Kh-555

Kh-555. The Kh-555 is a Russian long-range, subsonic, air-launched cruise missile developed as a conventional variant of the nuclear-armed Kh-55. Designed by the Raduga Design Bureau and entering service with the Russian Aerospace Forces in the early 2000s, it represents a key component of Russia's strategic strike capability. The missile is intended to deliver high-explosive or submunition warheads with high precision against high-value stationary targets, such as command centers and infrastructure, at stand-off ranges.

Development and design

The development of the Kh-555 was initiated in the 1990s to address the Russian military's need for a long-range conventional precision strike weapon, filling a capability gap left by the exclusively nuclear Kh-55. Engineers at the Raduga Design Bureau, part of the Tactical Missiles Corporation, extensively redesigned the original missile, integrating a new guidance system and a conventional warhead. The design process focused on improving accuracy and reliability, incorporating technologies like a modernized inertial navigation system (INS) augmented by GLONASS satellite navigation, terrain contour matching (TERCOM), and an optical digital scene matching area correlator (DSMAC) for terminal guidance. The airframe, constructed with composite materials and featuring folding wings and tail surfaces for carriage in internal weapons bays, is powered by a small, efficient turbofan engine, with a solid-fuel rocket booster used for launch from the aircraft.

Operational history

The Kh-555 entered operational service around 2004, initially deployed on modernized Tupolev Tu-95MS and Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Its first confirmed combat use occurred during the Russian military intervention in Syria, where missiles were launched from bombers over the Caspian Sea and by Tupolev Tu-22M3 long-range bombers to strike targets associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and other militant groups. The missile saw extensive use during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022, where it has been employed in large-scale barrages against Ukrainian military infrastructure, energy facilities, and industrial centers. These strikes, often coordinated with other systems like the Kalibr and Iskander, have demonstrated its role in Russia's doctrine of long-range precision strikes, though its effectiveness has been contested by Ukrainian Air Force claims of interceptions using air defense systems like the S-300 and Patriot.

Variants

The primary variant is the basic Kh-555 with a high-explosive or cluster submunition warhead. An enhanced version, sometimes referred to as the Kh-555M or Kh-555-ODB, features improvements in range, reportedly extending to 3,500 km, and may incorporate more advanced guidance components and stealth features. Another related development is the Kh-101, a completely new, stealthier air-launched cruise missile with a similar conventional role but more advanced avionics and a different design lineage, which has largely succeeded the Kh-555 in production. The nuclear-capable progenitor, the Kh-55, and its various derivatives like the Kh-55SM, remain in the arsenal but are separate systems.

Specifications

The Kh-555 is a subsonic missile with an estimated length of approximately 7.5 meters and a launch weight of around 1,500 kg. It is powered by a turbofan engine with a solid-fuel rocket booster for initial launch, giving it a published operational range between 2,000 and 3,500 kilometers depending on the flight profile and variant. Its guidance suite combines an inertial navigation system (INS) with updates from the GLONASS satellite constellation, mid-course correction via terrain contour matching (TERCOM), and terminal homing using an optical digital scene matching area correlator (DSMAC). The missile can be equipped with a 410 kg high-explosive penetrating warhead or a thermobaric warhead, and it is designed for carriage and launch from the internal rotary launchers of the Tupolev Tu-95MS and Tupolev Tu-160, or externally on the Tupolev Tu-22M3.

Operators

The sole operator of the Kh-555 is the Russian Federation. The missile is deployed exclusively by the Russian Aerospace Forces under the command of the Russian Air Force's Long-Range Aviation branch. It is integrated into the strategic bomber fleet, primarily with units operating the Tupolev Tu-95MS (Bear) and Tupolev Tu-160 (Blackjack), and also with some regiments flying the Tupolev Tu-22M3 (Backfire) supersonic bomber. There have been no confirmed exports of the Kh-555 to other countries, such as Algeria, China, or India, which have historically operated other Russian cruise missile systems.

Category:Cruise missiles of Russia Category:Air-to-surface missiles of Russia