Missile Kh-29 (AS-14 Kedge)
Summary
| NATO Designation | AS-14 Kedge |
| Category | Air-to-Surface Missiles |
| Sub-type | Air-to-surface missile |
| Origin country | 🇷🇺 Russia 🇨🇳 Ex-USSR |
| Manufacturer | Vympel |
| Status | In service |
| Year of service | 1980 |
Technical specifications
| Warhead | High Explosive |
| Warhead weight | 317 kg (699 lb) |
| Diameter | 380 mm (15.0 in) |
| Span | 1,280 mm (50.4 in) |
| Length | 3,870 mm (152.4 in) |
| Flight altitude | 10,000 m (32,808 ft) |
| Weight | 657 kg (1,448 lb) |
| Range | 30 km (19 mi) |
| Max. speed | 2,200 km/h (Mach 2.2) |
Kh-29 scale diagram
Operators
Description
Design of the Kh-29 air-to-surface missile began in the late 1970s, utilizing an aerodynamic layout similar to the R-60 air-to-air missile. The system conducted its first firing in 1976 and entered service in 1980.
The missile is intended for use against battlefield targets and infrastructure, including industrial buildings, depots, bridges, hardened aircraft shelters, and concrete runways. It is also used against maritime targets such as ships up to 10,000 tonnes. The system is carried by tactical aircraft including the Su-24, Su-25, Su-30, Su-34, and MiG-29K. Guidance systems vary by variant. The Kh-29L and Kh-29ML utilize semi-active laser seekers, while the Kh-29T and Kh-29TE use TV guidance with automatic optical homing to objects indicated by the pilot. The Kh-29MP variant employs active radar homing, and the Kh-29D uses imaging infrared guidance. The missile is equipped with a warhead designed to destroy hardened targets and has a higher top speed than the AGM-65 Maverick.
Following its introduction to the Soviet Air Force, the missile was exported to several countries. In the 2015 military intervention in the Syrian Civil War, Su-34 and Su-24 aircraft deployed the Kh-29L. Missiles supplied to Libya in the 1980s were later modified into unguided surface-to-surface rockets launched from trucks after the aircraft capable of carrying them were destroyed in 2011. The system has also seen use by Su-34 aircraft during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.