The Indian Navy's missile corvette INS Kora reportedly test fired a Kh-35E Uran (NATO:SS-N-25 Switchblade) to its max range on October 30, 2020 in the Bay of Bengal hitting the target with precision. The Kh-35E is the export variant of the Ukrainian Kh-35 missile, a 620-kg subsonic cruise missile powered by a Motor Sich R95-300 turbojet engine. The missile features a 145-kg warhead and has a max range of 130-km. The missile cruises at 10-15-m above the sea, dipping down to 4-m during the end game.
India procured 400 Kh-35E missiles from Russia between 1998 to 2004 for use on Delhi (Project-15) and modernized Kashin-2 (Rajput) destroyers, Brahmaputra (Poject-16A) frigates, Kora (Project-25A) corvettes and Tarantul-1 (Vibhuti) FAC.
The IAF has the air launched variant of the missile, Kh-35E Zvezda (Star) (NATO designation AS-20 'Kayak). The Zvezda variant is also carried by IN IL-38 maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
IN IL-38 with Kh-35E Zvezda missile
Kh-35U/Kh-35UE
Russia's Tactical Missiles Corporation developed Kh-35U variant of the Ukrainian Kh-35 missile entered Russian service in 2015.
The Kh-35U/Kh-35UE missile uses a UEC-Saturn engine, instead of the Ukranian Motor Sich engine. The Russian engine is reportedly a third shorter and lighter by several tens of kilograms, which facilitates improved characteristics of the entire product as a whole.
The Kh-35U features a dramatically reduced RCS as compared to the Kh-35, is 50-kg heavier than the Kh-35, and has twice the range (260-km) of the Kh-35.
The missile is designed to attack vessels up to 5,000 tonnes.
India is not known to have acquired the Kh-35UE export variant of the missile
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