KS-172 is a promising Russian long-range ultra-long range air-to-air guided missile developed by NPO Novator . In the west, AAM-L is designated ( Eng. "Air-to-Air Missile - Long range" - a long-range air-to-air missile ). [K 1] It is assumed that this missile will allow you to effectively deal with strategic bombers , AWACS aircraft , air command posts, high-altitude reconnaissance and other targets located at a great distance from the front line and covered by enemy fighter aircraft . Initially, the missile was intended to supplement the arsenal of the Su-57 (two missiles per machine) [5] .
| KS-172 | |
 | |
| Main characteristics | |
| Type of: | ultra-long-range guided air-to-air missile [1] |
| Guidance: | Inertial + active radar seeker [1] |
| Developer: |  →  NGO Novator |
| Condition: | Flight tests [2] |
| Combat characteristics | |
| Launch Range: | up to 400 km [1] |
| Ultimate target heights: | from 3 to 30,000 meters [1] |
| Maximum target speed: | 4,000 km / h (1,100 m / s) [2] |
| Maximum target overload: | 12 g [2] |
| Mass and overall dimensions | |
| Length: | 7.4 m [1] |
| Diameter: | 0.51 m [1] |
| Wheel Span: | 0.75 m [3] |
| Starting weight: | 750 kg [1] |
| Type of warhead: | High-explosive directional fragmentation [1] |
| The mass of the warhead: | 50 kg [1] |
| Compatibility | |
| Available media: | Su-30MK , Su-35 / BM , Su-57 |
Interest in buying these missiles, as well as organizing their serial licensed production on its territory, was expressed by India , which now carries out a significant share of the financing of the project. According to the Janes edition, the Russian Air Force still prefers the R-37 rocket [2] , which has a comparable range, but is completely debugged and put into serial production. According to the Russian edition of However , , in case of success of the KS-172 project, it can significantly increase the combat potential of both Indian fighters and Russian Su-30s , Su-35s and the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter being developed [6] .
It is currently a long-range air-to-air guided missile project. The prospects for adopting a missile into the arsenal of the Russian Air Force or partner countries and launching it in mass production remain unclear [7] .
Content
Creation History
- Prerequisites for the creation
The history of the KS-172 project dates back to the American long-range AIM-152 AAAM long-range missile development system developed in the 1980s by the General Dynamics / Westinghouse corporation, [K 2] which it repeats in principle for the technical implementation of the propulsion system [8] . The development of a new super-long-range guided missile was launched at the Novator NPO in 1991 , [2] in accordance with the tactical and technical task set in the same year by the USSR Air Force , [9] the deputy general designer of the bureau was appointed responsible for its development S. V. Zhirov [10] . The well-proven anti-aircraft guided missile 9M83 of the S-300V air defense systems, according to which the design bureau already had its own achievements, was taken as the basis, the second (marching) stage of the 9M83 SAM was modified to be placed on an aircraft carrier [2] [11] .
- Tactical and technical task
TTZ Air Force from 1991 provided for the development of missiles with the following characteristics: [9]
- The combination of an inertial navigation system in the middle (marching) section of the flight path with active radar homing in the final (terminal) portion of the flight path;
- Reach in range to the target - up to 400 kilometers;
- Reach in height - up to 30 thousand meters.
- Foreign investment in the project
The problem of the development team’s further work was the termination of project financing in the light of the disintegration of the USSR , in connection with which the OKB faced the need to find sources of financing in the face of foreign investors [9] . Already in 1993 , to attract the attention of foreign customers, the missile model was first demonstrated on February 14-18 at the International Exhibition of Arms and Military Equipment (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi , where representatives of the military-industrial complex of 28 countries were present and where the then specially arrived Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev [9] . In the same year, from August 31 to September 5, a missile model was presented at the first Moscow International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS-1993 [1] .
- Suspension of work on a project
However, funding problems led to the freezing of this and other programs - for almost 10 years there have been no new reports of work on the rocket [2] . Under constrained funding, the Russian Air Force preferred to use the R-37 rocket developed before the collapse of the USSR [2] . This was influenced by the tests of 1994 , when the R-37 missile successfully intercepted an air target at a range of 300 km, comparable to the capabilities of the KS-172 - twice as long as the range of any other missiles in service in the world [12] . Such a range makes it possible to confidently hit patrol AWACS and electronic warfare aircraft, air command posts and strategic bombers at a distance of the discharge of cruise missiles; while not being endangered by escort fighters. Thus, the Russian Air Force , armed with a large number of MiG-31 interceptors , could effectively solve all the tasks of protecting and controlling airspace, and therefore did not experience an urgent need for longer-range missiles.
- Resuming work on a project
Work was resumed at the beginning of the 21st century . Funding was found from India . This decision was influenced by the fact that the basis of the promising aircraft of the Indian Air Force is the multifunctional Su-30MK aircraft - less high-speed and high-altitude than specialized MiG-31BM interceptors , and, therefore, requiring longer-range missiles to provide comparable capabilities to engage remote targets. In December 2003, at an exhibition in Dubai, NPO Novator presented an export version of the KS-172S-1 rocket as one of the Su-35 weapons [2] [3] , and later the rocket was also presented at the Moscow International Aerospace Salon [3] . The rocket has changed significantly in appearance, although the overall dimensions have remained the same - the first stage of the rocket has been completely replaced, and the second stage no longer has a narrowing in the head. In this modification, the range of destruction of targets is 300 kilometers, which is 100 km less than the option for the Russian Air Force [2] .
- Flight tests
Several test launches of KS-172 missiles that were not equipped with homing heads were made , which is common practice in the development of new guided air-to-air missiles [2] .
Interest in the KS-172 from the Russian military began to return from the second half of the 2000s due to the entry into the final phase of the development of the fifth-generation fighter PAK FA [13] .
Design
Structurally, the KS-172 missile is a two-stage missile equipped only with full-rotary rudders (without stabilizers and wings). The missile is bicaliber - the first stage has about one and a half times larger diameter than the second. The first stage is a solid fuel accelerator that provides acceleration of the rocket at the initial stage of flight. An active radar homing head , an inertial guidance system and autopilot are located in the head part of the second stage. Behind the equipment block is a high-explosive fragmentation warhead of a directional action. A solid rocket engine , rudder drive and, in fact, rudders themselves are located in the rear part. Since the rocket does not have bearing planes, its trajectory on the passive section, according to some experts, is close to the optimal ballistic [14] .
Guidance on the marching section of the trajectory is carried out using inertial guidance, and at a distance of 80-100 kilometers, the missile switches to active radar homing, carried out using the homing head 9B-1103M. The flight to the maximum range of a rocket takes about 5 minutes, and the period of active homing is only about a minute [15] . Over 4 minutes of flight by inertial guidance, the spatial position of the target can change significantly, so some experts believe that in difficult air conditions, for correct target selection at the maximum range of the rocket, external target designation may be required [3] .
Undermining the warhead is provided by a non-contact radar fuse. In case of direct contact, a contact fuse is provided.
The option presented in 2003 looks significantly different from the one proposed in 1993 , although it has similar characteristics and the same dimensions. A new solid-fuel accelerator of the first stage, other aerodynamic rudders are installed on the rocket, and the second stage of the rocket no longer has a narrowing in the warhead.
Comparison with analogues
At present, KS-172 is a project of the air-to-air missile , which has the largest range in the world, and in this parameter it is one third (100 km) higher than its closest competitor - the Russian R-37 .
For 2009, only Russia has air-to-air missiles with a range of more than 200 km. The Iranian Air Force has a certain number of F-14 interceptors and AIM-54 missiles with a maximum range of about 180 km (these missiles were removed from the US Air Force along with F-14 fighters in 2006 ). In the US there is a modification of the aim-120D "AMRAAM" missile, capable of hitting targets at a distance of 180 km. The remaining countries do not have missiles capable of hitting air targets at a distance of more than 120 km.
In 1992, Russian developers announced the completion of the X-31A missile for attacking air targets, but this work was not completed. However, this work was continued in China , which is experimenting in this direction with its copy of the X-31 , designated as YJ-91 .
It is noteworthy that the US Air Force declared its disinterest in long-range / ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles and the project of the promising AIM-152 missile was closed in 1992 [16] .
| Title, Index | A country | Status | Maximum range [Wed 1] , km | Year of adoption into service | Weight (start / warhead), kg | amount steps | Media [Wed 2] | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | Not adopted | 210 | 360 /? | one | ||||
| AAM-N-10 Eagle | USA | Not adopted | 200 | 582/75 | 2 | |||
| AIM-54 Phoenix | USA | Currently in service Iranian Air Force only [Wed 3] | 184 | 1974 | 460 / 60.75 | one | F-14 | |
| R-33 | the USSR Russia | Operated by | 160 | 1981 | 490/47 | one | MiG-31 | |
| R-37 | the USSR Russia | Operated by | 300 | 1989 | 600/60 | one | MiG-31 , Su-27 , Su-35 | |
| AIM-152 AAAM [Wed 4] | USA | Not adopted | 270 | [17] | 172 / 22.7 | one | F-15 , F-22 | |
| KS-172 | Russia | In development (flight tests) | 400 | 750/50 | 2 | Su-30MK , Su-35 / BM , Su-57 |
Notes:
- ↑ The maximum launch range of the most advanced modification when launched into the front hemisphere from the fastest and highest-altitude carrier aircraft. Design values in italics.
- ↑ All aircraft capable of carrying this missile
- ↑ Discontinued in the United States due to the removal of the only F-14 carrier aircraft
- ↑ Some sources mistakenly designate the rocket as AIM-155 .
Performance Specifications
- Sources of information: [18]
Comments
- ↑ Simultaneously with KS-172, several preliminary projects of other design bureaus were proposed, but it was accepted for further study that is why “AAM-L” and “KS-172” in foreign literature and periodicals on the military theme are almost synonymous [4] .
- ↑ Since the development of the AIM-152 missile launcher in the USA was on a competitive basis, under this index there were two different missiles, united by a common name and several coincident overall characteristics.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 KC-172 . Corner of the sky . - description of the rocket KS-172. Date of treatment September 4, 2009. Archived April 7, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Peter Butowski. The innovator offers a modified long-range missile KS-172S-1 . Janes missiles and rockets (March 1, 2004). - Translation of an article on the KS-172 rocket in the publication "Jays - rocket technology." Date of treatment September 4, 2009. Archived April 7, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 KC-172 (RVV-L) . testpilot.ru. - SD "air-to-air" ultra-long range. Date of treatment September 7, 2009. Archived on April 7, 2012.
- ↑ Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2007-2008. / Edited by Paul Jackson. - 98th ed. - Coulsdon, Surrey: Jane's Information Group , 2007 .-- P. 517 - 973 p. - ISBN 0-7106-2792-0 .
- ↑ Modern military equipment of the world . / D.S. Alekseev, A.P. Galchuk, V.V. Likso. - M .: Eksmo , 2015 .-- S. 113 - 256 p. - ISBN 978 5-699-78211-6 .
- ↑ Denisentsev S. Partnership of the fifth generation . // However : business and political magazine. - February 18, 2013. - No. 5 (154) - S. 19 - ISSN 2075-7581.
- ↑ Majumdar D. If Russia or China take advantage of this shortcoming of the American army, wait for trouble (transl. From English) / Inosmi.ru . - May 30, 2017. (original material: Dave Majumdar , If Russia or China Attack This Big Weakness in America's Military, It Would Be Trouble, The National Interest ).
- ↑ Barrie, Douglas . Beyond-visual-range AAMs . // Flight International . - November 13-19, 1996. - Vol. 150 - No. 4549 - P. 34 - ISSN 0015-3710.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Braybrook, Roy . Air-to-air guided missiles proliferate . // Asia-Pacific Defense Reporter . - February-March 1994. - Vol. 20 - No. 8/9 - P. 40 - ISSN 1037-1427.
- ↑ Tikhonov S.G. Defense enterprises of the USSR and Russia: in 2 vols . - M .: TOM, 2010 .-- T. 1. - S. 137. - 608 p. - 1000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-903603-02-2 .
- ↑ Karpenko A.V. A super-long range air-to-air missile KS-172 . (electronic resource) // Military-technical collection Bastion : magazine of the military-industrial complex, 2012. - Retrieved June 15, 2016
- ↑ P-37 . Corner of the sky . - Description of the R-37 rocket. Date of treatment September 4, 2009. Archived April 7, 2012.
- ↑ Leonid NIKOLAEV. Five business cards PAK FA . Military Parity (February 2, 2008.). Date of treatment September 7, 2009. Archived on April 7, 2012.
- ↑ Pesticide for Super Hornets . Air Power Australia Research and Analysis (6th August, 2007). Date of treatment November 9, 2009. Archived on April 7, 2012.
- ↑ an estimate based on a maximum range of 300-400 kilometers and a maximum speed of a missile target of 1.1 km / s
- ↑ AIM-155 AAAM . Corner of the sky . Date of treatment November 6, 2009. Archived on April 7, 2012.
- ↑ Development was discontinued in 1992
- ↑ Calzone, RF Developments in missile ramjet propulsion (TNO report) . - Rijswijk, The Netherlands: TNO Prins Maurits Laboratory, December 1996. - B.25.