Kh-32 thread

KomissarBojanchev wrote:

George1 wrote:That article says : "In 2016 the anti-ship Kh-32 missile for Tu-22M3 bombers became operational. "

Would the Kh-32 be vulnerable to AMRAAMs being shot from F-18s?

AMraam does not have the speed too chase one down and at the altitude they fly, missiles cannot really manuver very well because the air is so thin, so even an intercept shot would be very difficult to make

08/26/2022
Gazeta.ru

“Russia can bombard Europe and the US with X-22 missiles. Take quantity"



The West translates the Russian Cyrillic letter X as "Kh" (Kh-29,Kh-31,etc), so I corrected everything to X in the text.
Original designations are X-29, X-31, X-55, X-101, etc.


The Pentagon admitted to powerlessness in front of the Soviet X-22 missiles

The Defense News portal, citing a Pentagon source, said that the US Army "will not be able to effectively counter H-22 missiles." "Gazeta.Ru" figured out what frightened the Americans.

The first X-22 Burya missiles were put into service in 1971. Under the "Storm" even the Tu-22 and Tu-95 aircraft were converted from a strategic bomber into a missile carrier.
The original purpose of the X-22 Burya missiles was to destroy enemy aircraft carriers and aircraft carrier strike groups (AUGs) using a nuclear or high-explosive-cumulative warhead.

Hit accuracy is ensured by an active radar homing head. The rocket speed was Mach 3.5, the maximum range of destruction was up to 600 km.

The subsequent version of the X-22 missile, the air-to-ground winged X-32 (known as product 9-A-2362), was adopted by the RF Armed Forces in 2016. The new missile has a modernized engine with increased thrust, which allows to accelerate the new "Storm" to almost Mach 5 (from above - already hypersonic), raise it in flight up to 30 km and hit targets at a distance of up to 1000 km.
“X-22 missiles have never been used for their main purpose, namely as anti-ship missiles,” military expert captain 1st rank of the reserve Vasily Dandykin told Gazeta.Ru. - Their effectiveness was tested only during firing practice at sea and ground targets.
The initial accuracy left much to be desired, especially at extreme distances, when the deviation reached 600 meters, which was compensated by the massive missile attack on the grouping of ships. The optimal distance for the X-22 is considered to be a distance of 300 kilometers, when the accuracy of the defeat increased.

At the same time, the speed of the rocket made it difficult to shoot it down.

Military analyst and publicist Vladislav Shurygin agrees with this point of view.

“The X-22 missile was rarely used against sea targets,” Shurygin told Gazeta.Ru. - There is such a nuance - the plane cannot return with unused ammunition because of the design of the rocket, in which the keels open, capable of hooking the runway during landing.
X-22 "Storm" were used during a special military operation in Ukraine. They destroyed the arsenals with foreign weapons in Kremenchug, attacked the infrastructure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy regions.

“Ukrainian media hastened to state that the Russians allegedly ran out of Kalibr and they use anti-ship missiles with low accuracy, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine effectively shoot them down. It's a lie ! Although X-22 missiles are anti-ship, they can find and hit ground targets with no less success. It all depends on the object requiring destruction, for which the appropriate ammunition is selected, ”said Dandykin.

Military expert Boris Dzherelievsky, in turn, believes that the use of the X-22 in Ukraine was "an unpleasant surprise for NATO."
“Until this year, both in the United States and throughout NATO, they were convinced that Russia did not have a wide range of high-precision weapons,” Dzherelievsky told Gazeta.Ru. - The West considered "Kalibrs", "Kinzhals", "Zircons" some kind of Russian myth and refused to believe in their mass production. And they simply forgot about the X-22. The use of these weapons made them look differently at the whole concept of modern warfare. Figuratively speaking, they tried these missiles on themselves and realized that they were not able to resist them in the event of an armed conflict with Russia.”

The expert added that in the situation with the X-22 there is more panic because of their numbers. Officially, the number of missiles is unknown, but according to open sources, their number in warehouses may exceed several thousand units.

“It is, of course, possible to shoot down even such a high-speed missile using American and European missile defense systems, but anti-missiles are much more expensive and their number is smaller. The cost of launching one Patriot PAC-3 MANPADS missile is about $3 million. The price of the X-22 is about ten to fifteen times less. Russia can just throw Europe and the US X-22. Take quantity. This is what scared the Pentagon,” concluded Dzherelievsky.

Viktor Sokirko

https://vpk.name/news/626001_rossiya_mozhet_zakidat_evropu_i_ssha_raketami_h-22_vzyat_kolichestvom.html?new#new

03.11.2022
Izvestia.ru

The source said that the Russian Federation used Kh-32 cruise missiles as part of a special operation




RIA Novosti: Russian Aerospace Forces attacked Ukrainian military facilities with X-32 cruise missiles

Russian long-range bombers have repeatedly used the new Kh-32 cruise missiles - "aircraft carrier killers" - to deliver precision strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure as part of a special operation. This was announced on Wednesday, November 2, by a RIA Novosti source familiar with the situation.

According to him, not a single Kh-32 missile was intercepted by the enemy's air defense system.

“As part of the SMO, the converted Tu-22M3s conducted a whole series of launches of new Kh-32 supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles at ground facilities of the military infrastructure of the Ukrainian side. As a result, in combat conditions, the ability of missiles to effectively and accurately hit ground targets was fully confirmed, ”said the agency’s interlocutor.

The main purpose of the Kh-32 is the destruction of surface ships. The missile has improved characteristics for breaking through the air defense system of aircraft carrier groups, however, according to the source, “today, the Kh-32, in essence, is no longer a specialized anti-ship missile, but a universal missile system that is capable of hitting both surface and small-sized missiles with equally high efficiency. ground targets.

Earlier that day, Izvestia correspondent Alexander Morozov shared footage of the operation of cruise missiles of the operational-tactical missile system (OTRK) Iskander-M. The command of the crews noted the high efficiency of the crews of the Iskander-M OTRK in defeating the most important targets of Ukrainian militants.

On October 17, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said that during the special operation, the Russian military continues to strike with precision-guided missiles at the military infrastructure of Ukrainian militants.

https://vpk.name/news/649312_istochnik_soobshil_ob_ispolzovanii_rf_krylatyh_raket_h-32_v_ramkah_specoperacii.html

I do not understand why they do not simply replace this with air launched Kinzhal on the Tu-22M3M which would be much superior.

The expert added that in the situation with the X-22 there is more panic because of their numbers. Officially, the number of missiles is unknown, but according to open sources, their number in warehouses may exceed several thousand units.

“It is, of course, possible to shoot down even such a high-speed missile using American and European missile defense systems, but anti-missiles are much more expensive and their number is smaller. The cost of launching one Patriot PAC-3 MANPADS missile is about $3 million. The price of the X-22 is about ten to fifteen times less. Russia can just throw Europe and the US X-22. Take quantity. This is what scared the Pentagon,” concluded Dzherelievsky.

Viktor Sokirko

https://vpk.name/news/626001_rossiya_mozhet_zakidat_evropu_i_ssha_raketami_h-22_vzyat_kolichestvom.html?new#new

It would be great if Russia released a few storage depot videos just to make the west understand there they can rain artillery and missiles down. Maybe also "welcome to the Geranium factory"

lancelot wrote:I do not understand why they do not simply replace this with air launched Kinzhal on the Tu-22M3M which would be much superior.

Because they have them and they work fine. Kh-32 is similar in caracteristics to Kinzhal. 2 missiles means if one doesn't work the second may work. Harder to defend against 2 types of missile than 1.

It also has a radar in the nose which may not be the case with kinzhal and it works in a smart salvos just like p-700.

Moreover Kinzhal is a sniper with 1 or 2 launched to attack the carrier, kh-32 is a machine gun with a huge salvo launched to attack a carrier and its escort.

04.11.2022
Gazeta.ru

New Russian Kh-32 missiles bypass Ukraine's air defense


Photo; TASS

What is known about the use of Kh-32 missiles during a special operation in Ukraine

Among the missiles used by the Russian Aerospace Forces to destroy military facilities in Ukraine, new Kh-32s were noted. According to media reports, none of these missiles were shot down by enemy air defenses. The launches were carried out from an air platform - Tu-22M3 bombers from a long range, and the speed of this missile does not allow it to be attacked by any of the existing Western anti-aircraft systems. "Gazeta.Ru" understood the features of the new missile and its use during the SMO.

During a special operation in Ukraine, Russian long-range bombers deliver precision strikes on Ukrainian military targets with new Kh-32 cruise missiles, sometimes called “aircraft carrier killers,” RIA Novosti reports citing an informed source.
Kh-32s have repeatedly carried out high-precision strikes against military targets. In particular, they destroyed the arsenals with foreign weapons in Kremenchug, attacked the infrastructure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy regions. At the same time, as the agency notes, all targets were hit.

Kiev then claimed that the Russian Aerospace Forces used Kh-22 Burya long-range air-launched anti-ship missiles, according to NATO classification AS-4 Kitchen (“Kitchen”). In general, it is possible to confuse these two types of missiles due to their external similarity, but the Kh-32 has much greater capabilities.

“Despite the fact that the Kh-22 missile, like the subsequent Kh-32, are by definition anti-ship, they are universal missile systems capable of hitting both surface and ground targets with equal efficiency. With a warhead weight of 500 kg and high hitting accuracy, these missiles cause maximum damage to the target being hit not due to fragments or a shock wave, but with a high-explosive point action that can disable both a ship and a small-sized protected target on land, ”said “ Gazete.Ru” military expert captain 1st rank of the reserve Vasily Dandykin.



The Kh-32 air-to-ground missile (known as product 9-A-2362) was adopted by the RF Armed Forces in 2016, and is an exact copy of the Kh-22 missile, but this is only a superficial resemblance. In 2010, it was included in the state defense order for the Tu-22M3 strategic bomber, a little later - for the Tu-22M3M. After a series of launches at the training ground, the Ministry of Defense ordered a batch of Kh-22s for their subsequent replacement with Kh-32s.

The new rocket received a modernized engine with increased thrust, which allows to accelerate the new "Storm" to almost Mach 5 (from above - already hypersonic), raise it in flight up to 40 km and get a range of 1000 km.

Plus, the X-32 has new digital electronic equipment, which includes an on-board digital computer system, an anti-jamming active-passive radar station and its own electronic countermeasures systems. This missile is capable of attacking a target in a steep dive, which excludes its interception by missile defense systems and makes it invisible to enemy radar.

At the same time, the expert notes, unification is also characteristic of other latest Russian missile systems. In particular, "Caliber" can work on various targets both at sea and on land, including mobile ones, says Dandykin.

“Hypersonic Zircons, also presented as anti-ship missiles, are capable of aiming at ground targets with a guaranteed effect of destruction. Plus, in contrast to the Kh-22, which is carried by the Tu-22M3 strategic bomber, the Zircons are also provided with a ground-based platform,” says Gazeta.Ru’s interlocutor.

The dimensions of the X-32 are about the same as those of the X-22. This is a length of about 11.5 m and a wingspan of 3 m. The speed is almost hypersonic - 5,600 km / h, twice the maximum allowable speed for interception by the American SM-6 anti-missile, which accelerates to Mach 3.5 and operates in altitude up to 33 km.

The X-32 has a peculiarity - it can rise after separation from the carrier aircraft to a height of up to 40 km and then dive vertically at the target, making it impossible for the American ship's missile defense systems to destroy it. The multi-frequency radar of this missile has increased resistance to all modern electronic warfare systems. It has a new missile and a record range among all anti-ship missiles of 1000 km.

“The Iskander-M complex has become a real “hard worker” of the military special operation in Ukraine from the family of high-precision Russian missile weapons,” military expert Colonel of the Reserve Gennady Alekhin told Gazeta.Ru. - They are used most often, as can be seen from the videos of the Ministry of Defense, judging by the reports, Kalibr missiles launched from ships in the Black Sea are also effectively used. But about the use of "Kinzhals" and missiles such as the Kh-32, you can hear much less often.
This is a "piece" product, used for special needs.

The price in the cost of production, by the way, is also important here. Without detracting from the merits of the Iskanders and Calibers, which are above all praise in all respects, the dosed use of the Kinzhals and Kh-32s is quite justified. Firstly, due to their recent entry into service, not so many such missiles have been produced, and secondly, sparrows are not fired from a cannon. These same ones hit the squirrel in the eye.

Viktor Sokyrko

https://vpk.name/news/650051_novye_rossiiskie_rakety_h-32_oboshli_pvo_ukrainy.html

The Kh-32 can be carried by the Tu-22M3 three at a time, while Kinzhal can only be carried by MiG-31K AFAIK at the moment.

They have made thousands of Kh-32s and being liquid fuelled rockets it makes it easier to upgrade older missiles to the new standard, so probably 20K missiles are available.

The Kh-32 has half the speed of Kinzhal but it likely also has a heavier warhead, the Iskander has a warhead of about 650kgs, while the Kh-22M has a 930kg warhead...

But different missiles have different launch platforms and methods and warheads and impact speeds so there is plenty of opportunity to pick the right tool for any specific job.

It seems the Kinzhal has not been integrated into the Tu-22M3 so far. Should be not a great deal but considering the habit of the MoD for testing anything for years...

Some sources state that at least 3.000 Kh-22 were produced. Maybe 1.000 are left and will be upgraded to the Kh-32.

As I see it the Kinzahl will be used to kill the "bodyguards" and the Kh-32 to sink the carrier. But it will be replaced by either a air-launched version of the Tsirkon or some
heavier hypersonic missile in the next years.

Kinzhal is the lighter missile by around 2 tons, so the Tu-22M3 should be able to carry at least 4.

True but the Kinzhal (solid rocket fuel) and Kh-32 (liquid propellent rocket) are not ideal in terms of efficient propulsion systems... Zircon scoops air from the atmosphere as it moves so it does not have to contain oxidiser on board which makes it dramatically smaller and lighter, and yet capable of higher flight speeds because a scramjet does not need to limit airflow speeds through it to prevent supersonic airflow through the combustion section.

They are planning an 11 metre long hypersonic missile with a flight range of about 10,000km...

Kh-32s are conversions from existing Kh-22s and they only made around a thousand of the latter. Its a huge missile, almost as big as the early turbojet fighter so they can't really crank them out like sausages either.

The much earlier Anti Ship missiles were very similar to MiG-15 jet aircraft types, but they could actually make them in enormous numbers because although they were fighter aircraft size they were cheap old MiG-15 and MiG-21 type simple fighters and not complex expensive Su-57 or F-35 aircraft types.

The Kh-22/Kh-32 are much much simpler than the older AS-3 types that were like fighter planes in their own right.

They actually offered the Kh-22M as a drone for testing high speeds at around mach 4-5 in the 1990s...

They also inherited the toxic liquid propellants from the Kh-22 which required special equipment to handle. One more reason to replace it with the solid-fuelled Kinzhal.

The liquid fuel is nasty, but solid rocket fuel is not that much better, but not having to fuel up missiles before launch is a good thing.

The thing is that Kinzhal is a stopgap measure using an existing missile already in mass production so they will likely make a lot of them... but the core problem is that when launched from a MiG-31K, the release height can be 16-18km and the release speed can be mach 2.5 or faster, but with the Backfire the release height can't be above 12km and wont be faster than mach 1.5 with four missiles carried externally... so there will be a reduction in range and flight speed with a Backfire release aircraft.

Of course the subsonic cruise range of the Backfire means a much larger launch footprint, and the missile manouvering is what gets it past enemy air defences, not its extreme speed... the ground launched missile will be slower yet still gets through.

A scramjet powered missile will have advantage in size and weight as well as speed and range...

Also depends if they are available, or not.

Which means having both creates more flexibility...