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| Kh-20 AS-3 Kangaroo | |
|---|---|
-missile_sketch.svg) | |
| Type | Nuclearcruise missile |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1960-1980s |
| Used by | Soviet Air Forces |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Mikhail Gurevich |
| Specifications (Kh-20M) | |
| Mass | 12,000 kg (26,000 lb) at launch |
| Length | 14.95 m (49.0 ft) |
| Height | 3.02 m (9.9 ft) |
| Diameter | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Wingspan | 9.15 m (30.0 ft) |
| Warhead | Thermonuclear warhead |
| Blast yield | 0.3-3.0 megatons |
| Engine | Lyulka AL-7FKturbojet 67.1 kN (15,100 lbf) |
| Propellant | jet fuel |
Operational range | 380 to 600 kilometres (240 to 370 mi) |
| Flight ceiling | 20,000 m (66,000 ft) |
| Maximum speed | Mach 2.0 |
Guidance system | Inertial guidance/radiocommand guidance |
Launch platform | Tu-95 |
TheRaduga Kh-20 (NATO reporting name:AS-3 Kangaroo) was anair launched cruise missile armed with athermonuclear warhead which was developed by theSoviet Union during theCold War. The Kh-20 was designed to be air-launched.
Kh-20cruise missile was designed byM.I. Gurevich for theTu-95 strategic bomber. Development began in 1954, drawing on experience withMiG-17 andMiG-19 fighters. TwoTu-95 were converted toTu-95K missile carriers in 1955. Initial testing of the missile systems was performed using four specially modifiedMiG-19 fighters designated SM-20/I and SM-20/II for mothership-missile interface and airborne launch testing, and SM-K/I and SM-K/II for guidance system and ground launch testing. First SM-20/I launch fromTu-95K was made in the fall of 1956. One of the greatest challenges in the early development was starting the missile'sLyulka AL-7Fturbojet engine after prolonged flight in the very cold upper atmosphere. Kh-20 began flight testing on March 17, 1958.
The first launch was unsuccessful and range and accuracy did not meet expectations. This was in part because the warhead and the guidance system weight exceeded projected limits. Government trials took place between October 15, 1958, and November 1, 1959, and consisted of 16 launches of which 11 were considered successful although accuracy still left much to be desired. Kh-20 entered service in 1960. The production version, designated Kh-20M, featured an improved nuclear warhead. The arsenal initially consisted of two Kh-20 perTu-95K, which amounted to 130 missiles for approximately 40Tu-95K and 25Tu-95KD. This number was later reduced to one missile per aircraft.
Kh-20 was initially intended for retaliation strikes against major targets in the United States. However, arming aTu-95 with Kh-20 took 22 hours and the first-generation thermonuclear warheads were difficult to store which made them unsuitable for first-response weapons. Therefore, Kh-20 was relegated to secondary strikes against targets surviving the initial attack and against aircraft carrier groups. Arming time was eventually reduced to 4 hours and reliability was improved. The weakest link of the Kh-20 remained its guidance system and good accuracy required manual guidance which was vulnerable to jamming.
An attempt to adaptMyasishchev M-4 for Kh-20 was unsuccessful because of the missile's large size. High-altitude supersonic target M-20 was also abandoned due to high cost. By the late 1970s, Kh-20 no longer had the performance required to penetrate enemy air defenses and it was replaced byKh-22 (NATO designation AS-4 Kitchen) by mid-1980s.
Soviet Union
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