Profile
- Type
- Air-launched cruise missile
- Conflict side
- Russia
- Origin
- Russia
- Service note
- Operational since the 2010s
Artillery
Kh-101
The Kh-101 is a Russian conventional air-launched cruise missile in the Kh-101/Kh-102 family, designed for long-range standoff attacks from strategic bombers. Its low-altitude flight profile, turbofan propulsion, satellite/inertial navigation, and terminal guidance make it one of Russia's principal long-range strike weapons in the Russia-Ukraine War.
- Conflict side
- Russia
- Built by
- A.Y. Bereznyak GosMKB Raduga JSC
- Built in
- Russia
Service History
- In service
- Operational Russian service reported from 2012
- Used by
- Russian Aerospace Forces
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War, Syrian Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- A.Y. Bereznyak GosMKB Raduga JSC
- Designed
- Development traced to the late Soviet and post-Soviet replacement effort for the Kh-55 family
- Built by
- A.Y. Bereznyak GosMKB Raduga JSC
- Built in
- Russia
- Produced
- 2010s-present
- Variants
- Kh-101 conventional variant, Kh-102 nuclear variant
Specifications
- Class
- Air-launched cruise missile (ALCM)
- Launch platforms
- Tu-160 and Tu-95MS16 strategic bombers; CSIS also lists Tu-22M3/5 and Su-27IB/Su-32 basing
- Length
- 7.45 m
- Diameter
- 0.51 m
- Launch weight
- Approximately 2,300-2,400 kg
- Range
- Approximately 2,500-2,800 km reported by CSIS
- Warhead
- Conventional Kh-101 payload about 450 kg; high-explosive, fragmentation, penetrating, or submunition options reported
- Propulsion
- TRDD-50A turbofan
- Speed
- Mach 0.58 cruise, up to about Mach 0.78 maximum
- Guidance
- Inertial and GLONASS navigation with electro-optical terrain/terminal guidance reported
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Russia
Russian forces use Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles from strategic bomber strike packages against Ukraine; UN investigators also identified Kh-101 characteristics in a December 2023 Dnipro strike.
Kh-101 Images
Related Weapon Systems
KalibrSea-launched land-attack cruise missile familyKalibr is a Russian family of ship- and submarine-launched cruise missiles, including the 3M-14 land-attack variant known to NATO as SS-N-30A. Its long range, naval basing, and conventional or reported nuclear payload options make it a central Russian Navy strike weapon, and Russian forces have repeatedly used Kalibr missiles in the Russia-Ukraine War for deep strikes against Ukrainian targets.
Kh-22Air-launched supersonic anti-ship cruise missileThe Kh-22, NATO reporting name AS-4 Kitchen, is a large Soviet-era air-launched cruise missile built for long-range attacks on carrier groups and other major targets. Designed by Raduga for bomber carriage, it combines a liquid-fuel rocket motor, supersonic speed, and a very large conventional or nuclear warhead. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Russia has repurposed the missile family for land-attack strikes, where its anti-ship guidance heritage and heavy payload make it especially destructive when used against urban targets.
Kh-32Supersonic air-launched anti-ship and land-attack cruise missileThe Kh-32 is a Russian supersonic air-launched cruise missile derived from the Kh-22 family and built for long-range strikes against ships and fixed ground targets. Carried by Tu-22M3-series bombers, it combines high-altitude flight, inertial navigation, and terminal radar homing, making it part of Russia's long-range missile strike inventory used against Ukraine.
Kh-55/Kh-555Air-launched subsonic cruise missile familyThe Kh-55/Kh-555 family is a Soviet-designed, Raduga-built air-launched cruise missile line carried by Russian strategic bombers. The original Kh-55 was a nuclear-armed standoff weapon, while the Kh-555 is a conventional derivative with improved accuracy and a reported range up to about 3,500 km. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Russian Tu-95MS bombers have launched Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 missiles as part of large mixed strike packages against Ukrainian infrastructure and other targets.
Kh-59Air-launched tactical cruise missileThe Kh-59 Ovod is a Soviet/Russian air-launched tactical cruise missile family developed by Raduga for standoff strikes from tactical aircraft. Later Kh-59M, Kh-59MK, Kh-59MK2, and Kh-59MKM variants added turbojet propulsion, larger warheads, anti-ship or land-attack guidance options, and longer range. Russia has used Kh-59-series guided air-launched missiles during the Russia-Ukraine War as part of mixed missile and drone attacks.
Kh-69Air-launched land-attack cruise missileThe Kh-69 is a Russian subsonic air-launched land-attack cruise missile developed by Raduga within Tactical Missiles Corporation for precision strikes against fixed targets. It is associated with tactical aircraft such as the Su-34, Su-35, and Su-57, uses inertial, satellite, radar-altimeter, and electro-optical terminal guidance, and has been documented in Russian strikes during the Russia-Ukraine War.Sources
Kh-101 / Kh-102Publisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports system background, service status, launch platforms, guidance, propulsion, range, dimensions, and warhead specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20A.Y. Bereznyak GosMKB Raduga JSCPublisher: War & Sanctions, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine | Note: Identifies Raduga as a Russian missile developer and main contractor for Kh-101 strategic air-launched cruise missile supply. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Defence Secretary Oral Statement on War in UkrainePublisher: UK Ministry of Defence | Note: Direct conflict use source for the Russia-Ukraine War; documents Russian strikes against Ukraine using Kh-101 and Kh-555 long-range air-launched cruise missiles. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on UkrainePublisher: United Nations Human Rights Council | Note: Direct conflict use source for the Russia-Ukraine War; identifies Kh-101 characteristics in a Russian armed forces strike in Dnipro and notes Russian use of the missile in Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Downed Russian Missile in Lviv Oblast, 2024-02-07Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Primary image provenance; Wikimedia lists the source as the National Police of Ukraine and the license as Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. | Accessed: 2026-06-20H101 MissilePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Gallery image provenance; Wikimedia lists the file as the uploader's own work under the CC0 1.0 public domain dedication. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Part of Russian Missile Kh-101Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Gallery image provenance; Wikimedia lists the source as the Security Service of Ukraine and the license as Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. | Accessed: 2026-06-20