Russians Equip Kh-101 Missile With Tandem Warhead

29 March, 2024 Kh-101 missiles on Tu-95MSM suspensions. Photo from open sources Ukrainian air defense shot down a modified Russian Kh-101 cruise missile, which had a tandem warhead.

This was reported by the Telegram channel @war_home. The modified version received an additional warhead, doubling its total equivalent from 450 kilograms to about 800 kilograms. The second warhead includes cubic-shaped steel fragments to increase combat efficiency.

Warhead of the Kh-101 missile.

Photo credits: @war_home

It is likely that the additional space for the extra warhead was created by reducing the volume of the fuel tank. This is likely to affect the range of the cruise missile, but given the territory of Ukraine, the decrease in range is not critical.

Kh-101

Kh-101 is a strategic cruise missile developed with radar cross-section reduction technology. A missile with a special nuclear warhead has a Kh-102 index.

It has been developed since 1995, and was adopted in 2013. The carrier of the missile is a Tu-95MSM turboprop strategic bomber (8 missiles on external hardpoints) and Tu-160 (12 missiles in internal bomb bay).

Kh-101 missiles on Tu-95MSM suspensions. Photo from open sources

The missile uses a combined inertial guidance system with optical-electronic adjustment, with the homing head activated at the final stages of flight.

In the transport position, the engine is a turbojet dual-circuit, the R95TM-300 models are located inside, the wings are folded under the missile, and the tail is also folded. After starting, the engine extends out of the body, and the tail decomposes. The maximum range is 5500 kilometers.

The product can change its target simply during flight.