According to the military news website Defense Express , the Ukrainian army seized a test version of a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile during an attack on May 1st. Specifically, out of 15 missiles fired at targets in Ukraine on the night of May 1st, one red-painted missile was shot down.
According to Defense Express , the missile is a test version of the Kh-101 cruise missile. The serial numbers on the missile indicate it was manufactured in a production batch in the fourth quarter of 2021. In this production batch, the Kh-101 missiles were equipped with several improved features such as the Otblesk-U guidance system and the SP-504 electronic warfare complex.
Observers believe this marks the first time the Ukrainian military has successfully shot down a Kh-101 stealth missile from the fourth quarter of 2021 production run in combat. Missile fragments have been collected to help Ukrainian engineers learn about these two advanced Russian combat systems.
Ukrainian soldiers seized a piece of debris from a Russian cruise missile in January 2023 (Photo: AP).
The Kh-101 cruise missile is one of the most advanced missiles in service with the Russian armed forces.
Capable of traveling at a maximum speed of 270 m/s at an altitude of only 30-70 m above the ground, this cruise missile is said to be "stealthy" against enemy radar and therefore very difficult to shoot down. With a range of up to 5,500 km, the Kh-101 uses Russia's GLONASS satellite navigation system to adjust its flight path and is reported to have high accuracy with an error margin of only about 5 m.
Regarding the Otblesk-U guidance system, it uses an internal database of relevant terrain imagery to guide the weapon to its target. Otblesk-U is capable of scanning the terrain below before the Kh-101 strikes, making it the "most accurate and jam-resistant" guidance system of this missile family, according to military expert Piotr Butowski.
Over the past week, the Russian military has carried out at least three large-scale cruise missile and suicide drone attacks on Kyiv and other territories in Ukraine. These attacks have inflicted heavy damage on the Ukrainian side. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense affirms that the risk of similar attacks remains very high in the near future, and advises citizens to remain vigilant and strictly follow orders from authorities to ensure their safety.
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