KSR-2
The Raduga KSR-2 (NATO reporting name: AS-5 "Kelt") was a Soviet cruise missile developed to replace the KS-1 Komet (NATO: AS-1 "Kennel"). It was developed in 1958 and entered service in 1962. The missile was normally armed with a conventional high-explosive warhead, although it could be fitted with a one-megaton nuclear warhead.
Also recorded as AS-5 Kelt · Raduga KSR-2 · Kelt
KSR-2
Vitaly V. Kuzmin · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- KSR-2
- Field
- air-to-surface missile · anti-ship missile
- Region
- Soviet Union
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — KSR-2 • Origin — Soviet Union • Type — Air-launched cruise missile • Is Ranged — yes • Is Explosive — yes • Is Missile — yes • Service — 1962 to 1990 (approx) • Used By — Soviet Union, Egypt, Iraq • Wars — Yom Kippur War, Iran–Iraq War • Design Date — 1958 • Manufacturer — MKB Raduga • Number — 1,000 + • Variants — KSR-11 anti-radiation missile KRM-2 (MV-1) target drone • Spec Label — KSR-2 • Weight — 4,077 kg • Length — 8.647 m • Width — 4.522 m (wingspan) • Diameter — 1.0 m • Filling — High-explosive or nuclear • Filling Weight — 1000 kg • Yield — 1 Megaton (nuclear) • Engine — S2.721V two mode rocket motor • Engine Power — 1,200 kgp / 700 gbp • Vehicle Range — 200 km • Speed — 1,250 km/h • Guidance — Inertial guidance followed by terminal active radar homing
Development
Development
Flight testing of the missile as part of the K-16 weapon system in 1958, with two missiles being carried on BD-352 pylons under the wings of a modified Tu-16 bomber designated as Tu-16KSR-2. The bomber was fitted with a newly developed Roobin-1K (Ruby) search and target illumination radar which has a maximum range of approximately 200 kilometers. During the tests, missiles were fired at ships and ground targets.
Variants
Variants
An anti-radar variant of the missile designated KSR-11 was also produced, being externally almost identical to the KSR-2. The KSR-11 was intended to home in on and destroy air-defence radar and ECM facilities. The missile used a 2PRG-11 passive radar seeker. A target drone version of the missile designated KRM-2 (MV-1) also entered service in 1966, with a different rocket motor, a range of 376 kilometers and a level flight endurance of 433 seconds.
Combat history
Combat history
Egyptian Tu-16 bombers reportedly launched 13 KSR-2 and 12 KSR-11 missiles during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. One of the Kelt missiles launched at Tel Aviv from Tu-16 was shot down by an IAF jet.
Operators
Operators
• Illustration — Map with former KSR-2 operators in red
Авиационная крылатая ракета КСР-2 (KSR-2 missile)
Vitaly V. Kuzmin
Description
The missile itself, like the earlier KS-1, is extremely large, nearly nine meters in length with a wingspan of approximately four and a half meters and weighing 4,000 kilograms. It has swept wings with two wing fences on each wing. The K-16 system was accepted into Soviet Navy service in 1962. Egypt purchased a number of the K-16 systems. An updated version of the missile entered service in 1967 designated the KSR-2M. It borrowed some features from the KSR-5 missile (NATO:AS-6 "Kingfish") including a new Isayev S5.6.0000 rocket motor. This allowed the new missile to be launched from altitudes as low as 500 meters rather than the previous 1,500 meters. The missile was prepared for launch by the navigator; the degree of automation provided by the Roobin-1K eliminated the need for a separate radar operator. For propulsion it used a liquid-fueled twin-chamber rocket motor that delivered in boost mode and in cruise mode. The fuel consisted of the TG-02 (sometimes TT-S2) fuel and AK-20F oxidizer which were toxic and highly corrosive, which made ground handling of the missile difficult. Once the launching aircraft's radar has locked onto a target, the missile can be launched. The rocket motor fires immediately after release in boost mode, accelerating the missile to its cruise speed. Once the missile turns on an approach course to the target, the motor switches to cruise mode, shutting down one of its chambers. The missile's autopilot then flies a course using inertial guidance toward the target. In anti-shipping mode the missile engages its J-band active radar in the final approach to the target.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article KSR-2, revision 1229153191 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Tucker, Spencer C. The Encyclopedia of Middle East Wars: The United States in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Conflicts [5 volumes]: The United States in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Conflicts. ABC-CLIO. 8 October 2010. 9781851099481.
- 2.Israeli Air Force. בעיצומו של יום הכיפורים הודיע דובר צה"ל: "סמוך לשעה 14:00, פתחו כוחות מצרים וסוריה. Israeli Air Force Journal.
- 3.5 שבועות לאחר התרסקות מטוסו: נפטר הטייס שהפיל ביום כיפור טיל מול שמי ת"א. Ynet. 2017-02-13.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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