AA-4 AWL / K-9 / K-155

In the late 1950s the Mikoyan and Gurevich design bureau built the long-range K-9 missile, also called the K-155. The prototype of this weapon was displayed publicly in 1961 under an E-152A plane, but the missile was not certified as a combat weapon. This missile was the source of some confusion in the West. There was condiderable uncertainty as to the size of the thing, with length estimates ranging from over 6 meters, to around 4 meters [approximately correct]. The missile's fins had a strange and maddeningly confusing paint scheme, with the forward sections painted black, giving the squared fins a swept triangular appearance.

To equip the fighter-interceptor E-152 with the engine R-15-300 in the OKB, a guided missile K-9 was designed and built, designed to target the target from all angles, including at cross and intersecting courses. Proceeding from the conditions for obtaining minimum kinematic overloads of the missile, especially in the area of ??the target when attacking it under all angles, the principle of homing by the method of parallel approach, at which the zero angular velocity of the missile-target line is provided, was chosen to control the rocket. For the missile, a symmetrical X-shaped aerodynamic scheme with a swivel wing was chosen. The longitudinal channel was controlled by a rotary wing. Management by roll was carried out by four ailerons, mounted on a stationary stabilizer. To increase the damping by roll on the stabilizers, four rollers were installed. = The main equipment of the missile included: a radar semi-active GOS impulse action CR-1, an autopilot APC-18, a pulsed radioactivator CRV-1, high-explosive fragmentation warhead, an I-60 safety mechanism, a single-chamber dual-mode propulsion engine, PRD-56.

The conditions of application of the K-9 missile (high launch and approach speeds with the enemy, non-maneuvering nature of the attack, illumination of the purpose of the powerful interceptor radar) led to the appearance of a number of design features. A powerful two-mode engine with a starting thrust of 5500 kg first accelerated the projectile to a speed of 1400 m / s, and then switched to a cruising mode with a thrust of 2500-3000 kg.

The guidance system was developed by the KB-1 of the Ministry of Armaments. The K-9 missile head was all-oriented and allowed to attack the enemy aircraft from any direction, although its imperfection limited the launching distance to nine kilometers. The aiming of the missile on the target by the method of parallel approach required illumination of the goal of continuous harmonization of radar carrier radar frequencies and signals reflected from the target. To receive the radiation signals of the aircraft radar on the plumage of the rocket, the antenna-pins of the synchronization channel were installed. This cumbersome structure was later replaced by placing the antenna plates on the body.

In 1961, 26 rockets were manufactured (from 90 to 3 copies, ed. 91 to 6 copies, ed. 92 to 11 copies, and 93 to 6 copies). At the beginning of the same year, three launches of the K-9 rocket with an AAP mounted on a ground test stand were made. During the flight tests from the E-152A airplane on the test range of the GC NII of the Air Force in 1961, 10 launches of K-9 missiles were manufactured (5 - ed. 91 and 5-iss. 92). The results of the tests confirmed the coincidence of the aerodynamic and ballistic characteristics of the rocket with the calculated ones. Ground tests were also conducted on the GSKB-47 range, laboratory and bench tests of systems, mathematical and physical modeling of the missile in all modes, as well as the calculation of the effectiveness of combat missiles at NII-2.