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Kh-101

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The Kh-101 (Russian: Х-101; NATO reporting name: AS-23 "Kodiak") is a Russian subsonic air-launched cruise missile. Designed in the 1990s, it underwent testing in the 2000s and entered service in the 2010s, seeing use in the Syrian Civil War and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Kh-101/102
AS-23 Kodiak
Kh-101 missile. Above: as transported. Middle: as fired.
TypeAir-launched cruise missile
Place of originRussia
Service history
Used byRussian Aerospace Forces
Wars
Production history
ManufacturerMKB Raduga
Specifications
Mass2,400 kg (5,300 lb) (Kh-101)[2]
Length745 cm (24 ft 5 in) (Kh-101)[2]
WarheadConventional (Kh-101)
Thermonuclear (Kh-102)
EngineTRDD-50A turbojet
450 kgf
Propellantjet fuel
Operational
range
3,500 km
Maximum speed Mach 0.6-0.78 (Kh-101)[2]
Guidance
system
inertial guidance with Doppler radar/terrain map updates
Launch
platform
Tu-95MS, Tu-160

The Kh-102 is a strategic version of the Kh-101, armed with a nuclear warhead; it has not been used.[citation needed]

Development

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In the late 1980s work began on a replacement for the Kh-55 cruise missile, with either conventional (Kh-101) or nuclear (Kh-102) warheads[3] and greater stealth. The new missile was designed by Igor Seleznyev of Raduga.[2] The importance of advanced missiles as "force multipliers" increased as Russia's fleet of available cruise-missile bombers declined in the early 1990s.[4] The cancellation of the ambitious Kh-90 ramjet missile due to the INF Treaty in 1987 led to a renewed emphasis on improving on the Kh-55, in particular to achieve the <20 m accuracy required to hit infrastructure targets with conventional – as opposed to nuclear – warheads. The first flight of the Kh-101 was in 1998, and evaluation trials started in 2000.[3]

The first tests were conducted in 1995 and the missile was accepted for service in 2012.[5] The first pictures of the Kh-101 appeared in 2007.[6][7]

Design

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Kh-101 missiles under the wings of a Tupolev Tu-95

The Kh-101/102 is specifically designed for air launch, abandoning the circular fuselage cross-section of the Kh-55 for a nose and forward fuselage section aerodynamically shaped to produce lift. It is 7.45 m (24.4 ft) long with a launch weight of 2,200–2,400 kg (4,900–5,300 lb), and is equipped with a 400 kg (880 lb) high-explosive, penetrating, or cluster warhead, or a 250 kt nuclear warhead for the Kh-102. The missile is powered by a TRDD-50A turbojet producing 450 kgf of thrust to cruise at 700–720 km/h (Mach 0.57 – Mach 0.59) with a maximum speed of 970 km/h (Mach 0.79) while flying 30–70 m above the ground, and hit fixed targets using a pre-downloaded digital map for terrain following and GLONASS/INS for trajectory correction to achieve accuracy of 6–10 meters; it is claimed to be able to hit small moving targets such as vehicles using a terminal electro-optical sensor or imaging infrared system. The missiles are equipped with an onboard EW defence system as of late 2018.[8][9][10][11][12] It has a range of around 3,500 km.[13]

The Tu-95MS can carry eight of the weapons on under-wing pylons,[14] and the Tu-160 can be outfitted with two drum launchers each loaded with six missiles.

The Kh-SD tactical version was to have been carried by the Tu-95MS (fourteen missiles) and the Tu-22M (eight missiles).[15]

Operational history

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Syrian Civil War

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Kh-101 launch by Tu-160 in Syria
 
A Tu-160 bomber launching a Kh-101 cruise missile against targets in Syria, November 2015

In the course of the Russian bombing of Syria on 17 November 2015, Russian Defense Ministry reported that Tupolev Tu-95MS and Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers launched a total of 34 cruise missiles against 14 ISIL targets in Syria.[16][17] While the Tu-95MS used the Kh-55 cruise missile,[18] the Tu-160s were equipped with the Kh-101 in their first combat use.[17][19][20][21]

Russian news agency TASS reported on 17 November 2016 that modernized Tu-95MS armed with Kh-55 and Kh-101 cruise missiles had launched airstrikes against targets in Syria.[22][23]

On 17 February 2017, Tu-95MS strategic bombers, flying from the Russian territory through the airspace of Iran and Iraq, attacked purported ISIL facilities near the Syrian city of Raqqa with the Kh-101 cruise missiles. The targets included purported militant camps and training centers as well as a command center of a major ISIL unit.[citation needed] Russian Tu-95MS long-range bombers struck ISIL targets in Syria again on 5 July 2017, at a range of about 1,000 kilometers.[24][better source needed] On 26 September 2017, Russia's Tu-95MS strategic bombers carried out further missile strikes with Kh-101 on ISIL and the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda (now known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) in the provinces of Idlib and Deir Ezzor.[25]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

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Kh-101 wreckage discovered on 26 January 2023 in Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine

The Kh-101 has been used extensively in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. US Department of Defense sources claimed that they experienced a not-insignificant failure rate: "either they're failing to launch, or they're failing to hit the target, or they're failing to explode on contact."[26] Ukraine at War: Paving the Road from Survival to Victory,[27] a July 2022 study published by the UK Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) for Defense and Security Studies, disagreed, noting that "as far as Ukrainian military scientists can determine, this is actually quite rare", with RUSI instead attributing the high rate of downed missiles to Ukrainian interception.

On 6 March 2022, about eight Kh-101 cruise missiles launched by Tu-160 and Tu-95MS strategic bombers from over the Black Sea targeted the Havryshivka Vinnytsia International Airport.[28]

On 14 September 2022, Ukrainian MoD reported Russian forces used eight Kh-101 cruise missiles, probably from Tu-95MS bombers, to target various hydraulic structures in Kryvyi Rih. This caused the water level of the Inhulets river to rise sharply.[29] Previously it was reported that Kh-22 missiles had been used.[30]

During the 29 December 2023 Russian strikes on Ukraine Kh-101s were seen deploying decoy flares.[31]

According to Defense Express, analysis of wreckage and debris from a Kh-101 shot down over Ukraine in March 2024 indicates that starting from early 2024, the size of the Kh-101 warhead was increased from 450kg to 800kg. This increase was made possible by reducing the capacity of the fuel tank, which accordingly lowers the range of the missile.[32]

During the 8 July 2024 missile attacks six Kh-101 missiles hit the building of the Artem machine building plant in Kyiv.[33][34][35] Another Russian Kh-101 missile hit the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv in the same attack. One doctor and one adult civilian were killed[36] and 16 people, including seven children, were injured.[37] The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied that Russia hit the hospital and claimed the destruction was caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile. Pro-Russian sources variously described it as "an American Patriot air defense missile" or an AIM-120 AMRAAM.[38] Footage of the attack shows a Kh-101 cruise missile striking the hospital,[39][38] with the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine assessing a direct missile hit to have been 'highly likely'.[40] Images also showed remnants of a Kh-101 missile in the ruins of the hospital.[38]

Financial Times reported on 10 July 2024, citing an analysis by the Office of the President of Ukraine, that Russia surged the production of Kh-101 by eight times from 56 missiles before the war to 420 missiles in 2023 and also claimed that the missile uses more than 50 Western-made components.[41][42][43]

On the early morning of September 2, 2024, 14 Kh-101 missiles, part of a larger attack from Tu-95MS planes from Volgograd, were launched. Also, on the same day, fragments of a missile, allegedly the remains of a Kh-101, were removed in Kyiv.[44]

Variants

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  • Kh-101 (NATO AS-23A "Kodiak") - conventional variant. During the war in Ukraine, starting in January 2023, Russia made use of a Kh-101 air-launched version, that releases decoy flares in flight.[45]
    • A variant of the Kh-101 has been used in the Russo-Ukrainian War, with a second high explosive warhead containing steel fragments. Increasing the total warhead weight from 450 kg to about 800 kg, this comes at the expense of range due to reduced fuel capacity.[46]
  • Kh-102 (NATO AS-23B "Kodiak") - nuclear variant.

References

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  1. ^ "25 Russian long-range strategic bombers in action over Syria for the very first time". Theaviationist.com. 17 November 2015. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d "Air Force Priority Given To Conventional Cruise", Jane's Defence Weekly, 19 August 1995, archived from the original on 4 June 2009
  3. ^ a b "Kh-101/-102", Jane's Strategic Weapon Systems, 8 September 2008, archived from the original on 4 August 2008, retrieved 6 February 2009
  4. ^ "Kh-101, Kh-102 (Russian Federation), Air-to-surface missiles - Stand-off and cruise", Jane's Air-Launched Weapons, 28 July 2008, archived from the original on 4 June 2009, retrieved 6 February 2009
  5. ^ "Х-101/102, крылатые ракеты". Arms-expo.ru. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  6. ^ "В России прошли испытания высокоточной ракеты Х-555, которая "попадает прямо в окно"". NEWSru.com. 26 May 2005. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  7. ^ "Details emerge of Russia's latest cruise missiles", Jane's Defence Systems News, 22 October 2007, archived from the original on 25 February 2008, retrieved 6 February 2009
  8. ^ Russia to field Kh-101 cruise missile next year Archived 29 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine - Flightglobal.com, 27 September 2012
  9. ^ Ready for War: Russia's Stealthy Kh-101 Cruise Missile Debuts in Syria Archived 29 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine - Nationalinterest.org, 18 November 2015
  10. ^ Russian bombers deploy Kh-101 cruise missiles over Syria Archived 23 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine - Flightglobal.com, 19 November 2015
  11. ^ Latest Russian Strikes on Syria Employ New Cruise Missile Archived 5 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine - Ainonline.com, 20 November 2015
  12. ^ Tactical Missiles Corporation plans to upgrade Kh-101 cruise missile Archived 29 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine - Airrecognition.com, 18 August 2016
  13. ^ Butowski, Piotr (14 September 2022). "Russia's Secretive Long-Range Bomber Operations Against Ukraine". The War Zone.
  14. ^ "[Actu] Modernisation du Tupolev Tu-95MS". Red Samovar. 22 October 2021.
  15. ^ "Kh-65SE/Kh-SD", Jane's Strategic Weapon Systems, 9 September 2008, archived from the original on 4 June 2009, retrieved 6 February 2009
  16. ^ Video on YouTube[dead link]
  17. ^ a b Larrinaga, Nicholas (17 November 2015). "Russia launches long-range air sorties into Syria". IHS Jane's Defence Weekly. IHS Jane's 360. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  18. ^ Video on YouTube
  19. ^ "Russian bombers deploy Kh-101 cruise missiles over Syria". Flightglobal.com. 19 November 2015. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  20. ^ Video on YouTube
  21. ^ Video on YouTube
  22. ^ "Russian bombers deliver strike at terrorist strongholds in Syria — Defense Ministry". TASS. 17 November 2016. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  23. ^ "Russia's Tupolev-95MSM bomber delivers first-ever strike on mission to Syria". TASS. 17 November 2016. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  24. ^ "Dismantling of ISIS's objects by cruise missiles X-101 of strategic missile carriers Tu-95MS". Russian Defence Ministry. 5 July 2017. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2020 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ "Нанесение авиаударов Ту-95МС крылатыми ракетами Х-101 по объектам ИГИЛ в Сирии". Russian Defence Ministry. 26 September 2017. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2020 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ Douglas Barrie (1 April 2022). "Ukraine: Russia's air-launched cruise missiles coming up short". The International Institute for Strategic Studies. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  27. ^ Watling, Jack; Reynolds, Nick (4 July 2022). Ukraine at War - Paving the Road from Survival to Victory (PDF) (Report). Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI). Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  28. ^ "Missile strikes on Vinnytsia airfield launched from Black Sea". ukrinform.net. 6 March 2022. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  29. ^ "Russian missile strike damaged hydraulic structures in Kryvyi Rih". mil.in.ua. 14 September 2022. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  30. ^ "Water level of Ukraine's river Inhulets rises after Russia strikes hydraulic structures of Kryvyi Rih". Novaya Gazeta. 14 September 2022. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  31. ^ Joseph Trevithick (29 December 2023). "Russian Kh-101 Cruise Missile Filmed Firing-Off Decoy Flares". The War Zone.
  32. ^ "russia Started Production of the Kh-101 With Two Warheads, Making the Missile Twice As Dangerous". en.defence-ua.com.
  33. ^ "Ukraine reels after one of Russia's deadliest air attacks". Le Monde. Just before the deadly strike on Ohmatdyt, six Russian cruise missiles rained down on the Artem military components factory
  34. ^ "Russian offensive campaign assesment, July 8, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 10 July 2024. other Russian missiles actually hit the Artem Plant during the strike
  35. ^ "ТАСС: ВС России ударили по военному заводу "Артем" в Киеве, поражен склад". Российская газета (in Russian). 8 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  36. ^ Santora, Marc; Hoffman, Brendan (8 July 2024). "Russia Strikes Children's Hospital in Deadly Barrage Across Ukraine". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  37. ^ Sean Seddon (9 July 2024). "Ukraine mourns after day of Russian air strikes". BBC News.
  38. ^ a b c Sheldon, Michael; Fiorella, Giancarlo (9 July 2024). "Russian Missile Identified in Kyiv Children's Hospital Attack". Bellingcat.
  39. ^ "Putin bombs children's hospital in 'genocidal' hypersonic blitz that killed 33". The US Sun. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  40. ^ Humayun, Helen Regan, Hira (10 July 2024). "UN says 'high likelihood' a Russian cruise missile hit Ukraine's main children's hospital". CNN. Retrieved 10 July 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  41. ^ "Russian missile with foreign components targets Kyiv children's hospital". Ukraine News Premier Independent English-language Source — The New Voice of Ukraine. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  42. ^ "FirstFT: Western parts used in type of Russian missile that hit Kyiv children's hospital". Financial Times. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  43. ^ "x.com". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  44. ^ "Sappers remove fragments of Kh-101 missile in Kyiv". www.ukrinform.net. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  45. ^ Trevithick, Joseph (29 December 2023). "Russian Kh-101 Cruise Missile Filmed Firing-Off Decoy Flares". The Drive. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  46. ^ THOMAS NEWDICK (8 May 2024). "Russia Now Firing Kh-101 Cruise Missiles Modified With Two Warheads At Ukraine". TWZ. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
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