فابین راهبرد

   Initial development of the Kh-35 anti-ship missile began back in 1977. Its development received formal go ahead only in 1983-1984. It was planned to be a Soviet answer to emerging Western anti-ship missiles, such as French Exocet, Franco-Italian OTOMAT, and US Harpoon. Test launches began in 1985. Development was rather protracted due to numerous failed launches and problems with the guidance system. The Kh-35 was first publicly displayed in 1992 and was proposed for export customers. Though at the time it was still not ready for production. In the early 1990s, after collapse of the Soviet Union, development was further delayed due to funding problems. However in 1994 India ordered these missiles in the downgraded Kh-35E export form. This Indian order allowed to finish development and start production of the missile. Deliveries to the Indian Navy commenced in 1996. The Kh-35 missile was adopted by the Russian navy only in 2003, alongside with Uran (Uranus) shipborne anti-ship missile system, which used these missiles. In 2004 Russian Navy adopted a Bal coastal defense missile system, which also used the Kh-35s. In 2005 development of an air-launched version of the Kh-35 was completed, which was originally intended for Indian Il-38SD maritime patrol aircraft. Since then the air-launched versions are also widely used by the Russian military. In 2011 a container-based anti-ship missile system with Kh-35 missiles was revealed. Other export operators of the Kh-35 are Algeria, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam.

   The Kh-35 became a successor to a P-15 Termit anti-ship cruise missile (Western reporting name SS-N-2 Styx). It has broadly similar performance to that of the French Exocet and Franco-Italian OTOMAT. Though it looses in terms of range and destructive power to the US Harpoon.

   The Kh-35 is much simpler to produce than P-800 Oniks, Kalibr of the new Tsyrkon (Zyrconium) hypersonic anti-ship missile, that is currently being developed. This Russian anti-ship missile is a relatively inexpensive weapon. It costs around $500 000 per missile.

   The Kh-35 carries a 145 kg High Explosive Fragmentation (HE-FRAG) warhead. It was designed to pierce horizontally through the bulkheads and compartments prior to exploding inside the ship. This missile was designed to defeat vessels with a displacement of up to 5 000 t. So it should be efficient against frigates and smaller destroyers. There was planned a nuclear-tipped variant of the Kh-35, however it seems that this missile was never developed.

   The Kh-35 has inertial navigation system with active radar homing on the terminal stage of its flight. This missile travels 10-15 meters above the surface. The radar seeker has a range of 20 km and guides the missile onto its target. In the terminal stage of the flight the missile descends to 3-5 meters above the surface in order to overcome hostile defense systems.

   This missile travels at subsonic speed of 950-1 010 km/h. It is estimated that due to its subsonic speed that anti-ship missile can be intercepted rather easily, especially by advanced defense system. The Kh-35 is efficient out to a Sea State 6.

   Missiles deployed on ships and used by coastal defense missile systems are fitted with booster motors. However In most cases the air-launched Kh-35 missiles do not have the booster motor.

Variants

   Kh-35E is a downgraded export version. It was the first mass produced version of the Kh-35. This missile can be deployed on ships, or on land-based coastal defense systems. In 1994 India ordered these missiles. Production commenced in 1996. Deliveries to India began during the same year.

   Kh-35EV is a modified version of the Kh-35 with some modifications intended for Vietnamese navy.

   KCT-15 is a Vietnamese license-produced version of the Kh-35E.

   Kh-35 is version produced for the Russian military. This missile has improved performance over the Kh-35E. It was adopted in 2003. So basically the Kh-35 appeared later than its downgraded export version.

   Uran (Uranus) is shipborne anti-ship missile system, which uses Kh-35 missiles. The missiles used by this system are also referred as 3M24. Western reporting name of this system is SS-N-25, or Switchblade. It was adopted by the Russian navy in 2003. It became a successor to the P-15 Termit anti-ship cruise missile (Western reporting name SS-N-2 Styx). Due to the relatively light weight of the missiles the Uran system can be carried even by missile cutters. Missiles are launched from cylindrical containers. These containers are fixed in 35° inclination. Packs of 2 or 4 containers are used, depending on the vessel. These containers can be reloaded.

   Uran-E is an export version of the Uran, which uses downgraded Kh-35E missiles. These missiles are also referred as 3M24E. In 1994 India ordered this anti-ship missile system. It was delivered to India in 1996 and installed on Delhi class destroyers. The lead ship of the Delhi class was commissioned with the Indian Navy in 1997.

   Uran-EV is an export version of the Uran for the Vietnamese navy with some modifications to suit local operational requirements. It uses Kh-35EV missiles.

   Kh-35U is an improved anti-ship cruise missile, which can be carried by both surface and air platforms, as well as watercraft. Letter "U" in the designation stands for Unified. It first appeared in 2009 and by 2011 this missile was still tested. It was adopted in around 2015. It is a current production version of the Kh-35. It has twice more powerful engine and carries more fuel. This gives this missile a range of up to 260 km. That's twice the range of the baseline Kh-35. The Kh-35U also has improved guidance systems with satellite navigation update and a more sensitive seeker with a range of 50 km. This missile is capable of striking ships, as well as land targets. Among other platforms the Kh-35U is carried by numerous Russian aircraft, including Su-34 long-range interdictors, Su-35S multi-role fighters, and even Tu-95 strategic bombers. In its air-launched form it has a Western reporting name AS-20 or Kayak. The air-launched missile is shorter and lighter. In most cases it does not have the booster motor.

   Kh-35UE is a downgraded export version of the Kh-35U. It appeared in 2009.

   Kh-35V is a version carried and launched by helicopters. It can be carried by shipborne helicopters, such as a Kamov Ka-52K Katran attack helicopter or Ka-27 series naval helicopters. This missile is slightly heavier (610 kg). Though it has the same warhead.

   Neptun (Neptune) is a Ukrainian version of the Kh-35. It is generally similar to the Kh-35U, but has a longer body with more fuel, different booster, and some other modifications. This missile was first announced in 2015. First examples were reportedly completed and tested in 2016. This missile is planned to be carried and launched from naval, land and air platforms. It appears that this missile was exported to North Korea.

   Kumsong 3 (Venus 3) is a North Korean name of the Ukrainian Neptun missile. These missiles were imported from Ukraine. It is generally similar to the Russian Kh-35U. This anti-ship missile is carried by vessels and land-based coastal defense missile systems. In 2017 it demonstrated a range of 240 km. This missile has been exported to Myanmar. However it is unclear weather these missiles were supplied from North Korea, or from Ukraine.

   Bal is a Russian land-based coastal defense missile system, which uses Kh-35 missiles. Its Western reporting name is SSC-6 or Sennight. The launcher vehicle is based on an MZKT-7930heavy high mobility chassis with 8x8 configuration and carries 8 of these containerized anti-ship cruise missiles. This coastal defense missile system was adopted by the Russian military in 2004. Bal-E is a downgraded export version, which uses Kh-35E or Kh-35UE missiles.

   Container-based anti-ship missile system. It was first publicly revealed in 2011. This system is based in a standard 20" shipping container. It includes 4 containerized launchers with Kh-35 missiles, as well as targeting equipment. It is being proposed for export customers.