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Chinese air to ground weapons (missiles, PGMs, etc)
- Thread starter AssassinsMace
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I don't think so, I can't find any Chinese word related to runway whose initial letter of Pinyin starts with F.
Also please note, the 3rd letter in the naming scheme does not allow designation to be so specific to this level (runway). For example the other known designation is AKD88 where D stands for ground regardless runway or bunker or building.
It is IMO an anti-radiation missile, so there is no window.
BTW, even if it is meant to be a optical/infrared seeking missile, making a nice looking camera mock up is a piece of cake these days. It doesn't cost much to make a realistic mockup.
Whatever is behind that cover could ultimately answer the question whether this thing is liquid fuel powered glide bomb or a cruise missile.
Weibo user claims this photo is from an official report about a plaaf unit of the Southern Theater Command in January. @Blitzo
Weibo user dug out a report about a JH-7A unit of STC last year
"A few years ago, after he learned that his unit was going to receive new aircraft, which could carry several models and more than ten types of new domestic guided ammunition..."
PLAAF often shows its rockets only, wondering what other ammunition are still hidden by them. The 2PZD-21 is also not new.
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When they say GPS-guided, I think they mean Beidou, right? I would be surprised if the PLAAF munitions still rely on the GPS.
First off, I agree that it's a cruise missile -- those texts for the propellant all but confirms it.
But I'm curious, why do you think it is an anti-radiation missile?
The planform of this thing overall is very consistent with other LO cruise missiles in the world -- think JASSM, Taurus KEPD, Storm Shadow, JSM, SOM.
Those other cruise missiles of course are modular by nature, meaning that they can be equipped with different seekers and warheads as designed.
However they all tend to be characterized by a number of things: relatively decent range for their size, low observability, and the newer types also have a terminal supplementary EO terminal guidance.
In the case of this missile, it's just a mock up and meant to show external geometry and other details are omitted -- however the angled faceted nose on it is almost certainly meant to represent an EO terminal guidance window.
In terms of nose geometry, its closest international peer is the SOM missile from Turkey.
It's possible that there are other variants of this missile -- after all it's called AKF-98"A" -- there very well may be B, C and other variants with different guidance options and different warheads.
If it had an anti-radiation seeker, I expect it would not be angled and faceted like we see, but be more conventional, perhaps something like this (GB6A shown at a past airshow):
We also have that picture of the extended range KD-88 variant called "AKF-088C" suggesting there are also "AKF-088A/B" variants that exist as well. We know that KD-88 comes with different seeker options so the AKF-088 having it should be reasonable as well.
Perhaps "F" could represent any new phrase or word referring to a "multirole long range" weapon or something.
But I doubt the "F" refers specifically to a specific mission.
EDIT: lol okay the text itself gives an excellent answer -- fang qu wai (防区外), aka "standoff". So yeah, that makes sense for AKF-98 and AKF-88
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