MAKS: Tactical Missiles Corporation shows Kh-38 changes

The Kh-38MLE shown at MAKS 2017 is fitted with a semi-active laser seeker (ATO.RU)

Russia’s Tactical Missiles Corporation has unveiled a modified design of its Kh-38 family of air-to-surface missiles at MAKS 2017, while also upwardly revising the maximum range of the weapon.

The latest iteration of the Kh-38 shows the missile’s mid-body wing and tail control-surface design to have been notably modified. The large triangular mid-body wing has been replaced by a narrower diameter surface that appears to extend further along the missile body. The tail control surfaces have also been cropped.

The previously shown configuration required that the mid-body and tail surfaces fold for internal carriage in the main bay of the Sukhoi T-50 being developed to meet the Russian Aerospace Forces PAK FA requirement for a multirole fighter. The modified design will almost certainly allow the missile to be carried internally without the need to fold the wing and control surfaces, simplifying the design.

The version on display at the show is the Kh-38MLE, which is fitted with a semi-active laser seeker. The maximum range of the Kh-38 is now said to be at least 50 km, rather than the previously disclosed 40 km.

By Douglas Barrie