AIM-9X Sidewinder vs Kh-23 Grom: Specs Compared | ForceTally

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AMissiles

AIM-9X Sidewinder

short-range air-to-air missile

BMissiles

Kh-23 Grom

Tactical air-to-surface missile

First system

Second system

At a glance

Side by side

Length comparisonOne shared metre scale

AIM-9X SidewinderLength

3.02 m

Length source ↗

Kh-23 GromA921

3.525 m

Length source ↗

Lengths retain their source configuration and measurement scope.

AIM-9X Sidewinderlarger figure on 1 of 4

Range+203%

Kh-23 Gromlarger figure on 3 of 4

Wingspan+181%
Diameter+117%
Warhead mass+1081%

Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.

Measured figures

Head to head

15 of 113 rows sourced on both sides

3.02m

3.53mA921

Length

All recorded figures & sources

3.02 m

Length

Single source

9 feet 11 inches (3.02 m)^[source]

3.525 m

A921

Single source

Configuration

Details

AIM-9X Sidewinder and Kh-23 Grom configuration
Specification	AIM-9X Sidewinder	Kh-23 Grom
Type	short-range air-to-air missile^[source]	Tactical air-to-surface missile^[source]
Place of origin	United States^[source]	Soviet Union^[source]
Manufacturer	Raytheon^[source]	Zvezda-Strela^[source]
Status	Its latest variants (AIM-9X) remain standard equipment in most Western-aligned air forces.

Wars	Second Taiwan Strait Crisis Vietnam War Yom Kippur War Iran–Iraq War Gulf of Sidra incident (1981) Falklands War 1982 Lebanon War 1989 air battle near Tobruk Gulf War Bosnian War Operation Allied Force 2023 Chinese balloon incident Gaza war Red Sea crisis Russian invasion of Ukraine 2026 Iran War^[source]	—

Source measurement

—

The Zvezda Kh-66 and Kh-23 Grom ( Russian : Х -23 Гром 'Thunder'; NATO : AS-7 'Kerry' ) are a family of early Soviet tactical air-to-surface missiles with a range of 10 km. They were intended for use against small ground or naval targets. The Kh-66 was effectively a heavy-warhead, beam-riding version of the K-8 (AA-3 'Anab') air-to-air missile rushed into service in Vietnam in 1968. The Kh-23 was an improved Kh-66 with command-guidance, similar to the AGM-12 Bullpup .^[source]Kh-23 Grom · Lead; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

The resulting weapon used the body of a K-8 (AA-3 'Anab') , K-5 guidance and propulsion systems, but increased the warhead from 13 kg (29 lb) to 100 kg (220 lb). This had the big advantage of allowing the new weapon to be fitted to any aircraft capable of firing the K-5. Design began in 1966, so the project was known as Kh-66 or Izdeliye 66 ('Article 66'). The Kh-66 was a beam-riding weapon that was first tested on the MiG-21PFM , with the first launches of the missile in September 1966. It entered production in 1968 for that aircraft. The Kh-66 was only an interim solution as it required the launch aircraft to dive towards the target to maintain lock on the target. It entered service on 20 June 1968 .The reason it was only carried on the MIG-21PFM was, since it was a beam-riding missile, it was paired with a radar, the RP-21M, which other aircraft did not have.^[source]Kh-23 Grom · Development; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

Meanwhile, Korolyov took over work on the Kh-23 project intended for carriage on the Soviet Union's new MiG-23. The Kh-23 became a development of the Kh-66 design with an improved propellant and new Delta-R1M guidance system. The main practical difference was that it was a line-of-sight radio-command weapon similar to the Bullpup, allowing it to be fired in level flight (unlike the Kh-66). The first ten were tested in early 1968, but significant delays were caused by problems with unreliable guidance which was eventually traced to the smoke generator which interfered with the antenna. Once the receiver had been moved to a tail extension, the government tested the missile on the MiG-23 and MiG-23B between 20 March 1970 and 3 October 1973. and it entered service in 1973. A laser-guided version of the Kh-23, the Kh-25, became the basis for the AS-10 'Karen' family of missiles. Technology from these was 'backported' to the Kh-23 to create the Kh-23M in 1974.^[source]Kh-23 Grom · Development; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

The Kh-66 entered production for the MiG-21 in 1968, and the Kh-23 was certified for the MiG-23 'Flogger' in 1973.^[source]Kh-23 Grom · Operational history; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

Kh-23M - improved Kh-23 with technology from the Kh-25 family^[source]Kh-23 Grom · Variants; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

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