Kh-38
The Kh-38/Kh-38M is a family of standoff air-to-surface missiles meant to succeed the Kh-25 and Kh-29 missile families. The Kh-38 also serves as the basis for the Kh-36 unpowered and powered glide-bombs.
Design and development
The basic configuration of the Kh-38M was revealed at the 2007 Moscow Air Show. The first prototypes of the missile had initially folding wings and tail fins for internal carriage, and would have a variety of seeker heads for different variants. Different warheads can also be fitted. The Kh-38M is meant to succeed the Kh-25 and Kh-29 missile families. It can be used by combat aircraft such as the Sukhoi Su-34 and Sukhoi Su-57, and it is planned to be integrated on the Kamov Ka-52K helicopter. The first test firing took place in 2010 from a Su-34, and production was ordered to start in 2015.In a successive version, unveiled at MAKS 2017, both control surfaces were replaced by longer and narrower fixed ones, a solution similar to the one used in the Selenia Aspide missile.
Operational history
The Kh-38M was first used in combat during the Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war.It was also used during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Variants
Kh-38
- Kh-38MA - inertial, active radar homing
- Kh-38MK - inertial, satellite guidance
- Kh-38ML - inertial, semi-active laser guidance
- Kh-38MT - inertial, imaging infrared guidance
Kh-36
- Kh-36 Grom-E1 - Rocket assisted version of the Grom-E2. Sometimes referred as a hybrid missile glide bomb. AS-23 tactical cruise missile derivative/AGM with 120 km range
- Kh-36 Grom-E2 - AS-23B/KAB-type guided glide bomb with 50 km range.