Raduga KSR-5 (AS-6 Kingfish)
The AS-6 air-to-surface missile is a supersonic, liquid-rocket propelled, cruise missile weighing approximately 13,000 lb. It has an estimated maximum speed of Mach 3.5 at an altitude of 65,000 ft. and an estimated range of 300 nm. It can carry an 1100-lb conventional or nuclear warhead. For guidance it uses a preprogrammed autopilot for launch and climb, an inertial guidance system or an autopilot with radio command override for mid-course, and an active radar system for terminal dive when used in an anti-ship role. It has a CEP of 150 ft when used in the anti-ship role, and a CEP of 1 to 2 nm when employed against land targets. The AS-6 probably is a follow-on to the AS-2 and AS-5.
This is a smaller version of the Kh-22 missile, intended for Tu-16 bomber aircraft. Series production of the KSR-5 (Article D-5) anti-ship version with active-radar homing began in 1966. Target indication is given by either a "Rubin" radar of the Tu-16K-26 or a YeN radar of the Tu-16K-10-26. The KSR-SP antiradar missile entered service in 1972, at which time was also built the KSR-5N version with a nuclear load. On the basis of the KSR-5 was later built the KSR-5NM airborne target for training exercises. Modified Badger C and Badger G aircraft carry two AS-6 missiles.
By Western estimates, the Backfire may also have been an AS-6 carrier, but evidence is lacking to confirm this estimate. Production is estimated to have begun in 1969, with IOC in Badger aircraft in 1970. IOC with Backfire is estimated in 1974.
On the basis of the Kh-22 rocket, the designers of the Dubninsk branch No. 2 of OKB-155 Mikoyan, under the leadership of A. Ya. Bereznyak, in 1960 began designing reduced Kh-28 and KSR-5 products. The latter was intended to destroy radio-contrast land and sea targets with high-explosive-cumulative or nuclear warheads. For the KSR-5, a small-sized two-chamber C5.33 liquid-propellant rocket engine was created, which worked on heptyl and nitric acid. The control system was simplified - the inertial platform was replaced with a conventional autopilot, the range decreased, but the capture of the target of the active radar seeker from under the wing and the possibility of anti-aircraft maneuver when the enemy radar missile was irradiated were ensured.
One of the innovations was a thin-walled radome of the GOS antenna with a mesh filler. The technology began to be developed in 1963 under the guidance of the leading engineers of Plant No. 256 Lezhenin and Kurilova with the participation of VIAM.
The rocket was made from already mastered steels 30KhGSNA, EI-654, 12KhNVA and aluminum alloys D-16T, AMG-6T; new were the processes of their mechanical and thermal treatment, as well as the technology of shaped honeycomb panels of minimum mass with foil filler. “Honeycombs” from it were poured with xylitol (artificial sugar substitute) and milled after it hardened, and then the filler was dissolved and a thin honeycomb package of complex spatial shape was obtained. To test the new missile and the weapon systems it was part of, one Tu-16K11-16 and one Tu-16KSR-2A, as well as two Tu-16K10s, were converted. They mounted two BD-487 underwing holders, new launch preparation equipment and replaced some of the weapon control system blocks, and the most expensive, the locator, remained the same. The first launch of the KSR-5 took place in 1964.
Under the new K-26 missile system for Long-Range Aviation, 15 Tu-16K11-16 combat aircraft, called Tu-16K26, and 125 Tu-16KSR2-11 (Tu-16KSR2-5-11) were finalized, and the Rubin radar was installed on some of the machines -1M", with which the launch range of the KSR-5 increased to 450 km). In Aviation of the Navy of the USSR, 85 Tu-16K10 combatants were modernized, which became known as Tu-16K10-26. Refinement of 110 Tu-16KSR-2A, named Tu-16KSR2-5, was carried out for both long-range and naval aviation. They kept all the weapons they already had - KSR-2/11 and K-10 missiles plus bombs on some, getting two new KSR-5 missiles each. In 1969, the KSR-5 was put into service, but in fact it was already being mastered by the same air regiments that used the products of the KSR-2/11 and K-10. The development of the K26 and K10-26 complexes was awarded the State Prize for 1970.
The start of their operation was complicated by several accidents. Welded chromansil cylinders of the KSR-5 pneumatic system with nitrogen at a pressure of 350 atm exploded, giving a lot of fragments, the product was completely destroyed, and the personnel were injured. The defect was eliminated by winding the cylinders with fiberglass bundles, and they even managed to make their walls thinner by 1 mm. Even if such a balloon burst (this could have happened due to negligence when refueling), then it would break into two halves, without giving fragments. In 1971, the development of the K26M complex began to destroy complex small-sized targets. The Tu-16K26M aircraft received a more powerful Rubin-1KV radar with an enlarged antenna radome located in the bomb bay area, and the rocket received a new, especially sensitive seeker. They responded to the appearance of new air defense systems and air defense interceptors with the creation of a low-altitude cruise missile KSR-5N and anti-radar KSR-5P - for its creation, the team of the Raduga Design Bureau received the State Prize for 1977.
All Tu-16 carriers were converted to the K-26 complex at aircraft repair plants. The Tu-16KSR-2-11 was developed to the Tu-16KSR-2-5-11 variant ( 125 vehicles), the Tu-16KSR-2A to the Tu-16KSR2-5 (110 vehicles). Naval Tu-16K-10s were upgraded to the level of Tu-16K-10-26s , and it was probably the most effective carrier aircraft, as it allowed both high-altitude and high-speed KSR-5 and low-altitude K-10S missiles to be used on targets. It was planned to arm the KSR-5 with Tu-95 and 3M aircraft . One Myasishchev aircraft (No. 0503) was converted into a 3M-5 carrier and successfully passed the tests. The following were installed: the Rubin-1ME radar, the Azalia REP station , underwing holders and control equipment. The Tu-95 M No. 0601 was also supplied with the Rubin-1KV radar , holders and equipment, but the topic was not further developed. A missile simulator was serially produced and used , which made it possible to train crews without consuming the resource of combat missiles. Three Tu-104A aircraft were converted into training aircraft into Tu-104Sh for training navigators. The EN and Rubin-1K radars , BD-352 underwing beam holders and all the equipment necessary for tactical (imitation) launches were installed on the passenger car . The appearance of KSR-5 cruise missiles made it possible to maintain combat capabilities quite old Tu-16 aircraft even in the early 1990s. However, with the coming to power of B. Yeltsin, they were hastily withdrawn from service in the course of a sharp reduction in the Russian Armed Forces. For some time, several Tu-16KRM remained in service - carriers of high-speed low-altitude and high-altitude target missiles KSR-5NM / MV for air defense training. However, they were soon written off. The appearance of the KSR-5 cruise missiles made it possible to maintain the combat capabilities of rather old Tu-16 aircraft even in the early 1990s.
The abandonment of the KSR-5 cruise missiles and their Tu-16 carriers, which still had quite sufficient combat potential, could be explained by the fact that it was expected to continue the production of Tu-22M supersonic missile carriers and modernize their weapons. However, this process has also been slowed down. Slowed down, but not stopped forever.
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