Kh-20 / AS-3 KANGAROO
The AS-3 air-to-surface missile is a large, supersonic, turbojet-powered, cruise missile weighing approximately 24,500 lb with a range of 100 to 350 nm. It carries a 5000-lb nuclear warhead. For guidance it uses a preprogrammed autopilot for launch and climb, an autopilot with command guidance for mid-course flight, and a preprogrammed dive to target. It has a CEP of 150 ft when used in an anti-ship role and a CEP of 1 to 3 nm when used against land targets. One AS-3 is carried aboard the Bear B and Bear C aircraft.
The possibility of strategic tasks defeating targets on American territory was questioned, more than the US had such an opportunity, having a network of air bases for the strategic command in Eurone and Asia. THe US had several thousand nuclear munitions, and openly discussed plans for strikes against the USSR are in the press. This was confirmed by regular large-scale SAC exercises, in which a thousand bombers worked out options for nuclear attacks near the Soviet borders.
It was obvious that the long-range bombers must either transform, or finally leave the stage, giving way to missiles (the latter looked more and more attractive). Ground-based ballisticc missiles and and cruise missiles and sea-based missiles possessed colossal range, could carry the most powerful nuclear charge and, at the same time, were practically invulnerable to current air defense systems.
Fortunately, not everyone in the government were supporters of the universal missilization; among the defenders of the balanced concentration of the armed forces, in which the Air Force was given its due role, was teh future minister of Defense D.F. Ustinov. A promising direction for equipment of heavy bombers were air launched missiles with more range that would provide the possibility of a strike on remote countries for strategical purposes, while remaining beyond the reach of air defense weapons.
The use of the Tu-95 in this capacity was planned already during its designing (fortunately, experience with guided missiles on the Tu-16, OKB-156 already had, and "Kometa" proved to be effective). Tu-95 possessed all the necessary qualities for transformation into rocket launcher: long range, payload capacity, capacious cargo compartment and fuselage, where it could accommodate equipment, and last but not least, layout suitable for sub-weights of the projectile aircraft. This is ultimately what subsequently played a role in the competition with OKB-23 Myasishchev, who received an analogous daunting task, never solved due to the problems of placement of large dimensional winged projectile under Myasishchevsky plane, where the landing gear's low clearance literally left no space for the rocket.
On March 11, 1954, the USSR Council of Ministers decided on the creation of the K-20 aviation system of missile weapons (the word "complex" then not yetwas in use), which Tupolev OKB-156 was appointed leadby the performer. It was prescribed to develop and operate the Tu-95K carrier aircraft on the base of the Tu-95MA bomber (but-carrier of nuclear weapons). The same organizations were appointed by the document -developers of the components of the complex. In their capacity they already had experience of joint work on anti-ship "Komet." Guidance system of the K-20 began to develop KB-1 Minister Medium Engineering under the leadership of V.M. Shabanov. The aircraft projectile X-20 was under OKB-155 of A.I.Mikoyan, in which the chief designer was M.I. Gurevich, since 1948 heading all the work on the subject of unmanned aerial vehicles.
The name of the system "K-20" ("Kometa-20") went back to the first developments of winged shells, and the index "20" referred to the supposed designation of the Tupolev Tu-20, which was supposed to enter service. However, induring the tests, the machine gained the proprietary cipher of the OKB of "Airplane 95", adopted by the military, and the first initial index "20" was preserved only behind the missile system.
The requirements for the system stipulate the possibility of damage to large strategic targets with a range of about 600 km during carrier flight at altitudes up to 12-13 km. The speed of the X-20 was supposed to be supersonic, not less than 1700-2000 km / h, which reduced the possibilities of existing fighters. The dimension of the rocket was determined using the specified warhead nuclear charge, the mass of which in the necessary systems was about 4000 kg. Heavy and large overall warhead with a one and a half meter transverse dimension significantly complicated the task, but then the choice practically did not exist at the required charge power satisfied only the newly created KB-11 Minsredmasha. It can be said that the creation of heavy-duty thermonuclear series actually became the basis of accelerated work for of delivery by ballistic, aviation ground-based and ground-based cruise missiles.
X-20M - Air-Launched Cruise Missile of class "air-surface", with RK by control system and turbojet engine. Glider - all-metal monocoque, midwing monoplane, wing is arrow-shaped (35(), of riveted construction. Front cone - sliding. One fuel tank is made from the alloy AMG-E, another - from rubber BUT -68. Basic materials used: D -16, V -95, ML -5 (large-dimension casting), E0KHGSA, E0KHGSNA (loaded details). Application of press riveting of the rivets with a diameter of 8 mm.
The new technological process of manufacture of flexible tanks from oil and gasoline resistant rubber was mastered with the starting of rocket X-20M into the production. Vacuum boiler was acquired for this process; to the rubber- the plastic of workshop shop # 17 is made the addition. The new technological process of manufacture of flexible tanks required fairly complicated rigging - composite punch, which consists of several sections. To the punch stuck damp rubber BUT -68, intensified by rubberized fabric ACRE, then were pasted entrance and exhaust carbine. All this was placed into the vacuum boiler, vulcanization was passed at a temperature of yyae(shch(S. The tank was cut with the end of curing process, and collapsible punch section after the section was extracted from it. Section was then glued up by the already vulcanized sheet rubber with the glueing of seam by cloth AKHKR. Difficulties were with the cementing in of carbines and reaching of the airtightness of tanks, but also they were preodoleny. The assembled and tested to the airtightness tanks were surrendered to assembling of articles. Active participants in the mastery of this new technological process included V.Pugacheva, A.I.Kartashov, M.V.Mirovich and L.F.Azhirkova.
Initially on the technological documentation the main fuel tank of rocket it was provided for to make from sheet steel, but could not be solved the problem of the corrosion of internal cavity after etching, and steel was replaced with the sheet material of brand AMG-'.
With the mastery of article X-20M was mastered and inculcated one additional new technological process - process of large-dimension magnesium casting. For this purpose in the shop # 12 established the melting furnaces of larger power. From the section of trimming colored casting they separately isolated the section of trimming magnesium castings and the section of trimming aluminum casting; the cases of mixing the trimmings of colored casting were excluded thus, defective index was reduced.
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