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Kh-66 too slow: speed of launching platform being ignored


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Posted

I was puzzled how dangerous the employment of the Kh-66 was: by the time it impacts you are already about to overfly the target as well. If you go with emerg. reheat, you "almost" overtake that damn thing!

 

So I ran a few tests, shooting the Grom at different speeds of the launching aircraft. I also shot some S-24A for comparisation. All speeds are max speed taken from the F2 view.

 

[TABLE].|A|B|delta B-A

Aircraft|280 kts|680 kts|400 kts

Kh-66|820 kts|820 kts| 0 kts

S-24A|1300 kts|1700 kts|400 kts[/TABLE]

 

The Kh-66 flies with a max speed of 820 kts, no matter how fast the launching platform was.

 

Even if the missile can not keep up the total initial speed during the whole boost phase(s), the additional speed of the launching aircraft should make a significant difference, right?

Posted

Thought I'd add that this source:

Friedman, Norman (1997), The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapons Systems, Naval Institute Press, p. 235, ISBN 978-1-55750-268-1

According to wikipedia states the speed of the Kh-66 as 2,160–2,700 km/h.

 

I don't have access to the actual document myself to verify.

Posted

No wonder we almost catch up to the missile when it hits during fast attack runs :).

 

Can it be an aerodynamic limitation for 66 that limit it's potential top speed? Even then though, I would still expect to see some difference it missiles speed in accordance to it's initial velocity.

Wishlist: F-4E Block 53 +, MiG-27K, Su-17M3 or M4, AH-1F or W circa 80s or early 90s, J35 Draken, Kfir C7, Mirage III/V

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  • 5 weeks later...
Posted (edited)
...the additional speed of the launching aircraft should make a significant difference, right?

 

...Can it be an aerodynamic limitation for 66 that limit it's potential top speed? Even then though, I would still expect to see some difference it missiles speed in accordance to it's initial velocity.

 

What limits an object in its maximum airspeed? Right, it is drag that sets the limit. The rocket´s engine produces a certain amount of thrust to overcome drag.

If the platform, that is shooting the rocket, flies slower than the rocket´s Vmax, the rocket will accelerate to its Vmax, but not faster.

If the platform flies faster than the rocket´s Vmax, then the rocket will decelerate until it reaches it´s Vmax.

The difference between shooting stationary or moving is the time the rocket needs to reach it´s Vmax, this leads to a different range it can fly.

 

Fox

Edited by iFoxRomeo
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PC Specs: Ryzen 9 5900X, 3080ti, 64GB RAM, Oculus Quest 3

Posted

Sources on the web point out that the Kh-66 terminal velocity is between 2160 to 2700 kph. Variance between 2160 to 2700 kph probably to account for variance in air density and angle of flight parameters.

 

Assuming an extreme example of a launch occurring at near sea level with a very shallow angle of flight between launching platform and target: The Mig-21bis Vne is 1300 kph IAS and the Kh-66 should accelerate to at least 2160 kph by the time of rocket engine burn out.

 

interesting find. thanks.

IAF.ViFF

 

http://www.preflight.us

Israel's Combat Flight Sim Community Website

Posted
... or max thrust, doesn't it?

 

An other test shows that the missile does not decellerate at all. It starts right away with ~ 800 kts and keeps that speed.

 

See attached .TRK and TacView (especially the 2nd launch).

 

I´m not questioning your finding. The speed of the Kh-66 is obviously too slow.

 

But you asked for the difference between a rocket fired from a moving platform vs. stationary platform.

 

The Vmax is reached when sum of drag and sum of thrust are in equilibrium. The platform comes into play, when the rocket itself can not reach Vmax because it runs out of fuel before reaching it. Then the platform can make the difference.

 

You wouldn´t expect the MiG-21Bis to reach a higher Mach number if it was launched from a Tu-160 at Mach 1.8, would you?

 

Fox

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PC Specs: Ryzen 9 5900X, 3080ti, 64GB RAM, Oculus Quest 3

Posted
I´m not questioning your finding. The speed of the Kh-66 is obviously too slow.

 

But you asked for the difference between a rocket fired from a moving platform vs. stationary platform.

 

The Vmax is reached when sum of drag and sum of thrust are in equilibrium. The platform comes into play, when the rocket itself can not reach Vmax because it runs out of fuel before reaching it. Then the platform can make the difference.

 

You wouldn´t expect the MiG-21Bis to reach a higher Mach number if it was launched from a Tu-160 at Mach 1.8, would you?

 

Fox

No, I wasn't assuming that you were questioning my findings. But I just wanted to make sure I understand all implications correctly so that I don't miss something obvious.

 

... aaaaand I still did miss something. Or made a silly mistake. I said, the missile does not decelerate after launch. Of course it does not, as the Vmax is higher than that of the launching platform. But anyways, yes, there is still something not right there - the missile should in fact accelerate from ~500 kts (launch platform) to Vmax = ~800 kts ... and that it does not either.

Posted

How do you know that the published speed of 2100 to 2700 kph is the maximum attainable speed while its rocket motor is still running or at the moment of rocket engine cut?

 

Most air to ground weapons with propolsion constantly accelerate to the point of their rocket engine cut out and that is labeled their terminal velocity (what you wrote as vmax).

 

In this and many other cases weapons' terminal velocity do benefit from the launching platform speed at moment of launch.

 

Cheers

IAF.ViFF

 

http://www.preflight.us

Israel's Combat Flight Sim Community Website

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