Penguin
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Interesting that they had to make a standard radio warning to an ally at the time. But doesn't the aircraft have to have fire control radar to know who its targeting before releasing the missile?
It depends. If you have a datalink, you can have a ground station, ship, or other aircraft send general target info to the plane, which then programs the missile to fly a certain path (using waypoints) to the area where a target is expected, where the missile itself uses active radar and perhaps a search pattern to actually acquire the target. Targeting data can be radar, ESM, AWACS, visual etc.
Yes, that Kh 55 clone, acquired via shady Ukrainian and Russian contacts. They didn't really have to change the missile, they just stuck a booster onto it and a developed a launch vehicle.Did you know about the new cruise missile Iran just showed off? It was originally meant for air to surface. They modified it for surface to surface? Did you know? So in reality we had no idea.
Did you know that
RK-55 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe Novator RK-55 Granat (Russian: РК-55 Гранат 'Garnet'; NATO:SSC-X-4 'Slingshot'; GRAU:3K10) was a Soviet land-based cruise missile with a nuclear warhead.
The RK-55 is very similar to the air-launched Kh-55 (AS-15 'Kent') but the Kh-55 has a drop-down turbofan engine.
In 1971 Raduga began working on the air-launched Kh-55, which first flew in 1976. That same year, RK-55 first flew. NPO Novator would work on the submarine- and ground-launched versions.
In 1993 Novator exhibited the 3M14/3M54 Klub (SS-N-27 'Sizzler'), which appears to be based on the RK-55
Kh-55 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe original Kh-55 had a drop-down engine; the Kh-65SE had a fixed external turbojet engine, whilst the Kh-SD had its engine inside the body of the missile.
Compare
RK-55 (SS-N-21/SSC-X-4) | Missile ThreatSS-N-21, Sampson, 3M10, Granat, SSC-X-4, Slingshot, 3K10 | Missile ThreatBasing:Road-mobile, Submarine-launched
Length:8.09 m
Diameter:0.51 m
Launch Weight:1,700 kg
Payload:Single warhead
Warhead:200 kT nuclear (ground/submarine), 410 kg HE (submarine)
Propulsion:Turbofan, solid booster
Range:2,400 km (submarine), 3,000 km (ground)
Status:Operational
In Service:1984
Kh-55/-55SM/-555/-65SE | Missile ThreatAS-15 'Kent", RKV-500, X-65C3, Kh-SD | Missile ThreatBasing:Air-launched
Length:6.04 m
Diameter:0.514 m
Launch Weight:1,210 kg
Payload:Single warhead, 410 kg
Warhead:200-250 kT nuclear
Propulsion:Turbofan
Range:2,500 km
Status:Operational
In Service:1984
Difference? Probably mainly a booster (note length and range difference, for the same diameter)
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