The russian invasion army used a Kh-69 cruise missile with a new warhead for its aerial bombardment of Ukraine this morning. Photo of the missile with metal-clad bomblets inside were published by the war_home Telegram channel, this marks the first recorded case instance russians using a Kh-69 with a cluster warhead.
The author of the post warns of the danger these bomblets pose even after the missile is down, urging subscribers to call for emergency services if suspicious-looking metal balls are found on the ground.
Read more: There's Only a Dozen russian Su-57 to Take Newest Kh-69 Missile
This Kh-69 missile with a new warhead was shot down by air defense forces during the russian attack on October 19 overnight, the source says. The official report from the Ukrainian Air Force confirms that russians used six Kh-59 or Kh-69 missiles, four of them were intercepted.
The missiles of this type are a development of the MKB Raduga design bureau, the first official presentation took place at the Armiya-2022 military forum in August 2022, followed by the first confirmed use against Ukraine during a massive aerial attack on February 7, 2024. Among the targets of Kh-69 missiles was the Trypilska TPP, which was attacked in April.
The primary carrier of the Kh-69 is the Su-57 fighter jet, though some experts argue that some other aircraft types like the Su-30, Su-34, and Su-35 can launch them as well. Earlier Defense Express pointed out that there's only a dozen Su-57s at russia's disposal, detailing how many Kh-69s one aircraft can theoretically take aboard.
According to the assessments from the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine this May, the rate of production of Kh-69 cruise missiles was 1-3 units per month, and 45 missiles had been stockpiled at that time.
The Kremlin hasn't disclosed the Kh-69 missile's specifications. Other sources claim that the weapon weighs 800 kg, including the warhead of 310 kg, the operational range exceeds 400 km.
The evidence published this morning signals that the russian federation continues to experiment with new warheads for its cruise missiles. In this way, russians are trying to increase their effectiveness by tailoring the explosive effect to suit different kinds of targets. As another example, we can recall the Kh-101 with cluster submunitions, first discovered in June 2024.
Read more: How Cluster Kh-101 Cruise Missile Looks Like and Why It’s So Dangerous
