A Ukrainian Telegram channel has reported that Russian forces are poised to operationally deploy three new air-launched cruise missiles. Two of these missiles are designed for launch by strategic bombers, while one can be launched by both bombers and heavy fighters.
The missiles expected to begin targeting Ukrainian forces are:
1. Kh-BD
2. Kh-95
3. Kh-MTsh
All three missiles reportedly feature exclusively Russian-made components and incorporate no foreign parts.
Kh-BD
The Kh-BD is a high subsonic (≈900 km/h), long-range (≈3,000 km) cruise missile developed for use by the Tu-160M2 supersonic bomber.
Development of the Kh-BD reportedly began in August 2013, following the signing of a contract between the Russian Ministry of Defence (RuMoD) and Raduga Co. for a cruise missile under Project Romans. Under the contract, Raduga was to begin flight testing in 2018 and complete state acceptance trials in 2020.
The missile was to be produced at a facility in Smolensk, where Raduga manufactures Kh-101/Kh-102 (Product 504) cruise missiles used by Tu-160 and Tu-95MS bombers, at a rate of approximately three missiles per month.
The Kh-BD has never been publicly displayed. Like the Kh-101, it is likely to incorporate radar low-observable shaping. Given its longer range, the Kh-BD is expected to be significantly longer than the 7.45 m Kh-101.
The Soviet-era Tu-160 was originally designed to carry the Kh-45 missile (later abandoned), which had a length of 10.8 m. Its internal weapons bays therefore have the capacity to carry missiles longer than the Kh-101.
According to Izvestia, the Kh-BD has also been integrated with the modernised Tu-95MSM long-range strategic bomber.
The extended range of the Kh-BD offers a significant operational advantage, as launch platforms can remain well outside the detection and tracking range of NATO airborne ISR assets. After launch, the low-observable missile would evade detection by flying a terrain-hugging profile.
By contrast, the shorter-ranged Kh-101 must be launched closer to Ukrainian territory, often while launch platforms remain within NATO tracking range. Once tracked at launch, adversary radars can extrapolate missile positions even if tracks are later lost due to terrain masking.
Kh-95
In August 2021, Vladimir Zarudnitsky, head of the Academy of the General Staff of Russia, stated in an interview that Russia was developing a new long-range hypersonic missile designated Kh-95, to be carried by the Tu-22M3M and Tu-160M strategic bombers.
The missile’s range remains undisclosed. However, based on the 4,500 km range of the nuclear-armed Kh-102 stealth cruise missile, some sources estimate the Kh-95’s range could reach up to 5,000 km.
A missile with such extraordinary range would allow its launch platform to remain well outside the engagement envelope of even the most advanced air defence systems. The Tu-160M would effectively gain intercontinental strike reach without relying on stealth.
Kh-MTsh
On March 14, 2023, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited the headquarters of Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV) near Moscow, accompanied by Deputy Defence Minister Alexey Krivoruchko, who oversees procurement. The delegation was escorted by KTRV CEO Boris Obnosov.
RuMoD released video footage of the visit showing Shoigu urging plant personnel to double production of air-launched weapons to meet the demands of Russian forces engaged in the special military operation in Ukraine.
Notably, Shoigu stated:
“We hope that the commitments you have made … for 2023, 2024, and for the entire program will be fulfilled and, in addition to what we already have, there will be a new product that … the armed forces of other countries do not have.”
The “new product” Shoigu alluded to may be the missile Obnosov referenced in a June 2021 interview with TASS. At the time, Obnosov stated that KTRV was conducting “research and development work to create a new-generation high-speed anti-ship missile with increased range and speed, with improved jamming resistance.”
Obnosov made the remark while responding to a question on the future of the Kh-31 missile, which flies at speeds up to Mach 3.5 and has a range of about 250 km.
“This advanced model will complement the existing range of air-launched weapons created by KTRV,” Obnosov said.
His use of the word complement suggests he was referring to a longer-range missile with enhanced speed and electronic warfare resistance.
According to Aviation Week, the Kh-MTsh would be capable of engaging maritime, ground, and large airborne targets such as AWACS and aerial tankers. The missile is expected to be compatible with both fighter and bomber platforms.
Guidance would reportedly combine active and passive radar, possibly supplemented by an infrared sensor for terminal homing. Such multi-mode guidance would allow launches without precise target coordinates, even in heavy electronic warfare environments.
The missile’s trajectory would be programmable. It could execute a steep climb to 30–35 km altitude, dive onto the target at a 70–80° angle, and then transition to a nap-of-the-earth flight profile at 3–5 m altitude during the terminal phase.
Conclusion
Notably, all three missiles were in development well before the start of the war in Ukraine. When they were conceived, exclusive reliance on Russian components was likely not a top priority. Deployment delays may therefore have resulted from a post-2022 shift in priorities driven by Western sanctions.
Interestingly, some Ukrainian sources view the forced reliance on Russian components as a blessing, assuming that it will result in reduced accuracy—an assumption that remains unproven.
No comments:
Post a Comment