Russia's return to Kh‑55 missiles: Implications for Ukraine
Bomb disposal experts in Kyiv discovered a Russian Kh-55 missile, which sheds new light on the attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure from 28 November 2024, reports the Ukrainian portal Defense Express. According to their findings, "this means Russians have revived the practice of using Soviet Kh-55s as decoys during massive waves of loitering munitions and missiles equipped with actual warheads."
Bomb disposal experts in Kyiv neutralised a crashed Russian Kh-55 missile used during the attack on 28 November 2024. This discovery indicates Russia's return to using these missiles to overwhelm Ukrainian air defence. Defense Express explains that the temporary withdrawal of Kh-55 missiles from use was because the engines from these missiles are used in the production of other missiles - the Kh-101, which the Russian Federation regularly uses.
They used the Kh-55 missile after a break
It is unclear what warhead was mounted on this missile. Usually, Russians used imitators of large warheads. However, it is known that the aggressor's army was to use the Kh-55 as bait. The missile was launched along with a swarm of drones (95 units). This practice aims to confuse Ukrainian anti-aircraft defences and allow more drones to penetrate through.
The Kh-55 is a Russian air-to-surface cruise missile, designed in the 1970s. It was officially introduced into the Russian military arsenal in 1984, after a series of tests that lasted six years. Due to their properties, these missiles are armaments of bombers such as the Tu-95MS and Tu-160. In the case of the first model, Tu-95MS, it is possible to mount six such missiles, while the Tu-160 bomber, which is larger than the former, can carry up to twelve Kh-55 units.
The construction of the Kh-55 missile is relatively large. It measures over 6 metres in length with a diameter of about 0.5 metres. The mass of this missile is about 1,700 kilograms. It is powered by a turbojet engine and is equipped with advanced navigation systems, including inertial, satellite, and terrain mapping navigation. This set of technologies allows it to hit the designated target with precision within a few metres. The missile has a range of about 3,000 kilometres.
