(Dan Tri) – Ukraine admitted that Russia has launched 300 Kh-22 missiles since the war between the two countries broke out, but Kiev has not been able to shoot down any missiles.
Russian Tu-22M-3 bomber carries 2 Kh-22 missiles (Photo: The Aviation Geek Club).
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yury Ignat said on December 29 that the country’s air defense force has not been able to shoot down a single Russian Kh-22 supersonic cruise missile since Moscow launched its military campaign.
He said Russia had fired about 300 Kh-22s after more than 22 months of fighting.
`The Kh-22 missile moves at a speed of 4,000 km/h, it approaches the target mainly through a ballistic trajectory. Special means are needed to intercept it,` he explained, adding that
In August, Mr. Ignat also admitted that it would be difficult for Ukraine to shoot down Russia’s Kh-22 missile.
Earlier this year, Ukraine admitted that the country does not possess an air defense system capable of intercepting and shooting down Russian Kh-22 missiles.
According to a Ukrainian official, Ukraine’s target detection system is `sensitive` enough to be able to identify the Kh-22 through launch method, altitude and flight speed, but the problem is that the missile’s flight path can be detected.
After the outbreak of hostilities between Moscow and Kiev, the West provided Ukraine with advanced air defense systems such as SAMP-T, Patriot, Iris-T, NASAMS and Crotale, but these shields have not yet been able to shoot down Kh-
According to Western experts, the problem is that Ukraine currently only has about 3 Patriot complexes and one SAMP-T shield, so they are not enough to cover the entire territory of Ukraine, leading to leaks.
Russia often launches the Kh-22 along with dozens or even hundreds of other missiles in an attack, putting enormous pressure on Ukraine’s air defense.
Another reason is that Russia can launch the Kh-22 into areas where Ukraine lacks the presence of defense complexes.
Raduga Kh-22 is a large anti-ship missile developed since the Soviet era.
Using a liquid fuel engine, the Kh-22 can fly at a maximum speed of 5,600km/h, nearly 5 times the speed of sound (nearly reaching supersonic speed).
With its power and outstanding features, the Kh-22 is dubbed the `aircraft carrier killer` by military observers.