AKF-98 () is a stand-off land-attack

cruise missile A cruise missile is an unmanned self-propelled guided missile that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large payload over long distances with high precision. Modern cru ...

of Chinese origin. It was debuted at Airshow China 2022.

Development

The AKF-98A was displayed at

Zhuhai Airshow China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (), also known as the Airshow China () and Zhuhai Airshow (), is a biennial international aerospace trade expo held in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, Guangdong, since 1996. It is the largest ai ...

in 2022. It's a jet-powered stand-off cruise missile carried by fighter aircraft in a similar class to

AGM-158 JASSM The AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (AGM-158 JASSM) is a low detection standoff air-launched cruise missile developed by Lockheed Martin for the United States Armed Forces. It is a large, stealthy long-range weapon with a armor ...

or Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG. The missile has a stealth enclosure that reduces radar-cross sections. The low observable design features a diamond-shaped nose section and trapezoid body, and a tail section containing two horizontal tailfins and two downward vertical tailfins. The nose contains a terminal seeker that possibly includes imaging infrared (IIR),

satellite navigation A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geopositioning. A satellite navigation system with global coverage is termed global navigation satellite system (GNSS). , four global systems are ope ...

(GNSS),

inertial guidance An inertial navigation system (INS; also inertial guidance system, inertial instrument) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors (accelerometers), rotation sensors ( gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning ...

computers (INS), and a

radio altimeter A radar altimeter (RA), also called a radio altimeter (RALT), electronic altimeter, reflection altimeter, or low-range radio altimeter (LRRA), measures altitude above the terrain presently beneath an aircraft or spacecraft by timing how long it t ...

for terrain following. Two variants of AKF-98A were identified, carried separately by an Xi'an JH-7A2 and a

Shenyang J-16 The Shenyang J-16 (; NATO reporting name: Flanker-N) also known as Qianlong is a Chinese all-weather 4.5 generation, tandem-seat, twin-engine, multirole strike fighterBronk, page 38 built by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and operated by the P ...

. Two missiles feature different body sections, which might carry different types of warheads, such as unitary warheads or submunition dispensers. One variant was also identified with foldable fins, indicating intentions for internal carriage. The bottom of the missile is reportedly where the recessed ventral intake locate. According to

Janes Information Services Janes is a global open-source intelligence company specialising in military, national security, aerospace and transport topics, whose name derives from British author Fred T. Jane. History Jane's Information Group was founded in 1898 by Fred ...

, ''

Ta Kung Pao ''Ta Kung Pao'' (; formerly ''L'Impartial'' in Latin-based languages) is a Hong Kong-based, state-owned Chinese-language newspaper. Founded in Tianjin in 1902, the paper is controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government i ...

'', and

International Institute for Strategic Studies The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is an international research institute or think tank focusing on defence and security issues. Since 1997, its headquarters have been at Arundel House in London. It has offices on four co ...

(IISS), the missile is speculated to have a weight around , a length of , a height of , a width of , a range of , and a warhead payload of .

Variants

;AKF-98A: Two variants of the AKF-98A with different missile body and tail design have been identified. ;CM-98: Export variant.

Operators

; *

People's Liberation Army Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force, also referred to as the Chinese Air Force () or the People's Air Force (), is the primary aerial warfare service of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAAF controls most of the PLA's air assets, includi ...

* People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force

References

{{Chinese Missiles Guided missiles of the People's Republic of China Air-launched cruise missiles Air-to-surface missiles

Development

Variants

Operators

See also

References