The first Kh-22 Burya missiles entered service in 1971. Even the Tu-22 and Tu-95 under the “Storm” were converted from a strategic bomber to a missile carrier.
The main purpose of the X-22 Burya missiles was to destroy enemy aircraft carriers and carrier attack groups (AUGs) using a nuclear or high-explosive accumulative warhead.
Hit accuracy is provided by an active radar homing head. The rocket speed was Mach 3.5, the maximum range of destruction was up to 600 km.
The next version of the Kh-22 missile, the Kh-32 (9-A-2362) with air-to-surface wings, was adopted by the RF Armed Forces in 2016. The new missile has a modernized engine with increased thrust, which allows to accelerate the new “Storm” almost to Mach 5 (from above – already hypersonic), raise it in flight up to 30 km and hit targets at a distance of up to 1000. km.
“X-22 missiles were never used for their main purpose, namely as anti-ship missiles,” military expert captain Vasily Dandykin told socialbites.ca. – Their effectiveness has been tested only during target practice at sea and land targets.
Initial accuracy, especially at extreme distances, left much to be desired when the deviation reached 600 meters, which was compensated by the massive missile attack on the grouping of ships. The optimal distance for the X-22 is considered to be a distance of 300 kilometers, when the accuracy of the defeat increases.
At the same time, the rocket’s speed made it difficult to bring it down.
Military analyst and broadcaster Vladislav Shurygin agrees with this view.
“The Kh-22 missile was rarely used against naval targets,” Shurygin told socialbites.ca. – There is such a nuance – the aircraft cannot return with unused ammunition due to the design of the rocket, in which the keels open, capable of hooking the runway during landing. Therefore, the X-22 should be towed in the field of training or combat use.
The X-22 “Storm” was used during a special military operation in Ukraine. They destroyed the arsenals in Kremenchug with foreign weapons, attacked the infrastructure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kyiv, Chernigov, Sumy regions.
“The Ukrainian media hastened to point out that the Russians were allegedly out of Caliber and were using low-hit anti-ship missiles, and that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had hit them effectively. This is a lie. Although the Kh-22 missiles are anti-ship, they can find and hit ground targets with less success. It all depends on the object that requires destruction, for which the appropriate ammunition is selected, ”said the author.
Military expert Boris Dzherelievsky believes the use of the X-22 in Ukraine is “an unpleasant surprise for NATO”.
“Until this year, both in the United States and throughout NATO, they were convinced that Russia does not have a wide range of high-precision weapons,” Dzherelievsky told Gazeta.ru. – The West saw “Caliber”, “Daggers”, “Zircons” as a kind of Russian legend and refused to believe in their mass production. And they just forgot about the X-22. The use of these weapons made them look at the whole concept of modern warfare differently. Metaphorically speaking, they tested these missiles on themselves and realized that they would not be able to counter them in the event of an armed conflict with Russia.”
The expert added that in the case of the X-22, there was more panic because of their numbers. Officially, the number of missiles is unknown, but according to open sources, their number in warehouses may exceed several thousand units.
“Of course, it is possible to hit such a high-speed missile using American and European missile defense systems, but anti-missiles are much more expensive and less in number. The cost of launching a Patriot PAC-3 MANPADS missile is about 3 million dollars, the Kh-22 costs about ten to fifteen times less. Russia can only launch the European and US X-22. get quantity. That’s what scared the Pentagon, ”said Jerelievsky.
Source: Gazeta
