Raduga Kh-32
Long-range aviation of the Russian Air Force awaited the modernized model of the Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber, which is capable of using the latest Kh-32 missiles, which has been developed since the early 1990s by the Tupolev Design Bureau. The main visible difference between the Kh-22 and Kh-32 is the size of the radome. The older Kh-22's is larger, extending further down the fuselage. According to information available in open sources, in 2014, the serial production of new missiles began, and at the end of 2016, the Kh-32 was officially put into service.
On 27 March 2024 Partisans released secret documents regarding the production of Russian Kh-32 cruise missiles at one of the enemy's specialized enterprises. Russia planned to manufacture 224 missiles of this type there during 2024, according to the resistance movement ATESH. "We previously reported that our agent infiltrated the Dubna Machine-Building Plant and obtained secret documents related to the production of cruise missiles. At that time, we learned about the production plans and the actual capabilities of the enterprise," the partisans write, noting that the plant did not meet the production plan 2022.
They also reported that the director of the Russian Defense Industry Department, Andrey Peregudov, demands that the director of the enterprise increase the production volumes of the specified type of missile. "For 2024, it is planned to produce - 224 missiles," ATESH noted. According to partisan information, they are already falling behind schedule, as it was in previous years.
In the 1980s, KB "Raduga", looking for a replacement for the old X-22 anti-ship missiles (the main armament of Soviet aviation against US aircraft carriers), began work on a new X-32 anti-ship missile. What's the point? The old anti-ship missile system had one major drawback - the range of use was only 360-380 km. That is, at a distance of the horizon, at a distance of visibility from a high-flying aircraft. It was almost impossible to send the Kh-22 over the horizon: the "head" of the rocket could not find the target. Therefore, in a real battle, our supersonic missile carriers Tu-22M3 should break through the fighter cover from a distance of up to 800 km from the center of the enemy aircraft carrier squadron. And this is a big loss.
The development of the Kh-32 cruise missile weapon system was launched back in the Soviet Union in the mid-80s. This was a response to the creation in the United States of the Patriot land-based air defense system and the naval Standard with the Aegis combat control system, as well as to the modernization of fighter-interceptors - the re-equipment of the F-15C Eagle Air Force fighters with medium-range AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles was expected , and the upgraded F-14B / D "Tomket" carrier-based interceptors were to receive both AIM-120 missiles and long-range AIM-54C "Phoenix" missiles.
An increase in the launch range of the Kh-32 missile by three times compared to the Kh-22N practically excludes the possibility of destroying the carrier before launch, and after it, it can turn away and perform an evasive maneuver. The high-altitude and velocity data of the rocket have significantly increased, in particular, the speed and maximum altitude of its flight, which complicates its timely detection and tracking (capture) by radars and homing heads of anti-aircraft missiles and air-to-air missiles. Also improved noise immunity and secrecy of the X-32 missile systems and their reliability.
"Raduga" created the Kh-32 rocket. If the X-22, still in service, goes to the target, first gaining an altitude of 22,000 meters, accelerating to 3600 km / h, then the X-32, separated from the aircraft, soars almost into near space - 4 km in height ... There she "looks" very far "beyond the horizon", detecting targets for 600, or even 1000 kilometers. The warhead of this cruise missile is much smarter than that of the Kh-22 - it itself can classify targets and select the most important: an aircraft carrier or a cruiser. And the X-32 goes to the target at a speed of 6-7 M. It is almost impossible to intercept it.
Tests of the Kh-32 anti-ship missile system were already successful in the late 90s. Long-range aviation worked here in conjunction with sailors: they willingly gave their old vessels for firing. And what? In the early 2000s, everything stalled! The Kh-32 is still not in service. . In the summer of 2013, photographs appeared, taken at the airfield of the Flight Research Institute in Zhukovsky near Moscow, showing the Tu-22M3 performing experimental flights with suspended models of X-32 missiles.
The Kh-32 anti-ship missile was upgraded to be used on Su-30 fighter-bombers. The new Su-30SM is equipped with the Snezhny Leopard N011M radar and the onboard computer system has been updated. The Kh-32 anti-ship missiles, originally used to launch the Tu-22M3 bomber, can now be used on fresh versions of the Su-30SM.
The Kh-32 anti-ship missile is currently the most advanced anti-ship missile weapon of the Russian Air Force. This missile has been in service since 2017. Its design was based on the Soviet era Kh-22 anti-ship missile. The modernization significantly affected the power plant and guidance system, while the weight of the warhead was reduced to increase the speed and range. The Kh-32 anti-ship missile is indeed very difficult to intercept.
Generally speaking, cruise missiles rely on low-level engagement to attack warships. The key to successful defeat is not being detected by the enemy. The Kh-32 anti-ship missile took a different approach: this missile, like its predecessors, quickly rises into the stratosphere and follows the target in horizontal flight at an altitude of 40 kilometers. When approaching the target, the X-32 missile dives at a large angle relative to the ground, penetrates the air defense barrier and attacks the target from top to bottom.
While missiles flying at high altitude are extremely easy to detect with warship long-range radars, the reason the Russian military designed them this way is specifically aimed at the weakness of the US air defense system. Currently, the main assets of the US Navy's medium and long-range anti-aircraft systems are the Standard-2 and Standard-3 series air defense missiles, respectively. The maximum firing height of the former is about 25 kilometers, and the minimum firing height of the latter is about 70 kilometers. Even if the American military can detect the X-32, they simply cannot shoot it down, and if there are several of them, then the probability is completely zero.
At the same time, the X-32 has excellent range and speed. It is reported that its maximum speed can reach 5400 km / h. According to the Russian side, the latest improved version can develop a maximum speed of Mach 5, entering the ranks of hypersonic weapons. Therefore, during an attack, the US air defense system has very little time. As for the firing range, due to a decrease in the weight of the warhead, the original warhead was changed from 900 kg to 500 kg. The saved weight allows you to take more fuel.
As a result, this 5.8-ton missile can have a maximum range of 1,000 kilometers, which is on par with the LRASM anti-ship missile , a new type of anti-ship missile that the US military is proud of. Even with the air superiority of a US carrier battle group, it is difficult to intercept highly maneuverable targets such as the Su-30 at such a distance.
According to unconfirmed reports, the production of pilot batches of missiles was started at the turn of the current decade. By 2013, one Tu-22M3 bomber was equipped with the experimental production of the Tupolev Design Bureau for testing the new Kh-32 missile. According to available data, in 2013 and 2014, a large number of missile test launches were carried out, during which the declared tactical and technical characteristics were confirmed. The Kh-32 will be carried by modernized Tu-22M3M bombers. Obviously, one of the main aspects of modernizing the Tu-22M3 is to replace the complex of onboard radio-electronic equipment and "adapt" it to the use of a new missile.
The Corporation of Tactical Missile Weapons, which includes the machine-building design bureau "Raduga", in August 2016 confirmed that work on the newest product was underway, but refused to comment on their progress. According to the Izvestia newspaper, the Tu-22M3 can make a real killer of the European missile defense system, turning an aging strategic missile carrier into a carrier of high-precision weapons. For this, the aircraft will be equipped with new electronics, and, most likely, a new Kh-32 cruise missile. The new car will receive another letter M to the name and will be called Tu-22M3M.
What is the difference between the X-32 and its predecessor and what is known about it from open sources? The X-32 is almost completely identical in appearance to the X-22, with a few exceptions. However, the "insides" of the missiles are very different. The Kh-32 uses a significantly improved starting and sustainer engine. The starting engine now allows "lift" the rocket after launch to an altitude of about 40 (!) Kilometers. At this altitude, the air density is about the same as the density of the Martian atmosphere and the rocket practically does not encounter air resistance, which makes it possible to dramatically increase both the speed and range of flight. Apparently, it was possible to increase the thrust of the main engine. Reportedly, the speed of the X-32 has increased to 5400 km / h - more than 5M.
The range of application according to various estimates is from 600 to 1000 kilometers. But even with a range of 600 kilometers, this is more than enough to strike a potential enemy's AUG, being beyond the reach of not only the most "long-range" shipborne SAM systems, but also carrier-based fighters. Moreover, most of the X-32's flight takes place at an altitude unattainable for any anti-aircraft missiles. For example, for the most advanced anti-aircraft guided missile (SAM) of the US Navy SM-6, the maximum interception height is 33 kilometers.
At the same time, at such an interception height, the border of the affected area decreases sharply, and the missile practically loses its ability to maneuver - the anti-aircraft missile simply "fizzles out" (since most of the flight flies by inertia), and given that the American SAM systems of the "Standard" family have aerodynamic rudders, any effective maneuvering, required to intercept such a complex target is simply impossible. It is possible to try to shoot down the Kh-32 only after it starts diving towards the target, however, in this case, intercepting a missile rushing at a speed of more than 5M is an extremely difficult task even for the most advanced air defense systems.
One can often come across an assertion that the American SM-3 anti-missile missile can "get" the X-32. However, the SM-3 is designed exclusively for intercepting ballistic missiles, for which the so-called. exoatmospheric kinetic interceptor. This is a kinetic interceptor, which is a small homing device with a matrix thermal homing head, a control module and shunting micromotors. As its name suggests, it is designed to intercept ballistic missile warheads outside the atmosphere. At the moment, the minimum target hitting height with this kinetic interceptor is 90 kilometers, and cannot be used for aerodynamic targets, which include the X-32 SM-3.
But the main difference between the Kh-32 and its predecessor is a new guidance system based on a modern element base. The rocket reportedly has a new INS and an active homing head. Apparently, the GOS X-32 belongs to the latest generation GOS and is not inferior in noise immunity and "intelligence" of the GOS of the Onyx anti-ship missile system. Most likely, the GOS X-32 implements all modern methods of ensuring noise immunity, such as, for example, frequency tuning from pulse to pulse according to a random law. The X-32 is launched into the area of the known location of the target and the main part of the flight follows according to the INS data and after reaching a given point, it turns on the active seeker and searches for the target and aims at it.
It is worth noting that back in the 1980s, a homing system was installed on the Granit anti-ship missile system, allowing you to search for a target by radiation from shipborne radars. And since the 1980s, all modern anti-ship missiles have a mode of aiming at the source of interference in the event of suppression of the seeker by means of electronic warfare. There is hardly any doubt that all of the above capabilities are implemented in the GOS X-32. Also, according to available data, the Kh-32 can be used to destroy large ground targets. Probably, we are talking about large areal or large radio contrast targets.
Soviet aviation supersonic anti-ship missiles were weapons in many ways ahead of their time. However, the technological level of those times did not allow them to fully realize their potential, and only now it became possible to do it in full.
It is worth noting that the combat use of these missiles is still an extremely difficult process. The Kh-32 rocket, like its predecessor, is extremely difficult to operate - it also requires a very complex and time-consuming refueling with toxic fuel. In tactical terms, combat use is also quite complex. In order to be able to ship groupings of a potential enemy at a sufficiently large distance from the coast, it is necessary to have first-class airfields in the corresponding direction with all the necessary infrastructure. Despite all the perfection of the new aviation anti-ship missiles, an operation to strike a large ship group of a potential enemy with long-range missile bombers requires the involvement of a significant number of various aviation - in addition to bombers, it is necessary to use fighters for cover, reconnaissance aircraft, early warning and control aircraft, etc. A separate problem is to provide target designation for X-32 missiles when firing at long range.
With a "working" flight altitude of the Tu-22M3 of about 10 kilometers, the radio horizon for an airborne search radar will be about 360 kilometers. At the same time, for firing at the maximum flight range, a sufficiently accurate target designation is required, which can only be obtained from other means. However, the capabilities of modern control and data exchange systems make it possible to significantly simplify the process of receiving and transmitting target designation to the strike group. In addition, the altitude of the Kh-32 provides a gigantic radio horizon for its seeker, which is over 700 kilometers, which exceeds the detection range of the missile's seeker targets. Thus, the Kh-32 can successfully find a target even with extremely "rough" target designation. In addition, as reported, the GOS X-32 has the ability to correct the trajectory in flight, in case of update by the carrier aircraft or some other "source" of target data.
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