The Kh-29 (
Russian: Х-29;
NATO:AS-14 '
Kedge';
GRAU: 9M721) is a
Sovietair-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 the
Su-24,
Su-30,
MiG-29K as well as the
Su-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]
Development
Design started in the late 1970s at the
Molniya design bureau in Ukraine on what would be their only air-to-ground munition, but when they moved exclusively to space work Vympel 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]
Design
The basic aerodynamic layout of the Kh-29 is similar to the Molniya
R-60 (AA-8 'Aphid'), reflecting Molniya's heritage in air-to-air missiles.[10] The laser guidance head came from the
Kh-25 (AS-10 'Karen') and the TV guidance from the
Kh-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 the
AGM-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]
Operational history
The Kh-29 entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1980, and has been widely exported since.
Kh-29 missiles were supplied to
Libya in the 1980s for use on the
Libyan Air Force's Su-24s. These aircraft have all been destroyed during the
2011 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 by
National Salvation Government forces around
Tripoli in 2014, during the
Second Libyan Civil War (they were seized from
Ghardabiya Air Base depots).[12]
Kh-29T (Izdeliye 64, 'Kedge-B')[10] is the TV-guided version, which is fitted with automatic optical homing to a distinguishable object indicated by the pilot.
Kh-29TE[15] is a long-range (30 km) development of the Kh-29T.[3] The minimum range is 3 km; launch altitude is 200–10,000 m.[3]
^Cooper, Tom (2018). Hot Skies Over Yemen, Volume 2. Warwick: Helion & Company Publishing. p. 14.
ISBN978-1-911628-18-7.
^Cooper, Tom; Sipos, Milos (2019). Iraqi Mirages. The Dassault Mirage Family in Service with the Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988. Helion & Company Publishing. p. 75.
ISBN978-1-912-390311.
References
Gordon, Yefim (2004), Soviet/Russian Aircraft Weapons Since World War Two, Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing,
ISBN1-85780-188-1