The Kh-31PD anti-radar missile used by Russia in the military operation to destroy Ukrainian radar stations has shown high efficiency, a source in the Russian defense industry said.
The Russian Su-35 and Su-30SM fighters in the framework of the special military operation used the Kh-31PD high-speed anti-radar missile manufactured by the Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation (KTRV) out to destroy enemy radar.
According to the representative of KTRV, during combat, the Kh-31PD missile has shown a high hitting efficiency of up to 98%. Relatively speaking, out of 100 missiles launched, 98 hit the target.
“For the attack on the targets of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, dozens of anti-air-to-surface anti-radar missiles produced by KTRV were used. Almost all of them hit the target,” the news agency said. TASS said.
According to the previous announcement of the Russian Ministry of Defense, fighter jets of the Aerospace Forces when taking off missions are required to carry Kh-31PD anti-radar missiles, because destroying enemy radar is a priority task.
It is not surprising that the Americans have the same opinion, they have supplied the Ukrainian armed forces with HARM anti-radar missiles, adapting the MiG-29 fighters of the Ukrainian Air Force to be able to launch weapons. gas above.
Now, Ukrainian fighters with HARM missiles are hunting Russian air defense systems that protect important objects, and the Kh-31PD missile is Moscow’s answer.
It should be recalled, the Kh-31 missile was developed by the Soviet Union in the late 1970s with the goal of creating anti-radar aviation ammunition that could deal with the advanced US weapons at that time such as a defense complex. Patriot missile and Aegis shield.
The first prototype of the Kh-31 anti-radar missile was tested in 1982 and put into service in 1988. The first complete version carried a passive radar-killing probe with the designation Kh-31P.
Next is the anti-ship variant with an active radar detector called the Kh-31A. Both versions bear the designation Krypton, which was made public in 1991, shortly before the breakup of the Soviet Union.
All Kh-31 missile variants use primary propulsion to achieve supersonic speed, then activate a ramjet engine to maintain a supersonic speed of Mach 3.5 throughout the journey.
The Kh-31P flies at high altitudes to track enemy radar signals, allowing it to reach a speed of more than 4,300 km/h and a range of 110 km. Tactical features of the Kh-31P are evaluated as equivalent to the American AGM-88 HARM.
Modernized versions of Russia’s Kh-31P such as Kh-31PD can hit targets from a distance of 160 – 250 km, but the effective range is not increased much due to the dependence on radar range. of the probe.
The Kh-31PD missile is considered one of the most dangerous tactical weapons for anti-aircraft missile batteries, including Ukraine’s long-range S-300 system.
This type of air-to-ground ammunition can be deployed by Russia from front-line bombers Su-24 or Su-34, heavy multirole fighter Su-30SM, or Su-35S.
