| Raduga K-10S/AS-2 Kipper | |
| Type: | anti-ship missile |
| Origin: | Soviet Union |
| Is Missile: | yes |
| Service: | 1961-1994 |
| Wars: | Cold War |
| Designer: | MKB Raduga |
| Design Date: | 1955 |
| Production Date: | 1961 |
| Variants: | P-40 |
| Filling: | FK-10 HE or nuclear |
| Detonation: | impact fuze |
| Yield: | 350kt |
| Engine: | Lyulka AL-5 RD-9FK, Mikulin M-9FK[1] |
| Speed: | Mach 1.7 at service ceiling, Mach 1.2 at low altitude |
| Guidance: | inertial with terminal active radar homing |
| Accuracy: | CEP [2] |
| Launch Platform: | Tu-16K-10 Badger C |
The Raduga K-10S (NATO reporting name: AS-2 Kipper) was a Soviet supersonic anti-ship missile that was usually nuclear-armed, designed by MKB Raduga. Its development began in 1955, and it entered service with the Soviet armed forces in 1961. The Kipper missile was a very large one, approximately the size of a small jet fighter, because of the rather primitive state of anti-ship missile technology in the 1950s and 1960s. This missile was never used in combat anywhere.
The AS-2's dedicated launch platform, the Tu-16K-10 Badger C, could carry a single AS-2, semi-recessed in the bomb bay.The Kipper's long range enabled it to be launched, hypothetically, from beyond the range of any shipboard surface-to-air missiles or anti-aircraft guns of that time. The only defense against the Kipper was naval jet fighter aircraft, operating from either an aircraft carrier or a shore airfield.
In flight tests, the Kipper cruised on its approach to a target at an altitude of about 10,000 meters, using inertial guidance until it reaches a range of about 100 to 110 kilometers[3] from the target, where it enters a shallow 15 degree dive, commanded by a mid-course update via radio link. When it reaches a range of 60 to 70 kilometers it levels out at an altitude of between 800 and 1,000 meters where it cruises until it reaches a range of 10 to 16 kilometers, when the missile's active radar homing guidance is engaged. It then enters a dive, striking the target vessel close to or below the waterline.