| Kh-59Ovod (NATO reporting name: AS-13 'Kingbolt') Kh-59MOvod-M(AS-18 'Kazoo') | |
|---|---|
 Kh-59MK atMAKS 2009 air show | |
| Type | Cruise missile Air-launched cruise missile Air-to-surface missile Anti-ship missile Land-attack missile |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union/Russia |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1980–current |
| Used by | Russia, China, India, Algeria |
| Wars | First Chechen War Second Chechen War Russo-Ukrainian War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | MKB Raduga |
| Manufacturer | Tactical Missiles Corporation |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 930 kg (2,050 lb)[1] |
| Length | 570 cm (220 in)[1] |
| Diameter | 38.0 cm (15.0 in)[1] |
| Wingspan | 130 cm (51.2 in)[1] |
| Warhead | Cluster orshaped-charge fragmentation[1] |
| Warhead weight | 320 kg (705 lb)[2] |
| Engine | Kh-59: two-stage rocket Kh-59ME: rocket then R95TP-300[3] turbojet/turbofan |
Operational range | Kh-59ME (export): 115 km (62 nmi)[1] Kh-59ME: 200 km (110 nmi) Kh-59MK: 285 km (150 nmi) Kh-59MK2: 290 km (160 nmi) |
| Maximum speed | Mach 0.72 – Mach 0.88 (882–1,080 km/h; 548–670 mph)[1] |
Guidance system | Inertial guidance (thenTV guidance),millimeter waveactive radar homing (Kh-59MK, Kh-59MK2 land attack version)[4] |
Launch platform | Kh-59ME: Su-30MK[1] Kh-59: Su-24M, MiG-27, Su-17M3/22M4,HAL Tejas,Su-30 MKI Su-25 and Su-30[5] Kh-59MK2: Su-57[6] |
TheKh-59Ovod (Russian:Х-59 Овод 'Gadfly';AS-13 'Kingbolt') is a Russianair-launched cruise missile with a two-stage solid-fuel propulsion system and 200 km (120 mi) range. TheKh-59MOvod-M (AS-18 'Kazoo') is a variant with a bigger warhead and turbojet engine. It is primarily aland-attack missile; the Kh-59MK variant targets ships.[4]
The initial design was based on the RadugaKh-58 (AS-11 'Kilter'), but it had to be abandoned[citation needed] because the missile speed was too high for visual target acquisition.
Raduga OKB developed the Kh-59 in the 1970s as a longer ranged version of theKh-25 (AS-10 'Karen'),[7] as a precision stand-off weapon for the Su-24M and late-model MiG-27's.[5] The electro-optical sensors for this and other weapons such as theKh-29 (AS-14 'Kedge') andKAB-500KR bombs were developed byS. A. Zverev NPO inKrasnogorsk.[7]
It is believed that development of the Kh-59M started in the 1980s.[4] Details of the Kh-59M were first revealed in the early 1990s.[4]
The basic Kh-59 model is released from the carrier plane, after which the first stage fires, a solid fuel accelerator in the tail. Now the stabilizers located in the front of the missile unfold, with wings and rudder in the rear. Driven by the second stage cruise rocket engine, the Kh-59 cruises at an altitude of about 7 metres above water or 100–1,000 metres (330–3,280 ft) above ground with the help of aradar altimeter. It can be launched at speeds of 600 to 1,000 km/h (370 to 620 mph) at altitudes of 0.2 to 11 kilometres (660 to 36,090 ft) and has aCEP of 2 to 3 metres (7 to 10 ft).[2] It is carried on an AKU-58-1 launchpylon.[5]
The Kh-59ME has an externalturbofan engine below the body just forward of the rear wings, but retains the powder-fuel accelerator. It also has a dual guidance system consisting of aninertial guidance system to guide it into the target area and a television system to guide it to the target itself.[1]
The36MT turbofan engine developed for the Kh-59M class of missiles is manufactured byNPO Saturn of Russia.[8]
Target coordinates are fed into the missile before launch, and the initial flight phase is conducted under inertial guidance. At a distance of 10 km (6.2 mi) from the target the television guidance system is activated. An operator aboard the aircraft visually identifies the target and locks the missile onto it.
Although the original Kh-59 could be carried by theMiG-27,Su-17M3,Su-22M4,Su-24M,Su-25 andSu-30 family if they carried an APK-9 datalink pod, it was only fielded on the Su-24M in Russian service.[5] From 2008–2015, Russia delivered some 200 Kh-59 missiles to China for use on the Su-30MK2; deliveries may have included both Kh-59MK and Kh-59MK2 versions.[9] The Kh-59MK2 has been test-fired by aSu-57 stealth fighter, during its 2018 Syrian deployment.[6]
On 4 April 2022, during theRussian invasion of Ukraine, photographic evidence was published onTelegram channels that a Kh-59M missile was launched by theRussian Aerospace Forces at a grain silo nearMykolaiv, Ukraine. The missile was captured on CCTV as it was traveling to the target area.[10]
On 16 August 2022, theUkrainian Air Force confirmed over Social Media that Kh-59 missiles were used to strike an airbase in the Zhytomyr Oblast, the missiles being fired towards the Belarusian border from what was believed to beSu-34 jets.
Proposed development options for the Kh-59M/ME have included alternative payloads (includingcluster munitions) but their current development status is unclear.[5][16]
Also known as the Kh-59M Ovod-M, the AS-18 is 'modernized version of AS-13 Kingbolt.['] [...] The warhead can be either a 705-lb high explosive or 617-lb cluster submunitions.
