Russian supersonic cruise missile X-22, which caused the tragedy in the Dnipro, which took the lives of 35 people (at the time of publication), which injured more than 70 people, destroyed and damaged hundreds of apartments, and ignited a scandal in the information space, from the submission of Oleksiy Arestovich. Leaving the specialized publications and officials to deal with the situation, we will try to answer from the technical side the question of whether it is possible to shoot down the Kh-22 missile with air defense means that are available in Ukraine.
Warhead of the Kh-22 missile
Developed and created back in the USSR, the Kh-22 air-launched supersonic missile is capable of carrying up to 960 kg of conventional warheads or a nuclear warhead. Its purpose is the destruction of large objects: primarily aircraft carriers and or groups of ships by area loss (the missile is positioned precisely as an anti-ship missile).
The trajectory of the missile is set by the autopilot, the guidance is carried out using a gyroscope and radar, the radar head adjusts the guidance according to radio contrast targets. The accuracy of the X-22 is relatively low – 50% of shots fall within a radius of 600 m from the indicated point.
The rocket inflicts a high-explosive cumulative damage with the direction of the cumulative jet down at 45 °. Cumulative munitions create a narrowly directed jet with high penetrating power, which destroys strong armor or fortifications. Its direction is determined by a special notch axis.
In the case of the X-22, this means that when it hits, everything in front and below will be destroyed with a high probability, the effect is enhanced by the high power of the charge. A residential apartment building or a large section of it simply does not stand a chance – as we, unfortunately, had to observe.
When equipped with a thermonuclear warhead, the explosion power ranges from 350 kilotons to 1 Mt. This is one of the types of the same tactical nuclear weapons that scared us in the summer and fall of 2022. Seeing the destruction caused by a conventional missile charge, one can imagine the scale of a nuclear defeat.
Toxic fuel
The length of the rocket is 11.6 m, the diameter is 94 cm. Most of the impressive mass of 5780 kg is made up of the oxidizer tank (3049 kg) and the fuel tank (1015 kg). Let’s dwell on these substances in more detail.
AK-27I is used as a fuel oxidizer in the rocket design – a solution of 20% nitrogen tetroxide in nitric acid. When released from pressure, nitrogen tetroxide is released as a gas. This substance is a strong poison, even in small quantities it seriously damages the respiratory system and mucous membranes.
Despite the harmfulness to people and the environment, nitrogen oxides are sometimes included in the emissions of chemical enterprises – they can be recognized by the characteristic orange smoke from the chimney. Currently, such an oxidizer is used only in Kh-22 missiles, most Russian and world combat missiles are solid-fueled.
TG-02 rocket fuel, also known as Samin, is a mixture of isomeric xylidines and triethylamine in a 1:1 ratio. The liquid ignites when it comes into contact with a nitrogen oxidizer. The composition was developed in Germany during the Second World War and was most likely borrowed by the Soviet military industry.
Triethylamine is also a strong poison that emits toxic fumes when burned. The substance penetrates through the skin, damages the mucous membranes and respiratory organs, and leads to severe poisoning. Causes severe burns upon impact. Explosive in air. However, the substance is used in the production of fertilizers, paints and medicines. No information has yet been received about the chemical defeat of people in the Dnipro.
The X-22 launch method and flight characteristics
The Tu-16K-22, Tu-22K, Tu-22M2/3, Tu-95K-22 strategic bombers can be equipped with Kh-22 missiles. Tu-22 models are supersonic and can be based at a considerable distance from the target of a missile strike.
Hundreds of these aircraft were produced during the Soviet era and they are all based in different parts of Russia. More than 1,500 units of the decommissioned Tu-16 were produced, the Chinese modification of the Xian H-6 is still in service with the PRC (which indicates China’s ability to maintain these aircraft).
The lack of production of strategic bombers and Russia’s limited ability to maintain them could create potential problems for their use.
A large part of the technical park has been in operation for many decades. The practical use of missile carriers in Ukraine indirectly indicates dozens of aircraft suitable for operation. Disabling them in one way or another would significantly reduce the ability of the aggressor country to launch missile strikes.
More than 1,000 X-22 missiles were produced. Currently, this model is not in production, but it was replaced by the X-32 missile, adopted in 2016, with improved characteristics and a flight range of up to 1,000 km.
The X-22 itself can fly 600 km to the target. the missile flies at an altitude of up to 25 km, developing a speed of up to Mach 4.6 (~ up to 5500 km/h, depends on altitude), which brings it close to the hypersonic class (from Mach 5).
The high speed makes it impossible to intercept the missile while traveling through the territory of Ukraine by means not intended for this – the flight time is several minutes, during which the missile must be detected and “caught up”.
How to shoot down Kh-22 missiles?
The S-300 installations, which are mostly in service, can neutralize targets moving at a speed of up to 1,300 km/h. NASAMS systems can hit targets at speeds of up to 1,000 m/s (3,600 km/h), roughly the same speed as IRIS-T SLM air defense missiles. They are the fastest of the systems in service, but this is not enough.
The command of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that there are no technical means in Ukraine capable of resisting the Kh-22 missiles, and all reports in the media about their interception are untrue. In the conditions of war, we urge you to believe the official reports of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to this report, such air targets can be intercepted by the Patriot PAC-3 and SAMP-T complexes, the delivery of which is only expected. Missiles used by Patriot, depending on the modification, can reach speeds of up to 5 M.
Aster-30 missiles for SAMP-T complexes have a speed of ~5040 km/h, which makes them comparable to Kh-22.
Russian X-22 missiles are also guilty of other war crimes against the civilian population since the beginning of Russia’s large-scale military invasion of Ukraine:
- On June 27, 2022, an X-22 missile hit the Amstor shopping center in Kremenchuk, killing at least 20 people and injuring at least 56
- On May 9, 2022, seven Kh-22 missiles fired at the village of Fontanka near Odesa, several missiles hit the Riviera shopping center, 1 person was killed and 5 people were injured
- May 20, 2022 – an attack on the cultural center in the city of Lozova, Kharkiv region
Remember that only the Russian side is to blame for all the destruction and victims of this war – if it had not started the war and invaded Ukraine, none of this would have happened. During the hostilities, we were able to make sure on more than one occasion that the Armed Forces of Ukraine acted in the most careful manner towards the civilian population.
In a difficult informational situation, one should primarily trust official sources, be critical of third-party information, as much as one can check the data and ask why this or that statement is voiced and who benefits from it.
Sources: Wikipedia and other open data, official information
