The Russian Air Force has being employing a wide spectrum of precision-guided munitions in Syria as part of the operation against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group banned in Russia, Konstantin Sivkov, Ph.D., writes in the Military Industrial Courier weekly.
“The Kh-29 (NATO reporting name: AS-14 Kedge) and Kh-25 (AS-10 Karen) air-to-surface missiles – both laser- and television-guided ones – have been repeatedly used during the hostilities mostly by Sukhoi Su-34 (NATO reporting name: Fullback) [bombers] and Su-25 (Frogfoot) [attack aircraft],” Sivkov says in his article.
The Kh-29 missile has been employed in Syria to deal with hardened targets featuring a concrete protection of up to 1.5 m thick. The weapon’s effective casualty zone may account for 10-15 m. The Kh-25 with a lower yield has been used for taking out targets sitting in densely populated residential areas. Both precision-guided munitions have been employed to avoid civilian casualties.
In addition, there has been a limited use of the KAB-500L laser beam riding and KAB-500Kr television/electro-optical guided bombs in the operation against IS. The bombs feature high accuracy, but their formidable yield prevents their use against targets in urbanized terrain. Therefore, various KAB-500 versions are reserved for high-value terrorist targets situated at a distance from building where noncombatants can be.
Another key advantage offered by the laser-guided PGMs as well as the electro-optical PGMs relying on the scene matching area correlation technology is their ability to destroy targets of opportunity without preliminary reconnaissance. The Kh-25 is a multipurpose semi-active homing air-to-surface missile. The Kh-25ML version mounts a laser homing head and the Kh-25MTP an electro-optical one. The Kh-25 is designed to eliminate pinpoint targets both on the battlefield and behind the enemy’s lines. Its maximum range is 10 km, speed 870 m/s and warhead weight 86 kg.
The Kh-29 is a guided air-to-surface missile. Its Kh-29L variant carries a laser homer and the Kh-29T version is equipped with a TV one. The type can be employed against surface hard targets, including concrete runways and shelters. The Kh-29T has a range of 12 km and the Kh-29L’s range equals 10 km. Their warheads weigh 320 kg. The KAB-500 is a precision-guided bomb designed for dealing with pinpoint stationary surface targets, including concrete shelters. The KAB-500L has semi-active laser guidance and the KAB-500Kr uses TV guidance. The bomb can be fitted out with either the high-explosive or high-explosive/penetrator warheads weighing 380 kg.
