Kh-29

The Kh-29 (Russian: Х-29; NATO: AS-14 'Kedge'; GRAU: 9M721) is a Soviet air-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.

Kh-29
(NATO reporting name: AS-14 'Kedge')
Side-view of Kh-29T.
Typeair-to-surface missile
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1980s-current
Used byWarsaw Pact, China, India, Iraq
WarsIran–Iraq War
Second Libyan Civil War
Russian-led military intervention in Syria
Syrian Civil War
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Production history
DesignerMatus Bisnovat
Georgiy I. Khokhlov
Designed1975
ManufacturerVympel / Tactical Missiles Corporation[1]
Produced1980-current[2]
Specifications
MassKh-29L :660 kg (1,460 lb) [3]
Kh-29T :685 kg (1,510 lb) [3]
Kh-29TE :690 kg (1,520 lb) [3]
LengthKh-29L/T :390 cm (12 ft 10 in)[3]
Kh-29TE :387.5 cm (12 ft 9 in)[3]
Diameter38.0 cm (15.0 in) [3]
Wingspan110 cm (43 in) [3]
WarheadHE armour-piercing[1]
Warhead weight320 kg (705 lb)[1]
Detonation
mechanism
Impact [1]
EngineFixed 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-active laser guidance
Kh-29T/TE : passive homing TV guidance
Kh-29D : infrared homing guidance (IIR)[6][7]
Kh-29MP : active radar homing[8]
Launch
platform
Kh-29L&T: MiG-27K,[3] MiG-29M,[3]
Su-22[3],Su-27UB,[3] Su-30MK,[3] Su-39[3]
,

Kh-29L only: Su-25[3]
Kh-29T only: Su-35[3]

Also: Mirage F1E,[9] Su-17/22,[9] Su-24,[9] Su-33, Su-34, Su-37

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).

Operational history

The Kh-29 entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1980, and has been widely exported since.

The Kh-29L was used by Sukhoi Su-34 and Su-24 aircraft in the 2015 Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War.[11]

2014 Libyan conflict

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]

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Kh-29 missile has possibly seen limited use in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, being fired from Su-34 aircraft.[13][14]

Variants
  • Kh-29L (Izdeliye 63, 'Kedge-A')[10] uses a semi-active laser seeker and has a range of 8–10 km.[3]
  • Kh-29ML is an upgraded version of the Kh-29L.[10]
  • 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]
  • Kh-29MP is a variant that uses active radar homing, making it a fire-and-forget weapon. It has a 250 kg warhead and a 12 km range.[6][8]
  • Kh-29D is the fourth variant of the Kh-29TE which uses imaging infrared guidance.[6][7]

Operators
Map with Kh-29 operators in blue with former operators in red

Current operators

Former operators

See also
  • Kh-25 (AS-10/12 'Karen/Kegler') – 320 kg missile with 90 kg warhead and 10–25 km range
  • AGM-65 Maverick – 200–300 kg missile with 57–135 kg warhead and 27 km range
  • AGM-62 Walleye I – 1967 US glide bomb delivering 385 kg warhead over 30 km.

Notes
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vympel Kh-29.
  1. X-29TE / X-29L, Tactical Missiles Corporation, archived from the original on 28 September 2007, retrieved 6 February 2009
  2. "ОАО "Корпорация Тактическое Ракетное Вооружение"". Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  3. Rosoboronexport Air Force Department and Media & PR Service, AEROSPACE SYSTEMS export catalogue (PDF), Rosoboronexport State Corporation, p. 122, archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2007
  4. Fiszer, Michal A. "25 years of service of Russian Kh-29 missile". Situational Awareness. Retrieved 7 September 2008. Written by Polish former Su-22 pilot
  5. "KH-29". The Probert Encyclopaedia. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
  6. Friedman, Norman (1997). The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapons Systems, 1997–1998. ISBN 9781557502681. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  7. "Kh-29D". deagel.com.
  8. "Russian Air Force 3.8". Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  9. "Vympel Kh-29 (AS-14 'Kedge')", Jane's Electro-Optic Systems, 4 September 2008, archived from the original on 26 January 2013, retrieved 6 February 2009
  10. "Kh-29 (AS-14 'Kedge')", Jane's Air-Launched Weapons, 6 August 2008
  11. Polina Devitt (4 October 2015). "Russian air force using laser-guided KH-29L missiles in Syria – RIA". Reuters. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  12. Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (18 August 2014). "Kh-29 Air-To-Surface Missiles Used As Unguided Rockets In Libya". Oryx Blog. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  13. @RALee85 (25 April 2022). "Video of a Russian Su-34 bomber reportedly launching a Kh-29 air-to-ground missile while popping flares.…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. Bronk, J. (2023, April). Russian combat air strengths and Limitations. CNA. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://www.cna.org/reports/2023/04/russian-combat-air-strengths-and-limitations p.10.
  15. "Kh-29TE". Rosoboronexport.
  16. "Вооруженные силы Алжира". Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  17. Gertz, Bill (1 July 2002), "China test-fires new air-to-air missile; Taiwan likely to get upgraded arms", The Washington Times, p. A1
  18. Fisher, Richard D. Jr. (January 2004), The Impact Of Foreign Weapons And Technology On The Modernization Of China's People's Liberation Army, US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, pp. 4–2C, archived from the original on 29 April 2007
  19. Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (26 August 2021). "Tankovy Busters: Su-25TK Attack Aircraft In Ethiopian Service". Oryx.
  20. "Fighter SU-25KM (Scorpion)". Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  21. John Pike. "MiG-29K FULCRUM". GlobalSecurity. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  22. 2011 Annual Report of Tactical Missile Corporation, "BMPD - Портфель экспортных заказов КТРВ". Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  23. Irawan, Gita. "KSAU Apresiasi Keberhasilan Tes Rudal KH-29TE dari Pesawat Sukhoi TNI AU". Tribunnews. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  24. Gordon, Yefim; Komissarov, Dmitriy (2019). Mikoyan MiG-23 & MiG-27. Manchester: Crécy Publishing. p. 403. ISBN 978-1-91080-931-0.
  25. "Rare photo of North Korean fighter jet firing air-to-air missile emerges after Kim Jong Un visits air base". Business Insider.
  26. "Trade Registers". Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  27. Tincopa, Amaru (November–December 2021). "MiG-29 over the skies of the condor". Revista Pucará. No. 10. p. 26.
  28. Banković, Živojin (3 May 2022). "Kako je lovac postao višenamenski borbeni avion: Detalji novog naoružanja na premijeri modernizovanih MiG-ova 29SM". tangosix.rs.
  29. Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (15 January 2015). "The Syrian Arab Air Force - Beware of its Wings". Oryx Blog. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  30. Cooper, Tom (2018). Hot Skies Over Yemen, Volume 2. Warwick: Helion & Company Publishing. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-911628-18-7.
  31. 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. ISBN 978-1-912-390311.

References
  • Gordon, Yefim (2004), Soviet/Russian Aircraft Weapons Since World War Two, Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing, ISBN 1-85780-188-1

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