Panic in Ukraine – Russia throws Kh-50 into battle, its deadliest missile – Kept it till the end – Makeleio.gr

Rossiyskaya Gazeta writes that already in Russia there is an increased production and planned use of the Kh-50.
Russia has many powerful cruise missiles, but not all of them can be used with the same ease.
Either it is very heavy (Kh-101, Kh-55) Either they are detected by radars (3M14 Kalibr, Kh-55), or both (x-55).
the Truly destructive and unstoppable (Kinzhal and Iskander-M) They are quite expensive and should be used sparingly.
The problem with heavy missiles like the Kh-101 and Kh-55 is that they have to be launched from launchers.
Thermal effects from the four bomber engines Collected by the US SBIRS satellite Once the plane starts to taxi, Give Ukraine one to two hours notice!

Throws the Kh-50 into battle

After they were launched from the bombers, the heat from the turbofan engines that powered the heavy rockets took its toll It is likely to be tracked by US satellites, despite the low LO formation observable by radar.
Lighter but non-LO missiles can easily be tracked by Ukrainian air defense and surveillance radars as well as US and NATO AWACS.
Many of them were shot down before reaching their targets.
Russia is preparing to throw the Kh-50 into battle, which has exactly what it needs.
It was the Ukrainian General Staff that received reliable reports in mid-April 2023 Russia was reviving production of its hitherto dormant Kh-50 missile project.
Representative of the Ukrainian Air Force Yuri Ahnat She told the media that Russia plans to revive old projects such as plans to produce Kh-50 missiles. “Before, the Kh-50 was not practical for Russia because they had a better missile, the Kh-101,” Ihnat said.

O x-50

Deputy Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksii Hromov, stated that Russia intends to mass-produce Kh-50 cruise missiles by the fall of this year.
A stockpile of these missiles will be accumulated, which will then begin to be used in strikes against Ukrainian targets.
The Raduga Design Bureau in Dubna developed the Kh-50 as part of the Kh-SD (Sredney Dalnosti, Medium Range) program.
The Kh-50 is about six meters long and weighs about 1,600 kilograms.
It is powered by an OMKB izdeliye 37-04 (or TRDD-50B) turbofan engine.
The missile has an estimated range of more than 1,500 km and a maximum speed of 950 km/h.
The missile is estimated to have a warhead weighing 450 kilobytes.
The missile wing has a flat cross-section and folded sides.
The scheme combines reduced radar cross-section requirements with more efficient use of the heavy bomber’s weapons bay capacity when loaded in a revolving six-ball launcher.
In many ways, the Kh-50 appears as a miniature of the Kh-101.
Like the Kh-101, the Kh-50 represents the latest in cruise missile technology.
The Kh-50 is about 1.5 meters shorter than the Kh-101 and about 800 kilograms lighter.
Both missiles have a warhead weighing 400-450 kg.
Due to its smaller size, the Kh-50 carries less fuel and thus has a shorter range.
The estimated range of the Kh-101 is 5,500 km and of the Kh-55, only 1,500 km.

Advantages of the Kh-50 missile

Being smaller, the Kh-50 is harder to detect by radars.
In addition to, It is optimized for low-altitude flight and has electronic warfare weapons and heat and flare traps.
Not only can the missile evade radar detection, however It can also be protected from air defenses and air-to-air missiles equipped with RF and IIR detectors.

It has not been taken up by NASAMS, IRIS-T, and Patriot

The Kh-50 can penetrate highly contested airspace better than any other Russian cruise missile.
To mitigate the superiority of Russian fighters, the West has lavishly transferred its best air defense systems to Ukraine.
The Kh-50 is designed to fly safely with NASAMS, IRIS-T and Patriot air defense systems.
In the case of business in Ukraine, The Kh-50’s shorter range of 1,500 km is a blessing, not a disadvantage.
Besides making the missile more “stealthy”, it also makes it more economical.
smaller size f The highest speed Tu-22M3 It would complicate missile launch detection and potentially allow the launcher to move closer to the battlefront, reducing flight and warning time.
Its operational introduction to the special military operation in Ukraine is likely It will give Russia a serious advantage, as well as the Ka-52 helicopter, the Lancet Kamikaze drone and the FAB-500M62 glide bomb.