Russian Cruise Missiles Thread

Strategic Missile Carriers Reequipped

Kh-555 cruise missile is much more accurate than its predecessor

To fly through the window and hit the target from the distance of over two thousand km is the mission that may be completed by Kh-555 - Russia’s newest airborne cruise missile, developed by Tactical Missiles Corporation. It may take place of the cruise missiles with nuclear warheads, which are in service with the Russian strategic air forces today.

Held in mid-August, the tests of a new missile were attended by President Vladimir Putin. According to the military men, the event has put an end to the U.S. monopoly in the field of high-precision long-range missiles. From now on, Russia’s Air Force will be able to use such weapons to solve any tasks, including destruction of international terrorists’ camps.

The way Kh-555 missile came on the scene was a sort of sensation. Russian defence enterprises have not come up with new strategic weapon systems for a long time. As the experts say, it is both expensive and useless. The prospects of the armed conflict between Moscow and Washington, which made the states constantly perfect their offensive weapons, have faded away, and nuclear weapons cannot be used against terrorists.

All this could make useless the most advanced domestic bomber aircraft Tu-160 with Kh-55 long-range nuclear missiles. The operating range of a nuclear warhead weapon compensates on inaccurate firing. Equipped with non-nuclear warhead, the missile will be no good.

“It took us little time to make a new non-strategic cruise missile on the old platform, - general designer of Raduga JSC Igor Seleznev said to Izvesiya correspondent. – By using Kh-55 as a basis for a new missile we have spent half of what we could if we started from scratch”.

Kh-555 and its predecessor have only formal resemblance. According to Seleznev, Kh-555 is equipped with a different engine, homing head and warhead. Thanks to additional fuel tanks the missile range is increased to approximately 3.5 thousand km. It may fly at different altitudes and even skim above the ground surface. Its homing head receives the data both from its own optic-electronic navigation system and the GLONASS multichannel satellite navigation system. Instead of compact nuclear charge (130 kg) it may be equipped with armor-piercing, shaped-charge, fragmentation or high-explosive warhead with the weight of over 350 kg.

Air mission data is fed into the Kh-555 missile and autopilot of the bomber aircraft before the flight. After missile launch the crew only controls the way the mission is being carried out. In August all four Kh-555 missiles launched from Tu-160 hit the target during the tests. The military men say that two of them flew through the window and the other two – through the door of a deserted house at the Pemboy test site near Vorkuta, where according to scenario the terrorists were hiding.

Kh-55 is the second adopted for service missile system, developed at a well-shaped domestic defence holding - Tactical Missiles Corporation. Not so long ago the Black Sea Fleet was armed with the Bal-E mobile coastal anti-ship missile system with the Kh-35 cruise missiles. The latter development is unique. It is proved by the fact that its homing head may be purchased by the U.S. for the Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

GarryB wrote:Instead of compact nuclear charge (130 kg) it may be equipped with armor-piercing, shaped-charge, fragmentation or high-explosive warhead with the weight of over 350 kg.

The whole point about making the conformal tanks conformal is to make them low drag in the first place... what happens if one side of tanks fails to jettison properly? Or both sides jettison, but take a wing with them?

GarryB wrote:The Kh-55 is no longer an in service weapon, and there is no obvious reason to keep the warhead weight secret.

BTW Happy New Year... 2012 is here already ... here.