Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
October 8, 2008
IWG Report 2007
Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
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AS-3
| Country: | Russian Federation |
|---|---|
| Alternate Name: | Kangaroo, Kh-20 |
| Class: | ALCM |
| Target: | Land/Ship |
| Length: | 13.95 m |
| Diameter: | 1.85 m |
| Wingspan: | 9.15 m |
| Launch Weight: | 11.00 kg |
| Payload: | 800 kT nuclear |
| Propulsion: | Turbojet |
| Range: | 650.00 km |
| Guidance: | INS, command |
| Status: | Unknown |
Details
The AS-3 “Kangaroo” (Kh-20) was a short-range, air-launched, turbojet-powered, single warhead cruise missile developed and manufactured by the Soviet Union. It was developed in the 1950s, and appears to have been designed as a land or sea area target weapon.
The AS-3 was essentially a modified Su-7 “Fitter” drone with two wings at mid-body and an aircraft type tailplane and fin at the rear. The missile was 14.95 m long, had a body diameter of 1.85 m, and had a launch weight of 11,000 kg. It carried a payload of 2,300 kg containing a single 800 kiloton yield nuclear warhead. It was guided by an inertial navigation system (INS) with command updates, and did not include a separate terminal guidance system. The missile is believed to have had a maximum range of 650 km.
The AS-3 entered service in 1959, and by 1991 approximately 20 missiles were deployed on 15 Tu-95K “Bear-B” bombers located at Ukrainka in Russia. Following the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty 1 and 2 (START 1 and 2) agreements, the AS-3 was removed from service.(1)
Footnotes
- Duncan Lennox, ed., Jane’s Strategic Weapons Systems 42 (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, July 2005), p. 631; GlobalSecurity.org, “Kh-20 / AS-3 KANGAROO,” available at http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/russia/as-3.htm, accessed on August 1, 2006.
