X-35 anti-ship missile: specifications and application

One of the main trends in recent military affairs is the unification of weapons and equipment. Thanks to the use of common components, it is possible to simplify the production of systems and reduce the cost of their operation. One example of this approach is the Kh-35 anti-ship missile. Depending on the version, it can be used by planes, helicopters, ships and coastal complexes. Versatility in use greatly increases the potential of the missile on the battlefield.

Launch X-35: history of creation

First, we'll figure out what the rocket had to go through before becoming the property of the Russian Navy. Initially, it was assumed that the X-35 rocket will be installed on boats and ships with an average displacement. It was to be used as part of the Uran missile complex (RK). Developments began in April 1984. The head of the project was GI Khokhlov. The main part of the design work was assigned to the OKB "Zvezda". It was assumed that the X-35 Uranus missile would be used to destroy ships with a displacement of not more than 5000 tons. The terms of reference required that she have the possibility of both single launch and volley fire. The X-35 missile was supposed to work equally well in all weather conditions, at any time of the day and even when the enemy used air defense and EW systems.

general characteristics

In terms of aerodynamics, the missile is made according to the usual pattern: the X-wing and the tail assembly. The outer surface of the body is formed by several cylinders. The middle and tail sections are asymmetric: there is a gondola on the bottom, in front of which there is an air intake. The rocket has a solid-fuel starter accelerator, which is made in the form of a cylinder and has feathers that are laid out at the start.

The total length of the rocket is 3.85 m. If you install an accelerator on it, this indicator increases to 4.44 m. The hull diameter does not exceed 0.42 m. The span of the wings in the unfolded state is 1.33 m. In the basic configuration with the rocket accelerator The X-35 weighs 600 kg.

Layout

A similar layout can be found on other products of this class. In the head part is the equipment of the homing head. After it goes the combat component. In the middle part there is an air intake channel, "clothed" in the fuel tank. In the tail of the rocket is a turbojet engine. In the free parts of the body is additional equipment. The starter accelerator has an absolutely simple design. Inside its cylindrical body it is possible to place only a solid rocket engine.

Guidance system

The architecture of the guidance systems was affected by the need for guaranteed capture and defeat of the target in any jamming situation. The missile was equipped with a combined guidance system. During the flight, she had to use an inertial navigation system and a radio altimeter. And when the missile leaves the target area, the active radar system of the GOS must be activated, the task of which was to search and defeat the target.

In the design of the missile, ARGS-35, the active radar homing head, was used. It allows you to carry out detection and pursuit of the target with a high degree of reliability. The antenna of the system is located at the head of the rocket. She was dressed in a radiant fairing. The survey of the horizontal sector had a width of 90 degrees (45 degrees to the right and left of the rocket axis). The vertical view was not so wide: from -10 to +20 degrees. The first versions of the missile had a target detection range of up to 20 km.

Combat unit

The penetrating combat unit, whose weight is 145 kilograms, was installed behind the homing head. Thanks to the fragmentation-explosive-incendiary action, the combat unit must hit vessels of up to 5,000 tons displacement. It has a solid body with thick walls, which allows you to pierce the side of the enemy ship and carry out blasting inside. Thus, it is possible to obtain the maximum destructive effect.

Engine

As already mentioned, the turbojet engine is located in the rear of the hull. Its pull reaches 450 kgf. The engine is started using a pyro cartridge and works on aviation kerosene. The power plant of this type allows the rocket to reach speeds of up to 280 m / s and fly from 7 to 130 km. As for the solid-fuel accelerator, it is needed when using a rocket in the RK "Uranus". With his help, the X-35 missile, whose characteristics we are considering today, is leaving the transport and launch container. When the projectile is started, this motor is reset and the main engine is activated.

Control

The cruise missile X-35 received a very successful control system, which allows you to achieve high performance in combat. On the march site the rocket flies at a height of not more than 15 meters above the water level. When the search for a target and guidance on it begins, this indicator decreases to 4 m. Due to the low flight altitude and small scattering area, the probability of timely detection, tracking and attack of the missile by enemy air defenses is reduced.

The operation of the X-35 missiles is to some extent facilitated by the automation of the pre-launch preparation process. The state of the combat unit and the introduction of the flight task are controlled automatically. In total, the training takes no more than 1 minute. The X-35 missile, which is intended for use by ships and ground-based missile systems, was delivered in a cylindrical transport-launch container. Aircraft-based versions are also delivered, but they are launched from the standard armament of aircraft or helicopters.

Delay in development

During the consideration of the sketch, which the staff of the Zvezda Design Bureau made in a few months, some shortcomings were revealed. In particular, the discrepancy between the active radar system and the requirements imposed on it. It took more time to refine and improve the project. Pilot launch from a ground-based facility took place in November 1985. This and several subsequent launches have failed.

The first successful launch took place in January 1987. However, the development of on-board systems was still ongoing. Until 1992, the OKB "Zvezda" with adjacent enterprises conducted another 13 launches. In the absence of a full-fledged sample of the active radar system, the test missiles were equipped with its imitation.

Due to the collapse of the USSR and a number of economic problems, the work on the Kh-35 project has practically ceased. Between 1992 and 1997, only four prototypes were built and tested. Defense spending was also reduced, so the first order for the Uran missile system with the X-35 missile was made by a foreign customer.

"Uran-E"

In 1994, the Indian Navy ordered the Russian complexes Uran-E. The letter "E" means that it is an export modification. The ship-based missile complex includes: a missile, a launcher, a control system and ammunition testing equipment. It can be installed on all kinds of ships and boats. The launcher consists of a metal frame equipped with container fasteners. The design assumes that the X-35 rocket starts at an angle of 35 degrees.

The automated control system, which carries out the functions of testing missiles, entering tasks and other operations, is performed in the form of a pair of containers. This allows you to mount the equipment on any suitable ships and boats. One container occupies 15, and the other - 5 m ² .

Thanks to the Indian order, the development was still completed, and the serial production of rockets began. In 1996, the first components of the complex were transferred to the customer, at the end of the same year, work was completed on the delivery of missiles X-35 of the destroyer INS Delhi. In the future, several other Indian ships received similar weapons.

In the early 2000s, the situation with the financing of the Armed Forces changed for the better. As a result, by 2003 the complex "Uranus" with the X-35 missile was finalized and adopted for service in Russia.

"Ball"

Approximately at the same time, when "Uranus" entered service with the Navy, the development of coastal RK "Bal", which also worked with the Kh-35 missile, was completed. The tasks of the coastal complex included the tracking of territorial waters and the defense of all naval facilities. Due to a wide range of possibilities the complex "Bal" timely detects and attacks enemy ships.

High mobility of the complex is due to the fact that its main components are made in the form of self-propelled machines built on the basis of MAZ-7930. The complex can be deployed at a distance of up to 10 kilometers from the coast. Its total ammunition is 64 missiles.

Aviation version

In the mid-2000s, the development of the aviation version of the Kh-35 missile was completed. For helicopters, a separate modification with the index "B" was proposed. Its main difference was the availability of a starter accelerator. It was designed taking into account the low speed of the helicopter. The missile, which is launched from an airplane, does not need an accelerator at all.

Compact version

In 2011, a launcher for the X-35 missile was developed, disguised as a 20-foot container. Inside, four transport-launch containers with missiles and the whole set of equipment necessary for control were installed. What prospects does this project have, is still unknown.

X-35U

The development of the X-35 missile was the X-35U version, which due to the introduction of new equipment has twice the speed. In addition, it can successfully defeat the enemy from a distance of 260 km. All this was achieved thanks to the new engine and the modified design of the air intake duct, which allows to increase the fuel supply.

In 2009, a modernized version of the X-35U appeared, which received an additional index "E". It was intended for sale abroad. The main difference of the project was new guidance systems, which increased the target detection distance to 50 kilometers.

Members List

At the moment, the X-35 missile, the technical characteristics of which we examined today, is used mainly in the troops of Russia, India and Vietnam. To date, several hundred such missiles have been built. As for foreign customers, they are most interested in ship-based systems. The Uran air missile system with an X-35 missile is not in demand from the exporting countries. According to some foreign sources, the Russian missile was copied by North Korean designers. If this is true, it is entirely possible that the DPRK is also making missiles for sale, which means that they can be armed with more states than is known from official data.