Ukrainian fighter jet successfully destroys X-55SM missile with mock nuclear warhead (photo)
An Air Force aircraft shot down an enemy missile using a R-27 aircraft missile. Although the X-55SM was without a warhead, it still posed a threat.
An Air Force fighter jet shoots down a Russian X-55SM cruise missile in Rivne region. It had a nuclear warhead simulator. This was reported by Militarnyi with reference to social media.
A R-27 air-to-air missile successfully shoots down a Russian X-55SM cruise missile. The event took place in the Rivne region. The publication suggests that the Russian missile was used as a decoy, but if it hit the target, it could have caused damage to Ukrainian infrastructure.
Photo: National Police
The Kh-55SM is a strategic subsonic missile that can be a nuclear weapons carrier. It has been developed since the late 1970s for strategic bombers. For the Soviet Union, this was the first fully digital rocket developed by the Raduga Research Institute. Production took place in Kharkiv and then in Kirov. Motor Sich created the R95-300 twin-circuit turbojet engine. The missile has an inertial guidance system and a terrain correction system.
Photo: National Police
The cruise missile is carried by the Tu-95 and Tu-95MS, as well as the Tu-160. The X-55SM is a 1987 version of the missile equipped with additional fuel tanks, with a range of up to 3,500 kilometers. The publication adds that Ukraine had X-55 and X-55SM missiles in service, but they were given to Russia as payment for gas.
