Ukrainian design bureau Yuzhnoye has revealed the next phase of a previously unannounced programme to develop a long-range, supersonic, air-to-surface missile (ASM) designated the Bliskavka (‘Lightning’).
The bureau announced the programme at Ukraine’s Arms and Security 2019 defence exhibition, held in Kiev from 8–11 October.
The Bliskavka will be in the same performance class as the Russian-made Kh-31, one of the programme’s designers told Jane’s , but will be slightly faster than the Russian missile’s Mach 3.5 top speed and have a longer range.
Like the Kh-31, the Bliskavka will be built with three different seekers: an active homing seeker for the anti-ship role; an electro-optical seeker; and a passive, anti-radiation seeker for Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses missions.
A model of Ukraine’s Bliskavka long-range supersonic, air-launched missile on display at this month's Arms and Security 2019 defence exhibition. (Reuben Johnson)
The missile features two air inlets for the ramjet motor “instead of the four inlets that you see on the Kh-31 or the [Chinese-designed] YJ-12”, a designer from Yuzhnoye said, adding that the missile “is being developed by several Ukrainian firms” in what is much like a national effort.
“Yuzhnoye are responsible for the overall missile frame design, the ramjet motor is being developed by the Ivchenko/Progress aero-engine design bureau in Zaparozhye, and the three seekers are being developed in L’viv by three different firms,” he said. The radar-homing seeker is made by SATS, the electro-optical seeker by Tekon-Electron (both based in L’viv), while the designer of the passive seeker was not disclosed.
A Yuzhnoye representative explained that the design of the missile “has required us to develop new materials to be able to withstand the stress and g
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