flight tests. The missile has an improved IR seeker with a wider look-angle.

It’s likely that the R-77 upgrade the company had ambitions to display corresponds to the Izdeliye (Article) 170-1. This is a limited upgrade to the basic Adder, with an improved seeker and guidance laws that allow the missile to follow a lofted trajectory. A far more extensive modification, likely known as the Izdeliye 180 (K-77M), will introduce a dual-pulse motor, and probably see the missile’s present lattice fins replaced by conventional control surfaces.

While an upgraded MiG-31BM Foxhound was on view at the show, Tactical Missiles’ ambitions to display the aircraft’s long-range air-to-air armament was thwarted. The upgraded Foxhound is meant to carry an improved long-range missile rather than the R-33 (AA-9 Amos). This missile is likely the K-37M, a further development of the K-37 (AA-X-13). Again, this weapon is said to be in flight test.

While Tactical Missiles Corp. was unable to display its latest long-range AAM, a further iteration of Novator’s KS-172 was shown with the Sukhoi Su-35 prototype.

The status of this program remains far from clear. One Novator executive said little work had been done on the project for more than a decade, and the design of the missile “was never finalized.” Sukhoi, however, continues to display mockups of the missile, and India has previously been reported as showing interest in the program.

Mockups of Novator’s long-range air-to-air missile and air-launched versions of the Club air-to-surface weapons were on display at Zhukovsky.Credit: DOUGLAS BARRIE/AW&ST PHOTOS

Also on display were mockups of air-launched derivatives of Novator’s 3M-54 (SS-N-27 Sizzler) antiship missile family and the 3M-14 land-attack cruise missile. The weapons are containerized for aircraft carriage, says one company official, to maintain commonality with the naval variants. India and China are already export customers for naval versions of the missile. A customer for the air-launched system has yet to be secured.

An actual transporter-erector-launcher for another version of the Novator cruise missile family was also exhibited for the first time. The “Club-M” system is capable of using ether the 3M-54K antiship missile for coastal defense or the 3M-14K for land attack. Industry officials involved with the program say the system was tested recently using the Kapustin Yar range.

They were unwilling to discuss if the 3M-14K is related to the R-500 land-attack cruise missile, which was also tested earlier this year at Kapustin Yar. This weapon is intended for the Iskander-M system for the Russian army, and reportedly has a range of 490 km. Another air-launched missile debut at the show—albeit belated—was that of NPO Mashinostroenia’s 3M-25 Meteorit strategic cruise missile (AS-X-19 Koala). This program was canceled in the early 1990s following more than 50 test flights of the weapon. Surface- and submarine-launched versions of the missile were evaluated, along with the air-launched version.

The high-altitude 3M-25 was intended to be fitted with active countermeasures to improve its chances of penetrating air defenses. The missile has been associated with a plasma system, dubbed Marabou, intended to reduce its radar cross section.

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challenge, they’ve been discussed here .