Supersonic air-launched anti-ship cruise missile used against ground targetscombat-provenpartial data
Kh-22 / Kh-32
Kh-22 Burya, AS-4 Kitchen, Kh-22M, Kh-32 (modernised variant)
Cold War, rocket-powered anti-ship missile launched from Tu-22M3 bombers that climbs high and dives at several times the speed of sound, used against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
$1,000,000 Forbes Ukraine estimate (June 2022) for a Kh-22. 19FortyFive cites an older estimate of $400,000 for the Soviet-era missile.
| Maker | MKB Raduga (designer) |
|---|---|
| Origin | Soviet Union / Russia |
| First combat | 2022, Ukraine |
| Length | 11.7 m |
| Span | 3 m |
| Diameter | 0.92 m |
| Launch weight | 5,780 kg |
| Warhead | 900 kg |
| Top speed | 5,681 km/h |
| Max range | 600 km |
| Propulsion | Isayev R-201-300 liquid-fuel rocket (TG-02 fuel, AK-20 nitric acid oxidiser) |
| Guidance | Inertial with active radar terminal homing (anti-radiation and nuclear variants exist) |
| Launcher | Tu-22M3 bomber, one to three missiles |
Air Power Australia's specification table gives 11.65 to 11.67 m length, 5,635 to 5,780 kg launch weight, a 630 to 1,000 kg warhead and 140 to 600 km range depending on variant; its text cites a 900 kg shaped charge, 270 to 550 km, and a claimed cruise above Mach 4.6 (converted here at 1,235 km/h per Mach to 5,681 km/h). 19FortyFive, writing after the Kremenchuk mall strike, describes the Kh-22M used over Ukraine as a 6.4 tonne missile with a one-tonne warhead that only lands half its shots within 600 m of the aim point. The Kh-32 keeps the Kh-22 body but uses a new engine and a lighter 500 kg warhead to reach up to 1,000 km, per Russian state outlet RBTH (a Russian claim, 2016); how many Kh-32s are in service is unclear.
Sources (14)
- Air Power Australia: Soviet/Russian Cruise Missiles, Kh-22 specifications table (length_m)
- Air Power Australia: Kh-22 specifications table (2.99 to 3.0 m) (span_m)
- Air Power Australia: Kh-22 specifications table (0.9 to 0.92 m) (diameter_m)
- Air Power Australia: Kh-22 specifications table (5,635 to 5,780 kg) (launch_weight_kg)
- Air Power Australia: Kh-22 specifications table (140 to 300 km, 460 to 600 km) (range_km)
- Air Power Australia: Kh-22 (Mach 3.5 to 4.6) (speed_kmh_max)
- Air Power Australia: Kh-22 (Isayev R-201-300 / S5.44 liquid rocket) (propulsion)
- Air Power Australia: Kh-22 variants (inertial, active radar, anti-radiation) (guidance)
- Air Power Australia: Kh-22 on Tu-22M3 Backfire C (up to three rounds) (launcher)
- Air Power Australia: Precision Guided Munitions in the Region (900 kg shaped charge; 270 to 550 km) (warhead_kg)
- 19FortyFive (29 Jun 2022): Why Russia Is Using Old Kh-22 Missiles to Hit Ukraine (first_combat)
- Forbes Ukraine (27 Jun 2022): missile cost estimates (Kh-22 $1 million) (unit_cost_usd)
- Ukrainska Pravda (13 Jan 2024): Kh-22 estimated at $1 million (unit_cost_usd)
- RBTH (30 Aug 2016): Kh-32, 500 kg warhead, up to 1,000 km (notes)
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