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Kh-59MK2 / Kh-69 - AS-22?

There is some serious nomenclature ambiguity at hand. The Kh-59MK2 designation was initially encountered as an modest upgrade to the Kh-59MK, but was subsequently applied to a very, very deep, deep modernization of the Kh-59, to the point of being entirely unrecognizable as kindred missiles. Possibly to clarify matters, the Kh-69 designation subsequently appeared. The Western AS-22 designation has been applied to this missile, as well as to the totally unrelated Kh-555, though ti is not clear that the AS-22 designator is in fact in use.

The X-59MK long-range guided air-to-surface missile with an active homing radar head is a modification of the X-59M missile and is intended to engage a wide range of radar-contrast surface targets at any time of day, both in simple and difficult weather conditions with sea waves up to 6 points. Group use of missiles is provided. Developer - FSUE ICB "Raduga" (Dubna, Moscow region). X-59MK was first demonstrated at the International Air Show MAKS-2001. The missile is part of the armament of Su-30 type aircraft systems.

The Kh-59MK2 multi-purpose missile is a deep modification of Kh-59MK intended to engage a wide range of fixed ground targets with known location coordinates, including those without radar, infrared and optical contrast to the surrounding background, equipped with an onboard inertial guidance system integrated with an optical-electronic seeker and a GLONASS navigation receiver.

However, in this case, the concept of "modernization option" is rather arbitrary, because this missile is almost a completely new development. At present, cruise missiles of the same class AGM-158 JASSM, Scalp EG / Storm Shadow and Taurus already exist abroad. Shown in 2015, the missile has not yet received its own name and was demonstrated as a "Option for the modernization of the Kh-59MK2 aircraft guided missile."

The development of the rocket was started by the Raduga Design Bureau (now part of the KTRV concern), presumably in the early 2010s based on the Kh-59MK missile. The missile is designed to engage targets with known coordinates and is analogous to the AGM-158 JASSM, Scalp EG / Storm Shadow and Taurus missiles. Structurally, the missile is made taking into account the requirements for reducing radar signature, as well as ensuring the use of a suspended missile in the internal compartments of carrier aircraft.

In February 2018, during the military tests of the Kh-59MK2 missiles, combat launches of missiles in Syria from the Su-57 carrier aircraft were successfully carried out - this was announced on May 25, 2018 at the collegium of the Ministry of Defense by the Minister of Defense of Russia S.K. Shoigu.

The appearance of the new product clearly speaks of the deep processing of the original project. Having a similar composition of equipment and approximately the same characteristics, the modernized version differs from the base Kh-59MK2 in the hull design and aerodynamic appearance. The new rocket received a body of a characteristic shape, indicating the use of stealth technology in the design. A variant of the Kh-59MK2 rocket is made to be placed in the internal weapons compartment of fifth-generation fighters and strike aircraft. First of all, this missile can be seen in the armament of the advanced aviation complex of frontline aviation (PAK FA) T-50, which will also be demonstrated at MAKS. A promising aviation complex - a promising multipurpose fighter PAK-PMI will be able to use the proposed missile with UVKU-50 ejection devices installed in the internal cargo compartments.

Unlike its predecessors, the new ammunition has a body with a close to square cross-section with rounded corners. The rocket nose fairing received a complex shape, formed by the conjugation of several straight and curved surfaces with a horizontal rib in the middle part, reminiscent of a similar part of the design of the Kh-101 strategic missile. The latter was successfully used in combat conditions in Syria at the end of 2015 from Tu-160 bombers when attacking ISIS terrorists. Unlike its predecessor, the Kh-59M, the new rocket has a turbojet engine located in the tail section of the rocket (on the base version, the turbojet engine was installed under the rocket body on a special pylon in the tail section as well). Probably, a retractable air intake will be provided for the supply of the turbojet engine of the incoming air flow under the rocket fuselage. To improve flight characteristics, the Kh-59MK2 rocket in the updated version is equipped with a folding wing with a span of up to 2.45 m. When transporting the product, the planes are laid along the hull, and during launch they are folded forward.

Initially the Kh-59MK2 designator was applied to a rather different missile that differed from the Kh-59MK in its correlative optical homing head, which provides autonomous recognition of the terrain adjacent to the target. It is equipped with a navigation and automatic control system based on a strapdown inertial navigation system and supplemented by a satellite correction unit. The Kh-59MK (Kh-59MK2) missile control systems include the A-079E radio altimeter developed by the Detal UPKB. The low-altitude flight route to the target is set in the flight task. At the same time, the height of the rocket's flight above the earth's surface (depending on the terrain) is only 50-300 m, which makes it extremely difficult for ground-based air defense systems to intercept. The final homing system provides a circular probable deviation from a given point, not exceeding 3-5 m. The Kh-59MK2 missile can be used at any time of the year, when the illumination of the area is 103 - 105 lux, over any type of terrain. The angle of the target when launching the Kh-59MK2 rocket is up to ± 45°.

Kh-69

At the Army-2022 international forum starting on August 15, the Kh-69 aviation high-precision cruise missile was presented to the general public for the first time. With a reach of at least 290 km, it occupies an intermediate position between short-range munitions and strategic winged items. The ammunition is designed for high-precision non-nuclear destruction of any ground targets with known coordinates in advance. The missile is intended for combat use as part of weapon systems: a promising multi-role fighter (PAK-PMI), as well as Su-30MK, Su-32, Su-35, MiG-35, MiG-29K aircraft. The weight of the warhead is 300-310 kilograms, it can be placed both on external suspensions and in internal weapons compartments.

The Kh-69 is fundamentally different from the classic air-to-ground ammunition. It has a square section. Such a technical solution, unique for Russian aviation, was used specifically to accommodate the maximum number of missiles in the internal weapons bays of promising strike aircraft . In addition, this design allows fitting more fuel and electronics into the same dimensions, a more powerful warhead and much more compact “tidy up” folded wings.

Due to the use of modern materials and the specific configuration of the nose fairing, as well as the almost complete absence of protruding parts, the Kh-69 became as invisible as possible in flight. Missiles of previous generations carried a sustainer turbojet engine from the outside. It was attached to the hull from below - thereby ensuring the most complete use of the volume of the hull, round in cross section, for fuel and warhead. But when the novelty was made “square”, then an additional volume for fuel appeared and the engine turned out to be removed inside. Ammunition has become more compact and inconspicuous.

X-69 is designed for high-precision non-nuclear destruction of any, even heavily protected ground targets with known coordinates in advance. The closest Western counterparts to the new Russian missile are the AGM-158 JASSM, Scalp EG/Storm Shadow and Taurus. Today, in Russian front-line aviation there is only one aircraft with an internal weapons bay - this is the fifth generation Su-57 fighter. Probably, in a couple of years, a light front-line fighter, now known as the Su-75 Checkmate, may join it. But from the external load, the X-69 will be able to use any modern strike aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces: Su-30, Su-35, Su-34.

The development of a new missile for arming fifth-generation aircraft was launched at the State Machine-Building Design Bureau (GosMKB) "Rainbow" named after. AND I. Bereznyak in the early 2010s. As a base, they took the well-proven X-59MK of a traditional cigar shape. This enterprise is the leading center for the development of air-to-ground missiles in our country, which is now part of the Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV). The Raduga GosMKB created tactical guided munitions, operational-tactical cruise missiles, and long-range strategic products of the Kh-555 and Kh-101 types. In their succession, the X-69 became the youngest and at the same time modern model of modular design weapons.

With a flight weight of 770 kg, it carries warheads (warheads) weighing 310 kg of various types. According to open information, the ammunition can be equipped with both penetrating high-explosive and cluster warheads with various types of warheads. Penetrating high-explosive warheads can ensure the destruction of, for example, well-protected command posts buried underground , and cluster munition is designed to destroy a large area with various types of warheads. These may include high-tech self-targeting anti-tank submunitions. One such missile, with an accurate hit, can stop the attack of an entire tank unit or simply cover an area of several thousand square meters of the earth's surface.

The Kh-69 is equipped with a control system that has a lot in common with those installed on strategic cruise missiles. It uses an autonomous inertial system with course correction based on data from GLONASS navigation satellites in the cruising section of the flight and an optoelectronic homing system based on a reference map of the area recorded in the rocket’s memory. Their combination provides unprecedented accuracy - the maximum miss can be no more than 5 m, which, with the power of the warhead, ensures guaranteed destruction of the target. The flight route can be programmed arbitrary in order to strike from the side with the weakest air defense cover.

The official characteristics of the X-69 rocket say that its maximum range is 290 km. Apparently, this is due to the fact that they plan to offer it for export. According to accepted international standards, the range of export missiles is limited to 300 km . If we recall that the strategic Kh-555 and Caliber with similar turbojet engines, albeit somewhat larger, have a range of 2 thousand km or more, then we can assume that the real range of the Kh-69 variant "for the domestic market" may turn out to be noticeably higher than the declared 290 km.

Prototypes of the missile under the temporary designation X-59MK2 in honor of the progenitor were successfully used in Syria from Su-57 aircraft. In February 2018, military tests were successfully completed with such launches. This was announced on May 25, 2018 at the collegium of the Ministry of Defense by the head of the department, Sergei Shoigu. The new X-69 index symbolizes that the rocket has gone so far from its progenitor that it now has little in common with it.

The creation of such a high-tech rocket was a great achievement for KTRV. At the end of April 2022, it was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation named after Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov. Boris Obnosov, head of KTRV, Ruslan Gomenyuk, chief designer of the department, and other specialists of the corporation received a high award for “creating a system of tactical multi-purpose guided missiles and a guided missile-bomber weapon system of modular construction”. Apparently, under this complex name, it was X-69 that was meant.

The Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV) demonstrated a new-generation X-69 aviation cruise missile at the Army-2023 forum. This was reported 15 August 2023 in the press center of the international military-technical forum. "JSC "Corporation "Tactical Missiles" presents over 90 exhibits. For the first time, a new-generation X-69 aircraft cruise missile, designed for combat use as part of weapon systems, and an air-to-air guided missile RVV-MD2, which ensures the destruction of air targets at any time of the day, from any direction, will be demonstrated. said in a press release.