| Kh-29 (NATO reporting name: AS-14 'Kedge') | |
|---|---|
 Side-view of a Kh-29T | |
| Type | Air-to-surface missile |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1980s–present |
| Used by | Warsaw Pact, China, India, Iraq |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Matus Bisnovat Georgiy I. Khokhlov |
| Designed | 1975 |
| Manufacturer | Vympel / Tactical Missiles Corporation[1] |
| Produced | 1980–present[2] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Kh-29L: 660 kg (1,460 lb)[3] Kh-29T: 685 kg (1,510 lb)[3] Kh-29TE: 690 kg (1,520 lb)[3] |
| Length | Kh-29L/T: 390 cm (12 ft 10 in)[3] Kh-29TE: 387.5 cm (12 ft 9 in)[3] |
| Diameter | 38.0 cm (15.0 in)[3] |
| Wingspan | 110 cm (43 in)[3] |
| Warhead | HEarmour-piercing[1] |
| Warhead weight | 320 kg (705 lb)[1] |
Detonation mechanism | Impact[1] |
| Engine | Fixed thrust solid fuel rocket[1] |
Operational range | Kh-29L: 10 km (5.4 nmi)[3] Kh-29T: 12 km (6.5 nmi)[3] Kh-29TE: 30 km (16 nmi)[3] |
| Maximum speed | 2,200 km/h (1,400 mph)[4] Kh-29ML: 900–1,260 km/h (560–780 mph)[5] |
Guidance system | Kh-29L: semi-activelaser guidance Kh-29T/TE:passive homingTV guidance Kh-29D:infrared homing guidance (IIR)[6][7] Kh-29MP:active radar homing[8] |
Launch platform | Kh-29L&T: MiG-27K,[3] MiG-29,[3] Su-22[3],Su-27UB,[3] Su-30MK,[3] Su-39[3] Kh-29L only: Su-25[3] |
.jpg)
TheKh-29 (Russian:Х-29;NATO:AS-14 'Kedge';GRAU:9M721) is aSovietair-to-surface missile with a range of 10–30 km. It has a large warhead of 320 kg, has a choice of laser, infrared, active radar or TV guidance, and is typically carried by tactical aircraft such as theSu-24,Su-30,MiG-29K as well as theSu-25, giving these aircraft an expanded standoff capability.
The Kh-29 is intended for primary use against larger battlefield targets and infrastructure such as industrial buildings, depots and bridges,[10] but can also be used against ships up to 10,000 tonnes, hardened aircraft shelters and concrete runways.[1]
Design started in the late 1970s at theMolniya design bureau inUkrainian SSR on what would be their only air-to-ground munition, but when they moved exclusively to space workVympel NPO took over development of the Kh-29.[10] The first firing of the missile took place in 1976 and after extensive trials the Kh-29 was accepted into service in 1980.[4]
The basic aerodynamic layout of the Kh-29 is similar to the MolniyaR-60 (AA-8 'Aphid'), reflecting Molniya's heritage in air-to-air missiles.[10] The laser guidance head came from theKh-25 (AS-10 'Karen') and the TV guidance from theKh-59 (AS-13 'Kingbolt'), mated to a large warhead.[9]
It has been compared to the United States'AGM-65 Maverick, but the AGM-65 is a much smaller missile than the Kh-29, and weighs less than half as much.[10]
Compared to theAGM-65 Maverick, the Kh-29 has a 20% higher top speed (1,150 km/h vs 1,470 km/h) and a much bigger warhead (320 kg vs 136 kg).[citation needed]
The Kh-29 entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1980, and has been widely exported since.
The Kh-29L was used bySukhoi Su-34 andSu-24 aircraft in the 2015Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War.[11]
Kh-29 missiles were supplied toLibya in the 1980s for use on theLibyan Air Force's Su-24s. These aircraft have all been destroyed during the2011 NATO-led intervention, and no other aircraft in the Libyan arsenal could use these missiles. Hence, they have been transformed into unguided surface-to-surface rockets, launched from modified trucks and with their fins and ailerons at the front and back removed for a somewhat more stable flight path. They were used byNational Salvation Government forces aroundTripoli in 2014, during theSecond Libyan Civil War (they were seized fromGhardabiya Air Base depots).[12]
The Kh-29 missile has possibly seen limited use in the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, being fired fromSu-34 aircraft.[13][14]
Algeria:Algerian Air Force[16]
Belarus:Belarusian Air Force on its modernizedMiG-29BMs.[4]
Bulgaria:Bulgarian Air Force on itsSu-22M4s,[4] which were withdrawn from service in 2004.[citation needed] Also used on Su-25s.
China:People's Liberation Army Air Force – received 2,000 Kh-29Ts in 2002[17] for use on their Su-27SKs, Su-27UBKs, Su-30MKKs,Shenyang J-11s and possibly theirJH-7s andQ-5s.[18]
Ethiopia:Ethiopian Air Force, Kh-29T on its Su-25TKs[19]
Georgia:Georgian Air Force on itsSu-25KM Scorpions[20]
India:Indian Air Force on itsSu-30MKIs[4] andIndian Navy on itsMiG-29Ks.[21]
Indonesia: theIndonesian Air Force uses the Kh-29TE on itsSu-30MK2s[22][23]
Iran:Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force on its Su-24s
Kazakhstan[24]
North Korea[25]
Libya:National Salvation Government[12]
Malaysia:Royal Malaysian Air Force used on itsSu-30MKMs[26]
Peru:Peruvian Air Force[27]
Russia:Russian Aerospace Forces[4]
Serbia:Serbian Air Force, Kh-29TE on theMiG-29SM[28]
Syria:Syrian Air Force[29]
Ukraine:Ukrainian Air Force[4]
Venezuela[30]
Vietnam[30]
Yemen:Yemeni Air Force on itsMiG-29s[31]
Czechoslovakia:Czechoslovak Air Force – passed onto successor states[4]
East Germany:East German Air Force[4]
Germany: Phased out afterGerman reunification
Hungary:Hungarian Air Force onSu-22M3s
Iraq:Iraqi Air Force[32]
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya:Libyan Air Force – Left without launch platforms after all Su-24s were destroyed in thecivil war and subsequentNATO bombings. Subsequently used in a surface-to-surface role.[12]
Poland:Polish Air ForceFormerly used on itsSu-22M4s.[4]
Slovakia:Slovak Air Force –Su-22M4s[4]
Soviet Union:Soviet Air Force – passed on to successor states