English is not my first language, and I used AI translation. I apologize for that in advance.
As we all know, the importance of the Kh series of missiles to Soviet aviation cannot be overstated. From the Kh-23, Kh-25, Kh-29, to the Kh-38, their status is almost equivalent to the American AGM-65 Maverick series. Ranging from BR 9.3 to 12.7, these missiles have won countless fans thanks to their large warheads and high speed. At least for me, the first time I saw the massive body of the Kh-25ML pierce the roof of an enemy tank, I was absolutely thrilled – I watched the replay several times.
In the recent “Nuclear Thunder” event, Gaijin added the Kh-25mpu, which is an anti-radiation variant of the Kh-25. This piqued my curiosity about the Kh-25 family. As a missile that has been in service since the 1970s, it clearly has many improved variants. And that brings us to the stars of today: the Kh-25MT (TV) and the Kh-25MTP (IR).
Some players might say: “We already have the Kh-38ML and the Kh-38MT . They dominate top-tier ground battles with unparalleled speed and massive explosive yield. Even around BR 11.3, the Kh-29T fills the role of a Soviet fire-and-forget missile. Your proposed toys are redundant.”
But here’s the reality:
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The situation at Soviet BR 11.3–11.7 is quite complicated.Yes, there’s no denying that the BMPT is slaughtering everything on the ground (I support moving it to 12.7). But when we look at the air side: Su-25T, Su-39, Su-24M, MiG-27K, Yak-141, Ka-50, Mi-35M. Among these, the only vehicle with thermal imaging is the Mi-35M. None of them can carry a fire-and-forget munition that can lock onto a moving target from beyond 6 km. Once they encounter high-tier AA, heavy aircraft like the Su-25T and Su-24M are helpless. The Ka-50 also has a bug where its IR countermeasures fail. The ones that can fight back somewhat are the earlier MiG-27K and Mi-35M. This problem is clearly caused by outdated accompanying munitions.
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Second issue – which may seem off-topic but is actually more critical – is that Gaijin appears to have confused the Kh-29T, Kh-29TE, and Kh-29TD.They have roughly lumped them all together as TV-guided missiles, with only minor statistical tweaks. If these missiles were correctly differentiated and the corresponding aircraft BRs adjusted, my entire post would be unnecessary. The Kh-29TD (IR) would be a great option as well.
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The third issue is about munition miniaturization.Remember the Yak-141 from point 1? I didn’t mention it earlier because it has no air-to-ground guided weapons at all (the Yak-38 at least gets two Kh-23M……). Additionally, the Yak-130 is about to be added this patch. The dev video has already shown it carrying Kh-25ML. To be honest, it’s no different from the aircraft mentioned above. But it would be very nice if it could carry the Kh-25MT (TV) and Kh-25MTP (IR). These lighter missiles (compared to the Kh-29) were designed precisely for light aircraft, and they can also be carried by some helicopters – that would be an excellent addition.
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The fourth issue is the AA-versus-aircraft arms race, and it relates to top tier.In the current air defense network formed by vehicles like the IRIS-T SLM and HQ-11 , weapons that rely on quantity – such as the Spice 250 and the upcoming GBU-53 – actually perform better. The Kh-25 series, which can be carried on twin racks, would also enrich the strike options for Soviet aircraft at top tier, allowing them to expend some of the enemy’s missiles to create a kill opportunity. (I don’t know if this would be overpowered – call it a bit of personal bias.)
My words are just a starting point. I welcome everyone to discuss and add any relevant information. Thank you.