The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation released the first image of a Tu-22M3 long-range missile carrier with a new Kh-32 cruise missile on an external sling. The plane appeared in a report on the inspection of the Khmeimim air base in Syria. AiF.ru found out what advantages the new missiles have.
Well done old
Work on the creation of the X-32 began in the early 1990s. They were suspended due to lack of funding, and then resumed. The first test launches were reportedly carried out in the mid-2000s. In the summer of 2013, it was reported that these missiles had been tested at the airfield of the Research Institute in flight from Zhukovsky, near Moscow. Then the Tu-22M3 made the first experimental flights with suspended models of Kh-32 missiles. Condition testing of the complex was completed at the end of 2016.
The Kh-32 was created to replace the Soviet Kh-22 long-range cruise missile and is its deep modernization. The development was carried out by the machine-building design bureau “Rainbow”. Despite the fact that the new missile is made in the same body, the differences with the Kh-22 are very significant. The Kh-32 features a new, more powerful dual-mode liquid propellant rocket motor. Due to the smaller volume of the warhead, the fuel supply was increased. A new anti-jamming guidance system was installed: inertial and radar, with radio correction and terrain reference. It has been reported that in tests it demonstrated exceptional accuracy — all blows were “on the ankle”. Its length is 11.6 m, the transverse dimension — 0.9m, weight — 6000 kg.
Aircraft carrier killer
The Tu-22M3, armed with the latest Kh-32 cruise missile, the interception of which is practically impossible, has already received the nickname “aircraft carrier killer” ; and “porter hunter”, as well as “winged death”. According to various estimates, the optimal number of Tu-22M3 sent to intercept the — 6-8 planes. 14 – 16 aircraft guarantee complete defeat of the enemy even with the most active air defense.
So, the Kh-32 cruise missile is primarily designed to destroy enemy ships, radar stations and so-called radio contrast objects that largely illuminate the bomber's radars, that is, bridges, bases military, power plants.
The Soviet Navy had more than 10 Tu-22 regiments, grouped into five divisions. Approximately the same number of vehicles were in the Air Force. Each aviation regiment had 20 of these strategic bombers, which, depending on the flight distance to the target, could hit with 40 or 60 Kh-22 missiles. One of the main targets of the Tu-22 was the strike groups of American aircraft carriers, and the salvo of missiles from the aviation regiment of these bombers was guaranteed to destroy not only the aircraft carrier itself- itself, but also all the cruisers, destroyers and frigates that accompanied it. .
Steep dive
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After the rocket is separated from the carrier aircraft, it additionally gains altitude up to 40 km, which is seven kilometers more than the maximum coverage area of US on-board missile defense systems. Before the attack, the missile begins to dive sharply towards the target, which also makes it difficult to intercept, since missile defense systems cannot hit a target that is directly above them. The speed of the X-32 is not less than 5000 km/h. The combination of speed and flight path makes it virtually invulnerable to anti-aircraft missiles and enemy fighters. Thus, the Kh-32 missile has strong missile defense breakthrough capabilities — in particular, the American Aegis system. Its characteristics exceed the capabilities of the SM-6 interceptor missile. The multi-frequency radar in the missile's homing head is resistant to EW interference.
Since the Kh-32 is equipped with an inertial navigation system and a homing head with a radar station, its pointing accuracy is very high and does not depend on GPS/GLONASS data. The range of the missile is 1000 km — record among all anti-ship missiles. Thanks to this, the aircraft can launch the X-32 without entering the enemy air defense coverage area.
Aircraft carrier
Tu-22M — Soviet supersonic long-range missile-carrying bomber equipped with a variable-sweep wing. He is a carrier of nuclear weapons. The Tu-22M made its first flight on August 30, 1969. In 1983, they began operating the Tu-22M3 — a modified version of the Tu-22M2, which received new NK-25 engines. On August 16, 2018, the first modernized Tu-22M3M model was rolled out to the Gorbunov Kazan Aviation Plant. The Kh-32 cruise missile became the basis of its armament.
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