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| Kh-31 (NATO reporting name: AS-17 'Krypton') | |
|---|---|
 Kh-31A | |
| Type |
|
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1988–present |
| Used by | Russia, Serbia, China, India, Algeria, Egypt |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Tactical Missiles Corporation (Zvezda-Strela before 2002) |
| Unit cost | $550,000 (2010)[1] |
| Produced | 1982 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Kh-31A :610 kg (1,340 lb)[2] Kh-31P :600 kg (1,320 lb)[2] |
| Length | Mod 1 : 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in)[3] Mod 2 (AD/PD) : 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in)[4] |
| Diameter | 360 mm (14 in)[2] |
| Wingspan | 914 mm (36.0 in)[2] |
| Warhead | Penetrating, armor-piercing.(Kh-31A)[5] HE shaped charge[2] |
| Warhead weight | Kh-31A :94 kg (207 lb)[2] Kh-31P :87 kg (192 lb)[2] |
Detonation mechanism | Impact |
| Engine | Solid fuel rocket in initial stage, ramjet for rest of trajectory |
| Propellant | Kerosene |
Operational range | Kh-31A: minimum 7.5 km (4.0 nmi) and maximum 70 km (38 nmi)[5] Kh-31P: up to 110 km (60 nmi; 70 mi)[2] |
| Maximum speed | Kh-31A/P: 2,160–2,520 km/h (1,340–1,570 mph)[2] MA-31: Mach 2.7 (low), Mach 3.5 (high)[3] |
Guidance system | Kh-31A:inertial guidance withactive radar homing[2] Kh-31P: inertial withpassive radar |
Launch platform | Both : Su-27SM, Su-30MKI, Su-25, Su-34, Su-35, MiG-29M, HAL Tejas, MiG-29K, Su-24M[6] Kh-31A only : Su-33 |
TheKh-31 (Russian:Х-31;AS-17 'Krypton')[7] is a Soviet and Russianair-to-surface missile carried by aircraft such as theMiG-29,Su-35 and theSu-57. It is capable ofMach 3.5 and was the first supersonicanti-ship missile that could be launched by tactical aircraft.[6]
There are several variants; the Kh-31 is best known as ananti-radiation missile (ARM) but there are also anti-ship and target drone versions. There has been talk of adapting it to make an "AWACS killer", a long-rangeair-to-air missile.[7]
The proliferation ofsurface-to-air missiles (SAMs) has made theSuppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD) a priority for any modern air force intending offensive action. Knocking out air search radars andfire control radars is an essential part of this mission. ARMs must havesufficient range that the launch platform is out of range of the SAMs, high speed to reduce the risk of being shot down and a seeker that can detect a range of radar types, but they do not need a particularly big warhead.
The Soviet Union's first ARM was developed by theRaduga OKB engineering group responsible for the Soviet Union's missiles for heavy bombers. The Kh-22P was developed from the 6-tonneKh-22 (AS-4 "Kitchen") missile. Experience gained with this led in 1973 to theKh-28 (AS-9 "Kyle") carried by tactical aircraft such as theSu-7B,Su-17 andSu-24. It had Mach 3 capability and a 120 km (60 nmi) range, greater than the contemporaryAGM-78 Standard ARM. The Kh-28 was succeeded by theKh-58 in 1978, which has similar speed and range but replaces the dual-fuel rocket motor with a much safer RDTT solid propellant.
The development of more sophisticated SAMs such as theMIM-104 Patriot and the US Navy'sAegis combat system put pressure on the Soviets to develop better ARMs in turn.[8][9] Zvezda came at the problem from a different angle to Raduga, having a background in lightweight air-to-air missiles. However, in the mid-1970s they had developed the successfulKh-25 family of short-range air-to-surface missiles, including the Kh-25MP (AS-12 "Kegler") foranti-radar use. Zvezda started work on a long-range ARM and the first launch of the Kh-31 was in 1982.[6] It entered service in 1988[citation needed] and was first displayed in public in 1991, the Kh-31P at Dubai and the Kh-31A at Minsk.[6]
In December 1997 it was reported that a small number of Kh-31s had been delivered to China, but that "production had yet to begin".[10] It was around this time that the Russians soldSu-30MKK 'Flanker-G' aircraft to the Chinese. It seems that the original deliveries were of the original Russian model designated as X-31, to allow testing while the KR-1 model was being developed for licence production.[11] Local production may have started by July 2005.
Russian development has accelerated since Zvezda was subsumed into the Tactical Missiles Corporation in 2002, with the announcement of the 'D' extended range models and the 'M' model mid-life updates (see Variants section below).
In many respects the Kh-31 is a miniaturised version of the P-270Moskit (SS-N-22 'Sunburn') and was reportedly designed by the same man.[6] The missile is conventionally shaped, with cruciform wings and control surfaces made from titanium.[3] The two-stage propulsion is notable. On launch, a solid-fuel booster in the tail accelerates the missile to Mach 1.8[6] and the motor is discarded. Then four air intakes open up and, as in the Franco-German ANS/ANF, the empty rocket case becomes the combustion chamber of a kerosene-fuelledramjet, which takes it beyond Mach 4.[7]
The L-111E seeker of the anti-radar version has a unique antenna, aninterferometer array of seven spiral antennas on a steerable platform.[7] The seekers delivered to China in 2001-2 were 106.5 cm (41.9 in) long, 36 cm (14 in) in diameter, and weighed 23 kg (51 lb).[12]
The Kh-31P ARM entered service in theSoviet Union in 1988 and the Kh-31A anti-shipping version in 1989. Unlike its predecessors, it can be fitted to almost any of Russia's tactical aircraft, from theSu-17 toMiG-31.
In 2001 India bought Kh-31s for itsSu-30MKI; they appear to have bought 60 Kh-31A and 90 Kh-31P.[6] A few Kh-31P/KR-1's were delivered to China in 1997 but these were apparently for testing and development work. The Chinese ordered Russian missiles in late 2002 or early 2003, leading to 200 KR-1's in their inventory by 2005;[6] the Chinese press reported in July 2005 that Su-30MKK's of the 3rd Air Division had been equipped with the missiles.[12]
TheUS Navy boughtMA-31 target drones.[3] An $18.468-million order for thirty-four MA-31 was placed in 1999,[13] but this order was blocked by the Russians.[14] The MA-31 was launched from anF-4 Phantom, and work was done on a kit to launch it from an F-16.[3]
According to some reports, the missile was used by the Russian Air Force during the South Ossetian conflict in 2008. In particular, it was reported that on August 10, 2008 a Russian Air Force Su-34 struck a Georgianair defenseradar near the city of Gori with Kh-31Ps. Georgian air defenses were disabled in order to avoid further losses.[15]
The Kh-31 was used by Russia during theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[16][17][18] According to senior sources of theUkrainian Air Force, some9K33 Osa and9K37 Buk systems were destroyed by Kh-31P and Kh-58 missiles during the war.[19] On 3 March 2022 Kh-31 launched from a Russian aircraft sank UkrainianSloviansk patrol vessel.[20][21]
An active/passive air-to-air version for use against slow-moving support aircraft, a so-called "AWACS killer", was announced at the 1992Moscow air show with 200 km (110 nmi; 120 mi) range.[6] That would be less than the 300–400 kilometres (160–220 nmi; 190–250 mi) promised by theVympel R-37 (AA-13 'Axehead') and NovatorR-172 missiles, but a Kh-31 derivative could be carried by a wider range of aircraft. However this may have been mere propaganda; in 2004 the Tactical Missiles Corporation "emphatically denied" that it had ever worked on an air-to-air version of the Kh-31.[30] In 2005 rumours emerged of a Russian "AWACS-killer missile" based on the Kh-31A anti-shipping model, and of the Chinese adapting the YJ-91, derived from the Kh-31P, for the same purpose.[7] In 2017, a representative of theMikoyan company claimed that an air-to-air variant of the Kh-31 was in development, intended to equip theMiG-35,[31] but this is not confirmed.
Algeria – 125 delivered in 2007–2009[1][32]
China[33]
Egypt[34][35]
Indonesia[36]
India – Ordered Kh-31P missiles in 2019[37]
Malaysia – 150[32]
Russia – 222 delivered in 2009–2010[1]
Serbia – Kh-31P[38]
Syria – 87 delivered in 2008–2010[39]
Venezuela[33]
Vietnam[33]
Yemen - Kh-31P,[33][40] Kh-31A[33]
Bangladesh – In January 2021, theBangladesh Air Force floated a tender for the procurement ofKh-31A missiles forMiG-29B aircraft.[41]
United States - unknown number purchased from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union