# Kh-35 (Х-35)

**Kh-35** (Х-35; NATO reporting names SS-N-25 Switchblade for the surface-launched version and AS-20 Kayak for the air-launched one) is a Soviet-designed, Russian-built subsonic, sea-skimming anti-ship cruise missile fired from ships, coastal launchers, aircraft, and helicopters, and increasingly used against land targets such as radars in the war in Ukraine.<sup>[1](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_4860.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1994/february/harpoonski)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.battlepolicy.com/kh-35/)</sup> Its export designation is Kh-35E, and the shipborne system built around it is called Uran (Uran-E for export). Because it looks and behaves like the American RGM-84 Harpoon, the aviation press nicknamed it "Harpoonski" when it was shown in Moscow in the early 1990s.<sup>[2](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1994/february/harpoonski)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Subsonic turbojet, sea-skimming anti-ship cruise missile; ship, coastal, air, and helicopter launch<sup>[1](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_4860.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://odin.t2com.army.mil/WEG/Asset/6fcff411c9e671a6f57ade2512aca882)</sup> |
| Dimensions and weight | Length 4.4 m, diameter 0.42 m; launch weight 620 kg (Kh-35E) or 670 kg (Kh-35UE); 145 kg high-explosive fragmentation penetrator warhead<sup>[1](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_4860.pdf)</sup> |
| Range | 130 km maximum for Kh-35E; 260 km for the improved Kh-35UE<sup>[1](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_4860.pdf)</sup> |
| Flight profile | Cruise at 10–15 m altitude, terminal run at 4 m; speed Mach 0.8 (Kh-35UE 0.8–0.85)<sup>[1](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_4860.pdf)</sup> |
| Guidance | Inertial midcourse; ARGS-35E active radar seeker in the terminal phase; Kh-35UE adds satellite (Glonass) navigation and an active-passive seeker with a 50 km lock-on range versus 20 km for the Kh-35E seeker<sup>[1](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_4860.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://odin.t2com.army.mil/WEG/Asset/6fcff411c9e671a6f57ade2512aca882)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://www.ausairpower.net/APA-Rus-Cruise-Missiles.html)</sup> |
| Service entry | First shown publicly in December 1988 on East German fast attack craft; Indian Navy deliveries from 1996; Russian Navy service from 2003, Bal coastal system from 2004–2008<sup>[2](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1994/february/harpoonski)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1188-Kh-35%20Uran)</sup> |
| Salvo rate | 2–3 seconds between launches in any salvo sequence; shipborne system carries 8–16 missiles weighing 12.5–23 t in total<sup>[1](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_4860.pdf)</sup> |

## Design and flight profile

The Kh-35 is a compact, subsonic missile in the same weight class as the US Harpoon or the French Exocet, and it marked a departure from the massive, bomber-carried anticarrier weapons such as the [Kh-22](https://www.edgepedia.org/kh-22) that Soviet naval aviation had favored during the Cold War.<sup>[2](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1994/february/harpoonski)</sup> A 1994 US Naval Institute assessment described it as similar in appearance to Harpoon but about 10 percent lighter, with a smaller warhead.<sup>[2](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1994/february/harpoonski)</sup>

**Flight and guidance.** After launch, a solid rocket booster accelerates the missile while a turbofan sustainer takes over for cruise. The midcourse leg is flown on inertial navigation at 10–15 m above the sea; in the terminal phase the missile descends to 4 m and the active radar seeker takes over.<sup>[1](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_4860.pdf)</sup> The Kh-35E uses the Radar MMS ARGS-35E X-band active radar seeker designed for attacks on maritime targets; the later Kh-35UE adds an inertial navigation unit, a Glonass receiver, and an active radar seeker with a passive anti-radiation homing capability, with a cited acquisition range of 50 km.<sup>[5](https://www.ausairpower.net/APA-Rus-Cruise-Missiles.html)</sup> Rosoboronexport's marketing material states that the small radar cross-section and sea-skimming profile are intended to let the missile penetrate a ship's self-defense envelope.<sup>[1](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_4860.pdf)</sup>

**Development timeline.** Work on the Uran system began at the Zvezda-Strela State Scientific-Industrial Center in 1972, and the missile first appeared as armament on East German Navy Sassnitz (BAL-COM-10) fast attack craft in the Baltic in December 1988.<sup>[7](https://www.f-16.net/downloads/Falcon_4_Manuals/f4_tac-ref.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1994/february/harpoonski)</sup> In 1992 the Zvezda design bureau began trials to adapt it for air launching.<sup>[2](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1994/february/harpoonski)</sup> The Indian order for the Uran (Kh-35E export variant) in 1994 led to full-scale development, with deliveries to the [Indian Navy](https://www.edgepedia.org/indian-navy) beginning in 1996; Russia itself brought the naval version into service in 2003 and the Bal coastal system in 2004, with Bal entering service in 2008.<sup>[6](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1188-Kh-35%20Uran)</sup> The missile remains in series production at the Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV) in Korolyov near Moscow, alongside the [Kh-31](https://www.edgepedia.org/kh-31), Kh-38M, and Grom.<sup>[8](https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/2023-04/AWST_2023_4-24_3.pdf)</sup>

## Variants and launch platforms

The family covers a range of carriers and export statuses:<sup>[4](https://odin.t2com.army.mil/WEG/Asset/6fcff411c9e671a6f57ade2512aca882)</sup>

- **Kh-35 (3M-24)**: base naval version for Russia, in service from 2003.
- **Kh-35E (3M-24E)**: export version, delivered from 1996.
- **Kh-35U**: unified upgrade usable from any carrier, in production for Russia; capable of striking land targets.
- **Kh-35UE**: export version of the Kh-35U, with the 260 km range and 50 km seeker lock-on.
- **Kh-35V**: helicopter-launched version for Russia.
- **3M-24EMV**: export missile-target without warhead, supplied to Vietnam.

Air-launched missiles are carried on tactical naval aircraft, with eight missiles on the Tu-142 long-range aircraft and four on Ka-27 helicopters; the missile can also be launched from fighters and attack aircraft.<sup>[7](https://www.f-16.net/downloads/Falcon_4_Manuals/f4_tac-ref.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://odin.t2com.army.mil/WEG/Asset/6fcff411c9e671a6f57ade2512aca882)</sup>

**Coastal and container systems.** The Bal (export Bal-E) coastal missile system pairs the Kh-35E or Kh-35UE with four self-propelled launch vehicles, each carrying eight missiles, plus transport and command vehicles with the Mineral-E target-designation radar; launchers can stand up to 10 km from the coastline, engage up to 24 targets in one salvo, and deploy in under 15 minutes.<sup>[9](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_4897.pdf)</sup> [The Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-club)-K container system packages Kh-35UE missiles, in both anti-ship and land-attack roles, inside standard maritime shipping containers with four missiles per launching module, allowing transport by rail, road, or ship.<sup>[10](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_4843.pdf)</sup> The Rubezh-ME coastal system, integrating four transport-launch canisters with radar and fire control on a single platform, was shown to Vietnam and other countries at the Vietnam Defence Expo 2024, its first display outside Russia.<sup>[11](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_7936.pdf)</sup>

## Export users

**India** ordered the Uran system in 1994 and took deliveries from 1996, and later contracted for 50 more Kh-35 missiles for its three Delhi-class destroyers at a reported cost of $150 million.<sup>[6](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1188-Kh-35%20Uran)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[12](https://www.vayuaerospace.in/Issue/vayu-issue-Vayu-Issue-VI-Nov-Dec-2019.pdf)</sup>

**Vietnam** is the largest export user and has moved to local production. Russia's KTRV supplied 120 Kh-35E missiles between 2004 and 2008, and in October 2010 the two countries signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperating to develop and produce a Uran-EV system for the Vietnamese fleet.<sup>[13](https://vietnamdefence.com/Home/phantich/Chinh-sach-bien-va-Hai-quan-Viet-Nam/20124/51556.vnd)</sup> The Kh-35 Uran is the mainstay anti-ship missile of the [Vietnam People's Navy](https://www.edgepedia.org/vietnam-peoples-navy): Gepard 3.9 frigates carry eight Kh-35s each and Molniya-class corvettes carry 16.<sup>[14](https://amti.csis.org/tracking-vietnams-force-build-south-china-sea/)</sup> In 2015 Vietnam produced an indigenous version of the Kh-35E called the KCT-15, configurable for fighter aircraft and naval helicopters as well as ships.<sup>[15](https://cimsec.org/21720-2/)</sup> The follow-on VCM-01, developed by Viettel's Aerospace Institute on the Kh-35E basis, uses a domestically produced VJE-01 jet engine and an integrated INS/GNSS and passive-active radar guidance package, with a stated range of up to 300 km, double the original 130 km.<sup>[16](https://datafiles.nghean.gov.vn/nan-ubnd/2813/quantritintuc202510/C%C3%B4ng%20t%C3%A1c%20truy%E1%BB%81n%20mi%E1%BB%87ng%20th%C3%A1ng%2010%20c%E1%BB%A7a%20%C4%90%E1%BA%A3ng.pdf)</sup>

**North Korea** tested a canister-launched anti-ship cruise missile from a patrol vessel in February 2015; although [Pyongyang](https://www.edgepedia.org/pyongyang) described it as domestically developed, analysis identified it as appearing to be a Russian Kh-35E.<sup>[17](https://www.38north.org/2015/02/jbermudez020815/)</sup> The subsequent Kumsong-3 (US designation KN-19) is a North Korean variant of the Kh-35; a June 2017 test demonstrated a range of 240 km, and how Pyongyang acquired the technology, whether directly from Russia or through a third country such as Myanmar, remains unclear.<sup>[18](https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/kumsong-3-kh-35-variant/)</sup>

**Ukraine** developed the Neptune, a subsonic land-based coastal-defense cruise missile based on the Soviet Kh-35, with a range of 280 km and the same 145 kg warhead class.<sup>[19](https://missilethreat.csis.org/ukraine-finalizing-neptune-antiship-missile-development/)</sup>

Russian and Iranian ships have carried Kh-35U missiles during joint [Caspian Sea](https://www.edgepedia.org/caspian-sea) patrols.<sup>[20](https://www.idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/NMSD-16-15-August-15-2024.pdf)</sup>

## Use against land targets in Ukraine

Since 2022 Russia has repurposed anti-ship missiles, including the Kh-35, for land-attack missions in Ukraine, a use for which their radar seekers are not optimized.<sup>[3](https://www.battlepolicy.com/kh-35/)</sup> The pattern reflects a broader wartime trend in which Russia has repurposed surface-to-air and anti-ship missiles for land attack as it sustains strike volume against Ukrainian infrastructure.<sup>[21](https://www.csis.org/analysis/russia-isnt-going-run-out-missiles)</sup>

## References

1. [Uran-E shipborne anti-ship missile system, Rosoboronexport](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_4860.pdf)
2. [Steven Zaloga, "Harpoonski," Proceedings, February 1994, US Naval Institute](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1994/february/harpoonski)
3. [Kh-35 (AS-20 Kayak): Russia's sea-skimming cruise missile, Battle Policy](https://www.battlepolicy.com/kh-35/)
4. [Kh-35UE Russian Short-Range Cruise Missile, ODIN – OE Data Integration Network](https://odin.t2com.army.mil/WEG/Asset/6fcff411c9e671a6f57ade2512aca882)
5. [Soviet/Russian Cruise Missiles, Air Power Australia](https://www.ausairpower.net/APA-Rus-Cruise-Missiles.html)
6. [Kh-35 Uran, Weaponsystems.net](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1188-Kh-35%20Uran)
7. [Tactical References (Uran/Kh-35 system), F-16.net](https://www.f-16.net/downloads/Falcon_4_Manuals/f4_tac-ref.pdf)
8. [Aviation Week & Space Technology, April 24–May 7, 2023](https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/2023-04/AWST_2023_4-24_3.pdf)
9. [Bal-E coastal missile system, Rosoboronexport](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_4897.pdf)
10. [Club-K container missile system, Rosoboronexport](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_4843.pdf)
11. [ROSOBORONEXPORT to showcase advanced Russian weapons, Vietnam Defence Expo 2024](https://roe.ru/pdfs/pdf_7936.pdf)
12. [Vayu Aerospace Review, Vol. VI, Nov–Dec 2019](https://www.vayuaerospace.in/Issue/vayu-issue-Vayu-Issue-VI-Nov-Dec-2019.pdf)
13. [Chính sách biển và Hải quân Việt Nam, Vietnamdefence](https://vietnamdefence.com/Home/phantich/Chinh-sach-bien-va-Hai-quan-Viet-Nam/20124/51556.vnd)
14. [Tracking Vietnam's Force Build-up in the South China Sea, AMTI/CSIS](https://amti.csis.org/tracking-vietnams-force-build-south-china-sea/)
15. [Little Fallout: Vietnam's Security Policy After the 12th Congress, CIMSEC](https://cimsec.org/21720-2/)
16. [Công tác truyền thông tháng 10, ỦBan ND tỉnh Nghệ An (VCM-01 and KCT-15)](https://datafiles.nghean.gov.vn/nan-ubnd/2813/quantritintuc202510/C%C3%B4ng%20t%C3%A1c%20truy%E1%BB%81n%20mi%E1%BB%87ng%20th%C3%A1ng%2010%20c%E1%BB%A7a%20%C4%90%E1%BA%A3ng.pdf)
17. [Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., Korean People's Navy Tests New Anti-ship Cruise Missile, 38 North, February 8, 2015](https://www.38north.org/2015/02/jbermudez020815/)
18. [Kumsong-3 (KN-19), Missile Threat, CSIS](https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/kumsong-3-kh-35-variant/)
19. [Ukraine Finalizing Neptune Antiship Missile Development, Missile Threat, CSIS](https://missilethreat.csis.org/ukraine-finalizing-neptune-antiship-missile-development/)
20. [Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest, Vol. 16 No. 15, IDSA, August 15, 2024](https://www.idsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/NMSD-16-15-August-15-2024.pdf)
21. [Russia Isn't Going to Run Out of Missiles, CSIS](https://www.csis.org/analysis/russia-isnt-going-run-out-missiles)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Engineering and manufacturing › Missiles and rocketry › Anti-ship and naval missiles*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*

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