YDH-26
| YDH-26 | |
|---|---|
 Major variants of the YDH-26 | |
| Type | Anti-ship missile |
| Place of origin | Menghe |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2002-present |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Buksŏng Industries Group |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 540 kg (YDH-26GJS) 450 kg (YDH-26G) |
| Length | 401 cm (YDH-26GJS) 332 cm (YDH-26G) |
| Diameter | 35 cm |
| Warhead | 130 kg warhead |
Detonation mechanism | Contact fuse |
| Propellant | kerosene |
Operational range | 110 km |
| Flight altitude | sea skimming (3 m) |
| Speed | Mach 0.8 |
Guidance system | inertial guidance, terminal active radar homing |
The YDH-26 (Formal designation: 26식 대함 유도탄 / 二六式對艦誘導彈, i-ryuk-sik daeham yudotan, "Type 26 anti-ship missile;" Short designation 유대함-26 Yudaeham-iryuk "YDH-26") is a type of subsonic anti-ship missile developed in Menghe during the late 1990s and early 2000s. With a mass of 450 kilograms and a 130-kilogram warhead, it is relatively lightweight and compact. It serves as a smaller, cheaper complement to heavier Menghean anti-ship missiles like the YDH-23 and YDH-28.
Development
The YDH-26 was developed by the Buksŏng Industries Group, formerly Institute 92, Menghe's main manufacturer of medium-range subsonic missiles. It was conceived as a lighter replacement for the YDH-24, able to be carried by helicopters and carrier-borne fighters. In this role, it would complement the larger YDH-28, which offered a longer range and heavier warhead at the cost of greater size and weight. Designers also emphasized minimizing production costs, to aid in mass-production and make the missile more attractive on the export market.
At-sea test firings of the YDH-26 took place in 2000, using a modified Plan 261 missile boat as the launch platform. The missile was found to perform well, and in 2002 it was introduced to service on the Sŏwicho-class corvette Hwŏncho, the second in her class.
Design
The subsonic YDH-26 follows a conventional cruciform wing design, with fixed stabilizers mounted halfway down the missile's length and similarly shaped steering fins mounted at the rear. An intake for the turbofan is slung underneath the missile's body. Prior to launch, these fins are folded against the missile's body, allowing it to be stored in more compact launch containers; these fins automatically spring open shortly after launch.
The YDH-28 is relatively compact, even when compared with other subsonic anti-ship missiles. Its smallest air-launched variant has a mass of only 450 kilograms, while its heaviest variant has a mass of 540 kilograms. Tradeoffs of this small size include a short range of 110 kilometers and a small 130-kilogram warhead. Buksŏng's sales manual states that the missile is recommended for use against warships displacing between 4,000 and 400 tons, i.e. frigates and corvettes, though it can also be used to damage larger ships and impair their effectiveness against a follow-up strike.
On -GH, -NH, and -DH variants, a solid-fuel rocket booster on the rear of the missile accelerates it to cruise velocity before dropping away in flight. This boosted variant is necessary for launching from land vehicles, surface ships, submarines, and helicopters. The baseline G, N, and D variants have no booster, but can only be launched from fixed-wing aircraft. In flight, the missile is driven by a kerosene-fueled turbofan engine.
By default, the YDH-26 uses inertial navigation to travel to an attack point designated upon launch. It makes its initial approach at an altitude of 15 meters to avoid striking friendly warships and rogue waves. Once it is 25 kilometers from the target position, the missile climbs in altitude, activates its radar seeker, and begins searching for targets. When a target in the designated area is detected, the missile updates its course and drops to a sea skimming altitude of 3 meters, where it makes its final approach. G variants only carry an active radar guidance system, while N and D variants also incorporate an infrared seeker slung under the missile body to increase resistance to jamming and countermeasures. G and N variants make their final approach on a straight-flying course, while D variants make pseudo-random maneuvers to reduce the probability of interception by gun-based close-in weapon systems.
Due to its small size and relative simplicity, the YDH-26 is considered one of the most cost-efficient missiles in service in Septentrion. This is especially true of the basic "G" variants, which lack imaging-infrared secondaries. The missile is also designed for easy storage and maintenance, and can be stored fully-fueled for a period of up to 15 years.
A submarine-launched variant was unveiled in 2006, though it was rumored to have been in development several years earlier. Submarine-launched missiles are derived from the booster-equipped GH, NH, and DH variants, but with a watertight cover over the turbine air intake and improved watertight sealing on all other joints. In storage, the missile is kept inside a 533mm watertight cylinder, which is ejected from a torpedo tube like a standard torpedo. Shortly after launch, the weighted tube tilts nose-up in the water, its cap ejects, and the missile launches out of it under solid-fuel power, with the intake cover breaking off once airborne. It can only be fired from periscope depth, and it is not compatible with vertical-launch tubes for the YDH-28J and YDH-29J families.
Coastal defense system
In 2005, as part of the country's pivot to defensive warfare, the Coastal Defense Forces of the Menghean Army placed a request for a self-propelled, land-based launcher for the YDH-26 missile. The resulting system, which was publicly displayed in 2008 and bears the designation JYDH-26 (Jaju-Yudotan Dae-Ham, Self-Propelled Missile, Anti-Ship), consists of eight vehicles:
- 1x JYDH-26JS (Jungdae Salyŏngcha), Company/battery command vehicle with radio and wire connections. Crew of five.
- 1x JYDH-26SR (Susaek Reida), search radar vehicle with an elevating mast to detect ships within horizon range. Crew of three.
- 3x JYDH-26BG (Balsagi), launcher vehicle with eight missiles. Crew of four.
- 3x JYDH-26JCh (Jaejangjŏn-Cha), reload vehicle with eight missile boxes and a crane. Crew of two.
The original JYDH-26 system was designed around the Taekchŏn T512 heavy utility truck. It was later supplemented by a lighter system on the Samsan S915, which carries fewer missiles per truck (4 instead of 8) and has a shorter-range acquisition radar, but is cheaper to produce and maintain.
Variants
Variants without boosters
- YDH-26G: baseline model with radar guidance only
- YDH-26N: model with backup infrared seeker
- YDH-26D: model with backup infrared seeker and pseudorandom evasive maneuver profile
Variants with boosters
- YDH-26GH: baseline model with radar guidance only
- YDH-26NH: model with backup infrared seeker
- YDH-26DH: model with backup infrared seeker and pseudorandom evasive maneuver profile
Submarine launch variants
- YDH-26GJ: baseline model with radar guidance only
- YDH-26NJ: model with backup infrared seeker
- YDH-26DJ: model with backup infrared seeker and pseudorandom evasive maneuver profile