Raduga Kh-55

The Raduga Kh-55 (AS-15 'Kent') is a long-range cruise missile, which is presently in the arsenal of the Russian Air Force since 1983. Specially designed to hit targets on land, it uses the Tupolev Tu-160M and the Tu-95MSM bombers as its two launching platforms. China and Iran also employ this lethal and precise missile. It would eventually be developed into the Kh-101 and Kh-102 after the Cold War.

The Kh-55 had been developed by the Soviet, State-run Raduga Design Bureau in the 1970s. Although it can be armed with a nuclear tip, it is usually fitted with a conventional, 350-kg, anti-bunker, HE warhead. It has a maximum range of 3,000 km, with an accuracy within 10-20 m CEP. It is boosted by a turbofan engine, using jet fuel.

The Raduga Kh-55 features an electro-optical system for correcting the flight trajectory. It is also fitted with a TV guidance system for terminal guidance. This cruise missile has a low radar cross-section and it was specially designed to be exclusively launched from an aircraft. The Kh-55 has a round nose, straight wings and three fin tails.

Specifications

Type: stand-off/cruise missile

Length: 6.04 m (19 ft, 10 in)

Diameter: 51.4 cm (20.2 ft)

Weight: 1,650 kg (3,640 lb)

Powerplant: one R95TP-300 turbofan engine.

Maximum Speed: 800 km/h

Range: 3,000 km

Trajectory Correction: terrain following GLONASS inertial navigation system.

Below, a Kh-55 missile is about to be fixed on a hardpoint of the Tu-95MS

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3.7 in Howitzer

The 3.7 in howitzer was a light mountain artillery piece used by the British and Indian forces in the Far East during World War II. It had first been designed by Vickers, in 1910, at the request of the Indian authorities. It had entered service in India at the end of 1916. In the 1930s, modern tires had replaced the WW1 steel-rimmed wooden wheels.

From 1941 to 1945, the 3.7 in howitzer was mostly used in the Far East, with numerous mountain batteries being deployed in Burma. It would also be used in North Africa and Italy. Because of its size and weight, British airborne troops also adopted it at the beginning. After the war it remained in service for a few years until it was phased out.

Technical Characteristics

The 3.7 in howitzer was a 94-mm-caliber gun. Its carriage was the first split-trail pattern employed by the British Army. Having a wide traverse, it was not necessary to shift the trail bodily. It was fitted with a rather large shield to protect the gunners. It was also equipped with a modern hydro-pneumatic recoil system. Its breech was of the horizontal sliding block type.

This mountain howitzer fired a 9-kg (20 lb) high explosive shell to a maximum range of 4,130 m (4,500 yards), with an elevation of -3 to +45 degrees. When shrapnel ammunition was used, it fired 9-kg shrapnel shell up to 5,500 m (6,000 yards).

Below, the 3.7-in howitzer in 1942.

Below, the artillery piece in action in Burma, in service with the 14th Army, in 1944, firing against Japanese positions in the jungle.

 

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BL 60 Pounder Gun

The BL 60 pounder gun (Ordnance BL 60-pdr) was a heavy field gun, which was in service with the British Army between 1905 and 1944. It was the main field artillery piece of the British Expeditionary Force during World War I, as it was employed at Ypres, the Somme, Gallipoli, and other major battlefields. During World War II, it would be used in Europe and North Africa. In all, 1,756 60-pdr guns were built. During the war, an alteration in the shape of the shell extended the gun range from 10,300 yards to 12,300 yards.

The BL 60 pounder gun had been designed in 1903 and approved for service in 1905 as the Mk I. On the outbreak of WW1, a new Mk II carriage was designed. Although the new design was quicker and easier to produce, it added an extra ton to the equipment weight. However, when it was found that if the barrel could be disconnected from the recuperator and slid back to its recoil position when moving, lighter wheels and axle could be used. This is how the Mark III was developed.

Specifications

Type: heavy field gun

Weight: 4 tons

Caliber: 127-mm (5 inches)

Barrel Length: 4.67 m (15 ft, 4 in) in Mk II

Ammunition Type: separate loading BL

Recoil: hydro-pneumatic

Elevation: -4 to +35 degrees (Mk.II)

Traverse: 4 degrees

Muzzle Velocity: 650 m/s (2,130 ft/s)

Maximum Range: 12,300 yards (9,400 m)

Below, the BL 60 pounder gun (Mk II) in action, in Tobruk, North Africa, 1941.

Below, the Ordnance BL 60-pdr, Mk I, in WW1.

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AS.34 Kormoran

The AS.34 Kormoran is a medium-range, anti-shipping missile. It has been in service with the German Navy's aviation since 1975. It is also used by the Italian Air Force. It was developed between 1964 and 1974 by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm GmbH to arm the F-104G Starfighter and the Tornado aircraft.

Technical Characteristics

The AS.34 Kormoran has a cylindrical body, with a pointed nose-cone. The cruciform swept-back wings are in line with the cruciform tail control surfaces. Thus, it is roll-stabilized. It is powered by two built-in solid-propellant boosters. Aircraft equipped with the Kormoran must be fitted with an autonomous navigation system, such as Doppler or inertial, a position and homing indicator, and target detection radar.

Guidance and Control

The AS.34 Kormoran has an inertial guidance system, with active or passive terminal homing by Thomson CSF RE576 radar homing head. Control is done through tail.

Specifications

Type: aircraft-launched, anti-ship missile

Length: 4.40 m (14 ft, 5 in)

Body Diameter: 0.342 m (1 ft, 1.5 in)

Wingspan: 1 m (3 ft, 1 in)

Weight: 600 kg

Maximum Speed: Mach 0.95

Maximum Range: 37 km (23 miles).

Below, the AS.34 Kormoran on a hardpoint under the wing of a Lockheed F-104G fighter aircraft.

Four Kormorans on the belly of a Tornado aircraft.

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