Raduga Kh-22

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Kh-22 under a Tu-22M3

The Raduga Kh-22 (NATO reporting name AS-4 'Kitchen') is a large, long-range anti-ship missile developed by the Soviet Union. It was intended for use against US Navy aircraft carriers and carrier battle groups, typically with a nuclear warhead.

[edit] Development

The Kh-22 was developed from the late 1950s out of the official Soviet view that missiles were the wave of the future, and that manned bombers were obsolete. Faced with the threat that their bomber forces would be dismantled, Soviet VVS and AV-MF commanders set about to convert their heavy bombers as raketonosets, missile carriers. The Kh-22 (Complex 22) weapon was developed by the Raduga design bureau and used to arm the Tupolev Tu-22. The first service-ready missiles were ready in 1962.

Kh-22 under a Tu-22M2

The Kh-22 used an Isayev liquid-fuel rocket engine, fueled with hydrazine and IRFNA (inhibited red fuming nitric acid), giving it a maximum speed of nearly Mach 2 and a range of up to 400 km (250 miles). It could be used in either high-altitude or low-altitude modes. In high-altitude mode it climbed to an altitude of 27,000 m (88,580 ft) and made a high-speed dive into the target, with a terminal speed of about Mach 3.5. In low-altitude mode, it climbed to 12,000 m (39,370 ft) and made a shallow dive at about Mach 1.2, making the final approach at an altitude over under 500 m (1,640 ft). Guidance was by gyro-stabilized autopilot, with a radio altimeter. Two initial versions were built, the Kh-22A with a large conventional warhead and the Kh-22N, with a 350-kiloton nuclear warhead. In the mid-1960s this was supplemented by the Kh-22P, an anti-radiation missile for the destruction of radar installations. In the 1970s the Kh-22 was upgraded to Kh-22M and Kh-22MA standard, with new attack profiles, somewhat longer range, and a datalink allowing mid-course updates. Even so, it was largely obsolete, although it lingered in Soviet service for many years. It was carried by the Tu-22K, Tu-22M, and Tu-95K-22.

The Kh-22 was a troublesome weapon: its development was protracted, and although the missiles and their carrier aircraft reached squadrons in 1965, they were not actually accepted for operational use until 1967. The weapon's size interfered with the flight performance of the carrier aircraft (particularly on the smaller Tu-22K). Its IRFNA oxidant was highly toxic, requiring protective gear for ground crews, and the fueled missile itself could be a considerable hazard. The Tu-22K had high landing speeds and tricky take-off characteristics, with a tendency toward undercarriage bounce. A main-gear failure would smash the fueled Kh-22 into the runway, resulting in spectacular explosions.