One of the main trends in recent military affairs is the unification of weapons and equipment. Through the use of common components, it is possible to simplify the production of systems and reduce the cost of their operation. One example of this approach is the X-35 anti-ship missile. Depending on the version, it can be used by airplanes, helicopters, ships and coastal complexes. Versatility in use greatly increases the potential of a rocket on the battlefield.
Rocket X-35: the history of creation
First, let's figure out what the rocket had to go through before becoming the property of the Russian Navy. Initially, it was assumed that the X-35 missile will be installed on boats and ships with an average displacement. It was to be used as part of the Uranus missile system (RC). Development began in April 1984. The project manager was G.I. Khokhlov. The bulk of the design work was assigned to the OKB Zvezda. It was assumed that the Kh-35 Uranus missile would be used to destroy ships with a displacement of not more than 5000 tons. The terms of reference required that it be able to both a single launch and volley fire. The X-35 missile was supposed to work equally well in all weather conditions, at any time of the day, and even when the enemy used air defense and electronic warfare systems.
general characteristics
In terms of aerodynamics, the rocket is made according to the usual scheme: X-shaped wing and tail. The outer surface of the body is formed by several cylinders. The middle and tail parts are asymmetric: there is a nacelle at the bottom, in front of which there is an air intake. The missile has a solid fuel starting accelerator, which is made in the form of a cylinder and has a plumage that unfolds at launch.
The total length of the rocket is 3.85 m. If an accelerator is installed on it, this indicator increases to 4.44 m. The body diameter does not exceed 0.42 m. The wingspan in the unfolded state is 1.33 m. In the basic configuration with the accelerator, the rocket X-35 weighs 600 kg.
Layout
A similar arrangement can be found on other products of this class. In the head part is the homing equipment. Following her is the combat component. In the middle part there is an air intake channel "clad" in a fuel tank. At the tail of the rocket is a turbojet engine. In the free parts of the housing is additional equipment. The starting accelerator has a completely simple design. Inside its cylindrical body, only a solid propellant rocket engine can be placed .
Guidance system
The architecture of the guidance systems was affected by the need for guaranteed capture and destruction of the target in any jamming environment. The missile was equipped with a combined guidance system. During the flight, she had to use an inertial navigation system and a radio altimeter. And when the rocket enters the target area, an active seeker radar system should be activated, the task of which was to search for and defeat the target.
ARGS-35, an active homing radar head, was used in the missile project. It allows a high degree of reliability to carry out the detection and pursuit of the target. The antenna of the system is located in the head of the rocket. She was dressed in a transparent radome. The horizontal sector survey was 90 degrees wide (45 degrees to the right and left of the missile axis). The vertical review was not so wide: from -10 to +20 degrees. The first versions of the rocket had a target detection range of up to 20 km.
Warhead
The penetrating warhead, which weighs 145 kilograms, was installed behind the homing head. Thanks to high-explosive fragmentation and incendiary action, the warhead must hit ships with a displacement of up to 5000 tons. It has a sturdy hull with thick walls, which allows you to break through the side of an enemy ship and carry out a detonation inside. Thus, it is possible to obtain the maximum destructive effect.
Engine
As already mentioned, the turbojet engine is located in the rear of the hull. Its thrust reaches 450 kgf. The motor is started by means of a squib and works on aviation kerosene. A power plant of this type allows the rocket to reach speeds of up to 280 m / s and fly from 7 to 130 km. As for the solid-fuel accelerator, it is needed when using a rocket as part of the Uran Uk. With its help, the X-35 missile, the characteristics of which we are considering today, leaves the transport and launch container. When the projectile is launched, this motor is reset and the main marching engine is activated.
Control
The X-35 cruise missile received a very successful control system, which allows to achieve high performance in battle. On the marching section, the rocket flies at an altitude of not more than 15 meters above water level. When the search begins for the target and guidance on it, this indicator decreases to 4 m. Due to the low altitude and small scattering area, the probability of timely detection, tracking and attack of a missile by enemy air defense systems is reduced.
The operation of the X-35 missiles is to some extent facilitated by the automation of the preparation process for launch. The status of the combat unit and the introduction of the flight mission are controlled automatically. In total, preparation takes no more than 1 minute. The X-35 missile, which is intended for use by ships and ground-based missile systems, was delivered in a cylindrical transport and launch container. Airborne versions are delivered in the same way, but are launched with the standard armament of airplanes or helicopters.
Development delay
During the review of the sketch, which the OKB Zvezda employees made over the course of several months, some shortcomings were revealed. In particular, the mismatch of the active radar system with its requirements. The revision and improvement of the project took extra time. A pilot launch from a ground installation took place in November 1985. This and several subsequent launches failed.
The first successful launch took place in January 1987. However, the development of on-board systems still continued. Until 1992, Zvezda Design Bureau and related enterprises conducted 13 more launches. Due to the lack of a full-fledged sample of an active radar system, the tested missiles were equipped with its imitation.
Due to the collapse of the USSR and a number of economic problems, work on the X-35 project practically stopped. In the period from 1992 to 1997, only four prototypes were built and tested. Defense spending was also reduced, so the first order for the Uranus complex with an X-35 missile was made by a foreign customer.
Uran-E
In 1994, the Indian Navy ordered the Russian Uran-E systems. The letter "E" means that it is an export modification. The ship-based missile system includes: a missile, a launcher, a control system and equipment for checking ammunition. It can be installed on all kinds of ships and boats. The launcher consists of a metal frame equipped with mounts for containers. The design assumes that the X-35 missile will start at an angle of 35 degrees.
The automated control system, which is entrusted with the functions of checking missiles, entering tasks and other operations, is performed in the form of a pair of containers. This allows you to mount the equipment on any suitable ships and boats. One container takes 15 and the other 5 m 2 .
Thanks to the Indian order, the development was finally completed, and the serial production of missiles began. In 1996, the first components of the complex were handed over to the customer; at the end of that year, work on arming the INS Delhi destroyer X-35 missiles was completed. In the future, several Indian ships received similar weapons.
In the early 2000s, the situation with the financing of the Armed Forces changed for the better. As a result, by 2003, the Uranus complex with the X-35 missile was finally finalized and adopted by Russia.
"Ball"
Around the same time that the Uranus entered service with the Navy, the development of the coastal RK Bal, which also worked with the X-35 missile, was completed. The tasks of the coastal complex included tracking territorial waters and the defense of all kinds of naval objects. Due to the wide range of capabilities, the Ball complex timely detects and attacks enemy ships.
High mobility of the complex is due to the fact that its main components are in the form of self-propelled vehicles built on the basis of MAZ-7930. The complex can unfold at a distance of up to 10 kilometers from the coast. Its total ammunition is 64 missiles.
Aviation version
In the mid-2000s, the development of the aviation version of the X-35 missile was completed. For helicopters, a separate modification with the index "B" was proposed. Its main difference was the availability of a starting accelerator. It was designed taking into account the low speed of the helicopter. A rocket that starts from an airplane does not need an accelerator at all.
Compact version
In 2011, an X-35 missile launcher was developed, disguised as a 20-foot container. Four transport and launch containers with missiles and the entire set of equipment necessary for controlling were installed inside. What prospects this project has is still unknown.
X-35U
The development of the Kh-35 rocket was the Kh-35U version, which, thanks to the introduction of new equipment, has twice the speed. In addition, it can successfully hit the enemy from a distance of 260 km. All this was achieved thanks to a new engine and a modified design of the air intake channel, which allows to increase the fuel supply.
In 2009, a modernized version of the X-35U was born, which received an additional index “E”. It was intended for sale abroad. The main difference of the project was the new guidance systems, which increased the range of target detection to 50 kilometers.
Users
At the moment, the X-35 rocket, the technical characteristics of which we have examined today, is mainly used in the troops of Russia, India and Vietnam. To date, several hundred such missiles have already been built. As for foreign customers, they are most interested in ship-based complexes. The Uranus aviation missile system with the X-35 missile is not yet in demand among exporting countries. According to some foreign sources, the Russian missile was copied by North Korean designers. If this is true, then it is entirely possible that the DPRK also makes missiles for sale, which means that more states can be armed with them than is known from official data.