Raduga K-10S
Encyclopedia
The Raduga K-10S was a Soviet
supersonic
anti-ship missile that was usually nuclear-armed
. Its development began in 1955, and it entered service with the Soviet armed forces in 1961. The Kipper missile was a very large one, approximately the size of a small jet fighter, because of the rather primitive state of anti-ship missile technology in the 1950s and 60s. This missile was never used in combat anywhere
Just a single Kipper missile could be carried below the belly of a bomber, usually the Tupolev
Tu-16K-10 Badger C. The Kipper's long range enabled it to be launched, hypothetically, from beyond the range of any shipboard surface-to-air missile
s or anti-aircraft guns of that time. The only defense against the Kipper was the naval jet fighter
plane, operating from either an aircraft carrier
or a shore airfield.
In flight tests, the Kipper cruised on its approach to a target at an altitude of about 10,000 meters, until it reaches the range of about 100 to 110 kilometers from the target, where it enters a shallow 15 degree dive. When it reaches a range of 60 to 70 kilometers it levels out at an altitude of between 800 and 1,000 meters where it cruises until it reaches a range of 10 to 16 kilometers, when the missiles active guidance is engaged. It then enters a dive, striking the target vessel close to or below the waterline.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
supersonic
Supersonic
Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...
anti-ship missile that was usually nuclear-armed
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
. Its development began in 1955, and it entered service with the Soviet armed forces in 1961. The Kipper missile was a very large one, approximately the size of a small jet fighter, because of the rather primitive state of anti-ship missile technology in the 1950s and 60s. This missile was never used in combat anywhere
Just a single Kipper missile could be carried below the belly of a bomber, usually the Tupolev
Tupolev
Tupolev is a Russian aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Basmanny District, Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow. Known officially as Public Stock Company Tupolev, it is the successor of the Tupolev OKB or Tupolev Design Bureau headed by the Soviet aerospace engineer A.N. Tupolev...
Tu-16K-10 Badger C. The Kipper's long range enabled it to be launched, hypothetically, from beyond the range of any shipboard surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
s or anti-aircraft guns of that time. The only defense against the Kipper was the naval jet fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
plane, operating from either an aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
or a shore airfield.
In flight tests, the Kipper cruised on its approach to a target at an altitude of about 10,000 meters, until it reaches the range of about 100 to 110 kilometers from the target, where it enters a shallow 15 degree dive. When it reaches a range of 60 to 70 kilometers it levels out at an altitude of between 800 and 1,000 meters where it cruises until it reaches a range of 10 to 16 kilometers, when the missiles active guidance is engaged. It then enters a dive, striking the target vessel close to or below the waterline.
Specifications
- Length: 9.75 m
- Wing span: 4.18 m
- Diameter: 1 m
- Launch weight: 4,533 kg
- Warhead weight: 940 kg
- Range: 110 km to 325 km
- Launch altitude: 1,500 to 11,000 m
- Cruise speed: 2,030 km/h
- Engine: Mikulin M-9FK