KSR-5

The Raduga KSR-5, NATO AS-6 Kingfish, was a Soviet air-launched missile developed as a smaller derivative of the Kh-22 family. GlobalSecurity identifies KSR-5 variants and specifications, while GlobalMilitary describes it as an anti-ship missile with land-attack relevance. It fits the land-attack cruise missile category only with the caveat that anti-ship use was central.

KSR-5 reflected the need for bomber-launched weapons that could attack ships or fixed targets without forcing the bomber into the heart of air defenses. Its size, propulsion, and warhead options made it a specialized heavy missile rather than a tactical fighter weapon. Variants such as KSR-5M increased accuracy or adapted the mission set.

The missile's relevance today is mostly historical, but it helps explain the evolution from large liquid-fueled missiles to more compact cruise missiles. Its strengths were payload and standoff attack; its weaknesses were handling complexity, carrier dependence, and aging guidance. The page should clarify that AS-6 is not a modern precision missile family.