X-22 cruise missile: capabilities and purpose

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

X-22 Burya is a Soviet/Russian cruise anti-ship missile, which is part of the K-22 aviation missile system. It is designed to attack point and area radar-contrast targets using a nuclear or high-explosive-cumulative warhead. From this article you will get acquainted with the description and characteristics of the Kh-22 missile.

Creation

June 17, 1958, according to the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, work began on the creation of the K-22 aviation and missile system, for its further installation on the Tu-22 supersonic bomber. The main element of the system was the Kh-22 Burya cruise missile. The Dubna branch of OKB-155 took over the development of the complex. The missile was created in two versions: to destroy individual ships (radar-contrast points) and aircraft carrier warrants or convoys (areal targets). The guidance system was developed in KB-1 GKRE in three versions at once: with an active RGSN (radar homing head), with a passive RGSN and with an autonomous PSI track finder.

Tests and improvements

The first prototypes of the system were manufactured by 1962 at plant No. 256 GKAT. In the same year, its tests began on board the converted Tu-16K-22 aircraft. During the tests, the engineers discovered many problems that were solved only by 1967, when the rocket with the active RGSN was adopted by the USSR. Serial production was launched at plant number 256, and later moved to the Ulyanovsk machine-building plant.

Development of the Kh-22PSI variant dragged on even longer. This missile entered service only in 1971. In the same year, a group of designers who worked on its creation, under the leadership of A. L. Bereznyak, was awarded the State Prize.

As for the third option with a passive RGSN, when designing it, the designers encountered a number of difficulties, which they managed to cope with only by the time the next modification of the rocket was developed.

With the advent of the X-22 missile, the capabilities of Long-Range Aviation have expanded significantly. The main target of the Tu-22K aircraft equipped with these weapons was the aircraft carrier strike groups of the alleged enemy. The new missile system also had disadvantages. They concerned, first of all, safety and reliability of operation. After 2-3 flights on the aircraft's suspension, the missiles often failed, and the toxic fuel and aggressive oxidizer now and then became the cause of severe accidents. The QUO of the PSI version was several hundred meters. This was not enough for a successful attack on point targets. If the tests on which, instead of combatunits, missiles were equipped with a KTA system that provides complete information about the operation of weapons, went well, then when firing in military units, there was often a problem with the failure of the control system. The cause of most accidents was air pollution and violation of the temperature regime in the compartments of the control system. Drainage helped to partially correct the situation.

Modifications

During the production of the Kh-22 rocket, it received quite a few modifications.

The base model was called X-22PG. It was equipped with an active RGSN and was intended to hit point, that is, stand-alone targets. Such a missile could be equipped with a high-explosive-cumulative or thermonuclear warhead. The first warhead had the index "M", and the second - "H". The basic Kh-22 Burya cruise missile was installed on four versions of the Tu-22 aircraft: K, KD, KP and KPD.

Other versions (the year of adoption is indicated in brackets):

1. X-22PSI (1971).
2. X-22MA (1974). Has increased flight speed to 4000 km/h.
3. X-22MP (1974). Received a passive guidance system and speed increased to 4000 km/h.
4. X-22P (1976). The passive RGSN of this missile is aimed at the radiation of enemy radio equipment. This version received a warhead with a simple charge of reduced power.
5. X-22M (1976). The Kh-22M missile differs from the previous modification in its increased speed to 4000 km/h.
6. X-22NA (1976). Equipped with an inertial control system with the possibility of adjustmentaccording to the terrain.
7. X-BB. This is an experimental modification, the speed of which reached Mach 6, and the flight altitude - 70 kilometers. In the late 1980s, the rocket was being tested. Due to a number of unresolved problems, it was never adopted.
8. X-32 (2016). It is a deep modernization of the Kh-22 supersonic cruise missile. The main changes concern the engine, guidance system and lightweight warhead. Work on the creation of this rocket began in the mid-1990s and stopped several times. Only in 1998 did the first prototype tests take place.
9. Rainbow-D2. In 1997, a hypersonic flying laboratory was presented, created on the basis of the Kh-22 cruise missile of the K-22 system. It can carry up to 800 kg of equipment and at the same time develops 6.5 m of speed. The power plant of this rocket consists of an air-ramjet engine and a rocket booster. It is launched from a Tu-22M3 aircraft.

Materials

When developing the X-22 missile, the primary condition was to maintain its performance at high temperatures. The fact is that when flying at close to maximum speeds, the surfaces of the rocket heat up to 420 ° C. Thus, the use of aluminum alloys, which are widely used in the rocket and aircraft industry, but "keep" only 130 °C, was impossible. Designers had to abandon many other materials that are subject to loss of structure and strength with heat. As a result, stainless steels and titanium were chosen as the main materials. For the manufacture of largeelements were widely used welding.

The power elements of the fuselage, wing and tail were made of steel, and the skin and some nodes that were overheated were made of titanium alloy. Heat shields and screens are also made of titanium. Special mats were used for internal thermal insulation. The internal elements of the frame for equipment, as well as beams and frames for mounting equipment, are made by large-size casting from light magnesium alloys.

When creating glass-textolite radio-transparent fairings for the homing head, the designers faced a number of difficulties associated with the need to maintain their stable characteristics at temperatures up to 400 °C. As a result, fairings were made from heat-resistant adhesives, radio-transparent material, quartz fabrics and mineral fibers.

Layout

The Kh-22 missile, whose photo can be mistaken for a photo of an aircraft, has a glider designed according to a normal aerodynamic scheme - the wing and stabilizer are located in the middle.

The fuselage consists of four compartments, which are joined together by means of a flange connection. In the bow of the hull, depending on the version of the rocket, there is a homing head, a radar coordinator, or a DISS of an autonomous bullet counter. There is also a block of control systems. It is followed by blocks of air and contact fuses, a warhead, tanks-compartments with fuel components, as well as an energy compartment with batteries, an autopilot andtank pressurization equipment. In the tail section there are actuating steering gears, a turbopump engine unit and a two-chamber liquid-propellant rocket engine (LPRE) of the R201-300 model. The X-22 missile, the characteristics of which we are considering today, has a fuel reserve of 3 tons.

The largest units of the rocket are tanks-compartments. They are thin-walled structures with a load-bearing set, welded from corrosion-resistant steel. The compartments also carry the wing attachment points. For strength reasons, the rocket has a minimum number of technological and operational hatches, the cutouts of which significantly weaken the structure.

Wings and plumage

The triangular wing with a sweep of 75°, along the leading edge has a supersonic symmetrical profile, the relative thickness of which is 2%. A sufficient level of strength and rigidity of the wing, with its low construction height (only 9 cm at the root), is ensured through the use of a multi-spar structure and thick-walled skin. The area of each console is 2.24m3.

All-moving empennage consoles have a relative thickness of 4.5% and are responsible for controlling the missile in yaw, roll and pitch. There is also a lower fin under the fuselage, which is installed to increase the directional stability of the Kh-22 missile. It houses some equipment antennas. Initially, the lower keel was made removable and attached to the rocket after it was hung on the carrier aircraft. Later, for ease of transportation, it was equipped with a swivel mount, thanks to whichduring flight, the keel folds to the right side. This made it possible to reduce the transport height of the rocket to 1.8 m.

Equipment

The control system of the Kh-22 supersonic missile includes an autopilot, which is powered by a "dry" ampoule battery with a converter. Its energy intensity is enough for 10 minutes of uninterrupted power supply to all consumers. In the same compartment with it is equipment for pressurization. The control system includes powerful hydraulic rudder drives powered by hydraulic accumulators.

Liquid propellant rocket engine, models P201-300 has a two-chamber design. Each of the cameras is optimized for the main flight modes of the rocket. So, the starting chamber, the afterburner thrust of which is 8460 kgf, serves to accelerate the rocket and reach its maximum speed, and the marching chamber with a thrust of only 1400 - to maintain altitude and speed with economical fuel consumption. A common turbopump unit is responsible for powering the power plant. Refueling a Kh-22 rocket involves equipping it with approximately 3 tons of oxidizer and 1 ton of fuel.

The X-22PSI version with the inertial guidance function is designed to destroy enemy objects at given coordinates, so it is equipped with a 200 kt warhead that can be initiated both in the air and when it collides with an obstacle.

Shot

After uncoupling the Kh-22 cruise missile from the aircraft, the propellant components ignite spontaneously. At this moment, rocket acceleration and climb begin. Characterflight path depends on the pre-selected program. When the rocket reaches a predetermined speed, the power plant switches to a marching mode of operation.

When attacking a point target, the homing head tracks the target in two planes and issues control signals to the autopilot. When in the process of tracking the vertical angle reaches a predetermined value, a signal is given to transfer the missile into a dive mode on the target at a horizontal angle of 30°. During a dive, control is carried out according to signals from the homing system in the vertical and horizontal planes. A medium-sized cruiser carrier aircraft detects at a distance of up to 340 km, and capture and escort are carried out from a distance of up to 270 km.

When attacking area targets, the carrier aircraft determines the coordinates of the target using a radar system and other means of navigation. The on-board equipment of the rocket emits electromagnetic waves in the direction of the enemy and continuously determines the true velocity vector, receiving them in reflected form from the “running” sections of the earth. This indicator is automatically integrated over time, after which the distance from the missile to the target is continuously determined and the course set from the aircraft is maintained.

Opportunities

Practice has shown that the X-22 missile, the description of which we are considering, is a very effective means of attacking ships even without the use of nuclear charges. A missile hitting a ship's side causes damage that can disable even an aircraft carrier. That is why in military circles it is called nothing more than an "aircraft carrier killer." The X-22 missile at an approach speed of 800 m/s leaves a hole with an area of up to 22 m2. At the same time, the internal compartments are burned with a jet up to 12 meters deep.

According to the Soviet military leadership, the Tu-22MZ and Tu-95 aircraft with Kh-22 missiles were the most effective means to deal with large ships. During the Cold War, these aircraft systematically approached US carrier formations in order to record the effects of US electronic interference. Navigators participating in these reconnaissance operations noted the high effectiveness of American defenses. According to them, the target marks on the displays literally disappeared in a dense cloud of interference. For the effective operations of Soviet aviation in such conditions, an attack strategy was developed, in which missiles with nuclear warheads are launched first, which are aimed not at a specific target, but at the entire formation. After that, simple missiles are launched, which, according to experts, should find surviving targets and hit them.

The fight against enemy air defense systems includes a number of measures: attack massing by several groups, separation of missile carriers and aircraft that cover them, maneuvering during an attack, and much more. The strike can be delivered by approaching from different sides, rebuilding, frontal attack, or successive disabling of enemy ships. Sometimes a distracting group of aircraft stands out.

Teachings

Until the early 1990s, live firing atsea targets were carried out in the Caspian. To do this, crews from remote airfields had to relocate closer to the training ground. Over time, the test site in the Caspian Sea, which had been operating since the 1950s, was closed due to significant pollution of the sea by fragments of missiles and targets. The organization of firing at the Akhtuba training ground, which went to Kazakhstan, also became impossible.

After a few years, shooting resumed at newly equipped firing ranges. For their arrangement, sparsely populated vast territories were chosen, where one could not worry about the consequences of misses. These territories were equipped with telemetric control points and measuring posts. At the end of June 1999, Tu-22MZ aircraft from the North Sea Kirkenes Air Division, during the West-99 tests conducted in the northern part of the Russian Federation, launched missiles in the Barents Sea. Together with the ships of the fleet, they neutralized the cover detachment of an imaginary enemy from a distance of 100 km, and the main target from 300 km. In September of the same year, Tu-22M3 aircraft conducted target shooting at the Pacific Fleet.

In August 2000, during joint tests of the air forces of the Russian Federation and Ukraine, a pair of Poltava Tu-22M3 aircraft flew north and, together with 10 Russian aircraft, attacked targets at the training ground near Novaya Zemlya. Two weeks later, as part of joint aviation and air defense exercises, the crew of a Ukrainian bomber launched a target missile, which was intercepted and hit by a Su-27 fighter.

In April 2001, to test the reliability of the Kh-22 missile,a copy was launched, stored in a warehouse for 25 years. The launch was successful. Less successful shooting took place in September 2002 near Chita - due to a failure in guidance, the rocket fell on Mongolian territory, which led to a scandal and the payment of compensation. A similar blunder occurred in Kazakhstan, where a rocket landed near a village.

For the transportation of missiles at airfields, special transport carts T-22 are used, the rear wheels of which, thanks to hydraulics, can “squat”, thereby allowing a bulky product to be rolled under the aircraft with a minimum clearance. Powerful electric winches are used to suspend the Kh-22 heavy missile, whose performance characteristics allow it to cope with the largest ships.

Refueling problem

The X-22 cruise missile occupies a special place in domestic rocket technology and aviation. Its main advantages are: high service life (in 2017, the rocket celebrated its 50th anniversary) and versatility of use. Unlike analogues that operate on a single type of aircraft, the Kh-22 armed three aircraft at once: Tu-22K, Tu-22M and Tu-95K-22.

The rocket also has a significant drawback, which could not be completely eliminated even in 50 years - low operational suitability associated with the use of a liquid engine. The toxicity and causticity of the components of the fuel mixture make it problematic to ensure the combat readiness of missiles. Long-term storage in a filled form was impossible due to the low corrosion resistance of the structure. And even the use of inhibitors - corrosion retarders, does not solveproblem.

The most effective measure to combat corrosion processes was the introduction of ampoule filling with the help of special equipment. This method involves pumping the oxidizer from sealed containers into the fuel tank under pressure, without contact with the external environment. Refueling is done immediately before firing. Storage of equipped rockets is unacceptable. Rocket refueling technicians must wear a special protective suit over woolen, thick rubber gloves and boot covers made of thick material. In addition, they must wear an insulating gas mask without fail. The refueling process takes place with the gas analyzer turned on, registering leaks.

In units they try to avoid the operation of refueling rockets because of its laboriousness, therefore training flights on bombers are often carried out with unrefueled rockets. In full, they are prepared only before the test launches, which are carried out at training camps 1-2 times a year. The launch of such a weapon is an extremely responsible task, therefore only trained crews with rich experience are allowed to use it.

Specifications

Summarizing the above, let's analyze the main characteristics of the Kh-22 Burya cruise missile:

1. Length - 11.65 m.
2. Height with keel folded - 1.81 m.
3. Fuselage diameter - 0.92 m.
4. Wingspan - 3 m.
5. Starting weight - 5, 63-5, 7 t.
6. Flight speed - 3, 5-3, 7 M.
7. Flight altitude– 22, 5-25 km.
8. Firing range - 140-300 km.
9. Application altitude - 11-12 km.
10. Warhead: thermonuclear or high-explosive-cumulative.
11. Engine thrust - up to 13.4 kN.
12. Fuel reserve - 3 t.