Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
February 11, 2012
IWG Report 2009
Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
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AS-20
| Country: | Russian Federation |
|---|---|
| Alternate Name: | Kayak, Kh-35 |
| Class: | ALCM |
| Target: | Ship |
| Length: | 3.85 m |
| Diameter: | 0.42 m |
| Launch Weight: | 520 kg |
| Payload: | 145 kg HE, SAP |
| Propulsion: | Turbofan w/ solid booster |
| Range: | 130.00 km |
| Guidance: | INS, active radar |
| Status: | Operational |
| In Service: | 1995-Present |
| Exported: | Algeria, China, India |
Details
The AS-20 “Kayak” (Kh-35) is a short-range, air-launched, turbofan propelled, single warhead, air-to-surface cruise missile developed and manufactured by Russia.
The Zvezda-Strela OKB (now Tactical Missile Corporation) began developing the SS-N-25 “Switchblade” missile in 1983. It was originally intended as a surface-to-surface missile for ship and coastal launch, and an export replacement for the SS-N-2 “Styx” missiles. The ship-launched version is known as the SS-N-25 “Switchblade” (3M24 Uran) and the ground-launched coastal defense version as the SSC-6 “Stooge” (3K60 Bal). An air-launched version, the AS-20 “Kayak” (Kh-35), was added later.
Development of the air-launched AS-20 “Kayak” (Kh-35) began in 1987, and was first exhibited in 1992. The missile is similar in appearance to the U.S. RGM-84 “Harpoon,” with four triangular wings at mid-body, and four triangular moving control fins at the rear. The missile is sometimes referred to by Western press agencies as the "Harpoonski."
The AS-20 is 3.85 m in length, has a body diameter of 0.42 m, and has a launch weight of 520 kg. Midcourse guidance is provided by an inertial navigation system (INS), with an active radar in the terminal phase. It is powered by a solid propellant boost motor and a turbofan engine. The missile has a range of 130 km and carries a 145 kg high explosive semi-armor-piercing warhead.
If the AS-20 is fired from a helicopter, then a boost engine is employed. The boost engine increases missile length to 4.4 m and the overall weight to 610 kg. This version may be referred to as the Kh-35V.
The AS-20 “Kayak” entered service 1995, and is deployed on MiG-29K “Fulcrum” carrier-borne aircraft, as well as Su-24 “Fencer,” Su-27 and Su-30 “Flanker,” Tu-95 “Bear,” and Tu-142M “Bear F” aircraft, and Kamov Ka-27, Ka-28, and Ka-50 helicopters. A modified version is also used as a Russian anti-ship missile target, so that missile defense systems can replicate attacks by missiles such as Exocet and Harpoon. The export version is known as the X-35.
In 1997, sources indicated that Russia had developed a new imaging infrared seeker for a variant of the air-launched AS-20, with the Russian designator Kh-37. It is expected that this variant will also be offered for export in ship- and ground-launched versions. The following year, a further improved variant of the AS-20 air-launched missile was reported to be in development, with a range of 250 km. This version may be offered with INS/GPS guidance for attacking land targets. An improved turbofan engine for the AS-20 was reported to be in development in 2004.
The AS-20 has been exported to Algeria, China, and India. Algeria ordered 96 missiles in 1998 that were probably fitted to the Su-24 'Fencer' aircraft. China negotiated a purchase in 2001 to use the missiles aboard the Su-30MKK aircraft. India placed an initial order for 100 missiles in 1997; though the missiles were primarily ship-launch versions, in 2005 it was reported that India had fitted some AS-20 missiles to the Il-38SD 'May' aircraft.(1)
Footnotes
