During the attack on the Trypilska thermal power plant (TPP), the enemy used its new Kh-69 cruise missiles, which allowed russians to completely destroy the most powerful power plant in the Kyiv region. This is indicated by the found fragments of this missile, which Defense Express learned from its own sources.
At the same time, according to the received additional information, the launch range of the missiles was about 400 km. This parameter exceeds the known estimates of the X-69 range of 300 km, as the next iteration of the X-59MK2.
Read more: russia Started Using Kh-69 Cruise Missiles, What Makes Them Special
This is not the first use of the Kh-69 to attack Ukraine. The first mention of their use appeared in February 2024, although there were isolated cases as early as 2023. Subsequently, this unofficial information was confirmed thanks to the publication of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise on the study of the X-69 wreckage.
Note that the Kh-69 is a russian subsonic cruise missile for tactical aircraft. Its launch is possible from the Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft, besides, it should become the main cruise missile for the Su-57, which it should carry in the internal weapons compartments.
The characteristics of this missile published earlier indicated the range of its use at distances of up to 290 km, but in practice this indicator turned out to be false. The weight of the combat unit was declared within 310 kg. The missile guidance system, according to the declarations - DSMAC, similarly to the One installed into the X-101 cruise missile, satellite navigation with interference-proof "Cometa-M" antennas, as well as inertial. The main feature of this missile, which is noted in its characteristics, is the possibility of ultra-low flight at an altitude of 20 meters - this is lower than the altitude at which the Kh-101 cruise missile flies.
Despite the fact that this missile is subsonic and has a smaller warhead than the "hypersonic" Kh-47M2 "Kynzhal" missile, the use of the Kh-69 missile by Russian terrorists to attack the Trypilska TPP can, not surprisingly, be considered a worse option for Ukraine .
First, its effective strike, unfortunately, speaks of the possibility of its penetration past the obviously exhausted Ukrainian air defense. Secondly, its launch from tactical aircraft eliminates the characteristic feature of large-scale missile attacks, when the takeoff of Tu-95MS and MiG-31K strategic bombers is recorded.
Also, the launch of the Kh-69 missile from the Su-34 or Su-35 aircraft can indicate a potentially larger number of missiles in one salvo, given the presence of a larger number of such carriers at the aggressor. But it will be possible to talk about this only after the full-scale serial production of this missile is established in the russian federation, because at the moment we are most likely talking about the use of test batches, and not production to replenish stocks.
At the same time, the range of use of this missile of 400 km is sufficient to hit a significant number of objects on the territory of Ukraine from tactical aircraft, which may well approach the border or the front line at a range of 50-70 km.
The map shows only hypothetical launch areas, without taking into account the possibility of the enemy using the airspace of the republic of belarus. In the event that the russian federation uses the possibility of launching missiles from the airspace of Belarus, as was the case in 2022, the entire territory of Ukraine, with the exception of the Zakarpattia region, can be included in the Kh-69 action zone.
As Defense Express reported, on the night of April 11, 2024, the russian federation carried out a massive long-range attack on Ukraine again, using 82 different air- and ground-launched missiles as well as UAVs. According to the Air Force Command, the Defenders of Ukraine managed to shoot down 89% of threats, such as cruise missiles and drones. But in addition, russians used ballistic missiles against targets that are not covered by appropriate air defense systems due to their lack.
Read more: Another russian Terrorist Attack on Ukraine's Energy Infrastructure, But 89% of Airborne Threats Destroyed
