Patriot, Iris-T, NASAMS failed: Not a single Kh-22 missile downed

The onset of the war in Ukraine in February 2022 marked a notable challenge for Ukrainian air defenses. These defenses, both locally produced and supplied by the West, have been unable to intercept a single Kh-22 cruise missile, according to a statement by Yuriy Ignat, the spokesperson for the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This revelation was reported by the Russian website, Top War.

Ignat’s declaration essentially underscores the inefficiency of local air defenses in repelling ballistic missiles, a point heavily emphasized by the Russian media, bulgarianmilitary.com reports.

Ignat further elucidated the difficulties faced, “Given the Kh-22 missile’s capability to fly at a rapid pace of 4 thousand kilometers per hour and its tendency to follow a primarily ballistic trajectory, specific interceptive measures are required. With the enemy deploying over 300 such missiles, our troubles are far from over. Moreover, there is also a modernized version of this missile – the Kh-32. The fact that they have been unsuccessful in their attempts so far is a matter of grave concern,” Ignat affirmed, emphasizing the absence of any successful interceptions.

The claims made by Russian media are indeed accurate. Earlier this year, a quote from Ignat, as reported by Deutsche Welle, corroborated this. “Not a single Kh-22 cruise missile was destroyed. Not today, not at any point,” Ignat confirmed.

He further elucidates that this missile, despite being assumed to have wings, is supersonic. It typically cruises along a ballistic trajectory at a staggering speed of roughly four thousand kilometers per hour. “Hence, it isn’t possible to intercept these missiles using conventional air defense methods,” Ignat further asserted.

The Russian media’s assertions are further substantiated by the recent missile assault carried out on December 28 and 29. Despite Ukraine’s air defenses intercepting a significant number of the missiles launched, no confirmation exists regarding the interception of the eight Kh-22 missiles launched by a Tu-95 bomber.

According to Ukrainian media outlet Defense Express, the attack did not result in the downing of the subsequent Russian missiles: “14 S-300/S-400/Iskander-M missiles originating from occupied Crimea, as well as from the Kursk and Belgorod regions of Russia; 8 cruise missiles Kh-22/Kh-32, launched from Tu-22M3 bombers; 5 Kh-47M2 ‘Dagger’ aeroballistic missiles; 4 Kh-31 missiles; and 1 Kh-59 missile.”

“These missiles present an exceptionally challenging target. Regrettably, our current inventory falls short of anti-aircraft missile systems capable of effectively combating them. The adversary utilizes this advantage, tailoring missile targets based on intelligence findings,” shared the Ukrainian media source.

MKB Raduga, a firm based in the Soviet Union, created the Kh-22, a large anti-ship missile with a long range, also known by the NATO code name AS-4 ‘Kitchen’. Primarily, the missile is designed to combat aircraft carriers and carrier battle groups, and it can be equipped with either a conventional or nuclear warhead. In 2016, the Kh-32, an updated conventional variant of the Kh-22 featuring a better rocket motor and a novel seeker head, was commissioned.

The Kh-22 is powered by a Tumansky liquid-fuel rocket engine, which uses TG-02 [Tonka-250] and IRFNA [inhibited red fuming nitric acid] as fuel. This power allows it to reach stunning speeds of up to Mach 4.6 and travel as far as 600 km [320 nautical miles].

There are two launching modes for the Kh-22: high-altitude and low-altitude. When launched in high-altitude mode, the missile soars to 27,000 m [89,000 ft] before diving at intense speed into its target, reaching terminal velocities of around Mach 4.6. Conversely, in the low-altitude mode, it climbs to 12,000 m [39,000 ft] and descends at approximately Mach 3.5 in a more gradual dive. To maintain its path, the missile utilizes both a gyroscope-stabilized autopilot and a radio altimeter.