Missile AS-9 Kyle / Kh-28
Summary
| Category | Air-to-Surface Missile |
| Sub-type | Anti-radar missile |
| Origin country | 🇷🇺 Russia 🇨🇳 Ex-USSR |
Technical specifications
| AS-9 Kyle / Kh-28 | |
|---|---|
| Warhead | High Explosive |
| Warhead Weight | 150 kg |
| Diameter | 430 mm (16.9 in) |
| Span | 1900 mm (74.8 in) |
| Length | 6000 mm (236.2 in) |
| Weight | 715 kg (1576 lb) |
| Range | 120 km (75 mi) |
Description
The AS-9 Kyle was an air-to-surface missile developed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s. It was designed as an anti-radiation missile to target and destroy enemy air defense radars. The Kyle was carried by tactical aircraft like the MiG-25 and Su-24 bombers and had a range of around 25 miles.
The missile used a passive homing system to detect radar emissions from sources like surface-to-air missile sites. Once launched toward a radar source, the Kyle would ride the radar waves back to impact the radar antenna or trailer to disable the system. It carried a large high-explosive warhead in the 330 pound range specifically to destroy radar vans and antennas.
The AS-9 Kyle served as the Soviet equivalent to the American Shrike anti-radiation missile, giving Soviet forces a dedicated ARM capability. It was used in conflicts like the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to suppress enemy air defenses by taking out radar sites. The Kyle remained in service into the 1990s before eventually being replaced by more modern Russian anti-radiation missiles. But it established the ARM mission for Soviet aviation like the Shrike did for American forces during the Cold War era.