Korshun cruise missile

The Yuzhnoye State Design Office in Ukraine is working on a Korshun cruise missile and a vertically launched Grom tactical missile. The Korshun cruise missile is intended for air, ground and ship launch. It would be used to attack non-mobile land targets and ships. In size, weight and general configuration it closely resembles the Raduga Kh-55 and its conventional-warhead Kh-555 derivative. Korshun is expected to use a guidance system that combines inertial and GPS/GLONASS navigation. The Grom tactical ballistic missile system is vertically launch from a container/launcher carried by a wheeled transporter/erector/launcher (TEL).

"Kite-2" is based on the subsonic cruise missile "Kite". Ukraine was previously involved in the X-55 program as part of the USSR. The Kh-55 missile itself was developed at the Raduga Design Bureau. The first batches of missiles were built at the Dubna Machine-Building Plant (DMZ), but serial production was launched at the Kharkov Aviation Plant (now - KSAMC) and went on from 1980 to 1987. Perhaps in connection with this, Ukraine has documentation for the X-55.

Flight on the cruising section will be provided by a turbojet engine installed in the rear fuselage (not retractable). The "Soyuz" R95-300, which is produced by the Ukrainian company "Motor Sich" (for the Kh-55SM), can be used as a turbojet engine. The land and sea version of the rocket must have a starting TT engine.

It is assumed that the "Kite-2" will have a weight of combat equipment of 480 kg, while the flight speed of the missile will be about 0.7-0.8 Mach. The altitude of the cruise missile will be 50 m, and it will be able to fly at very low altitudes, bypassing the terrain at altitudes of 0 meters. The range of the new missile system is stated in the range of 280-300 km. "Kite-2" will be placed in the transport and launch container, which can be placed both on the mobile ground chassis and on the ship. It is also possible to install it without a container on the pylons under the aircraft. It is now planned to complete the draft project, taking into account all the nuances in different versions of the missile. For the land option, the creation of a special command control vehicle is considered, for the aircraft and ship - integration with existing weapons control equipment.

In January 2018 the Yuzhnoe Design Bureau released promo video footage showing the model of a new ground-launched cruise missile from KORSHUN missile family. The company, however, has not provided any details or documents about the new missile, Defence Blog reports. An unnamed Ukrainian defense industrial source says that the Yuzhnoe Design Bureau develops terrain hugging missile at their own initiative. It can be launched from mobile land or optional underwater platforms.

The missile will use solid fuel rocket boosters before the jet engine comes up to power after a launch. The new ground-launched cruise missile will have up to 500-700 km range and would be potentially able to penetrate enemy air defense systems undetected. The mock-ups and models of new KORSHUN missile family were showcased by Yuznoe Design Bureau numerous times. However, there is no reliable data at the moment regarding test launches.

The turbojet MS400 turbojet engine manufactured by the Zaporizhia-based company Motor Sich , built on the basis of the P95-300 turbojet engine used in the X-55 rocket, is likely to be used as the propulsion system.

According to the press service of the Pivdenne Design Bureau in 2014, the Kite-2 cruise missile will fly around the terrain at very low altitudes, up to 50 meters above the ground. The planned mass of the missile's combat equipment is 480 kg, the flight speed is subsonic, at Mach 0.7-0.8 . The range of the new missile system is stated to be in the range of 280-300 km. "Kite-2" will be placed in the transport and launch container, which can be installed on both the mobile ground chassis and the ship. It is also possible to install it without a container on the pylons under the aircraft.