The Kh-32 is a Russian supersonic air-launched cruise missile derived from the Kh-22 family for long-range attacks on ships and fixed ground targets. Built by the Raduga design bureau within Russia's Tactical Missiles Corporation network, it is carried by Tu-22M3-series bombers and combines a high-altitude flight profile, inertial navigation, and terminal radar homing. Russia has used the Kh-22/Kh-32 family against Ukraine, where its speed, steep terminal profile, and anti-ship design heritage make interception difficult and raise accuracy risks when fired at urban land targets.
Russian forces have used Kh-22/Kh-32 air-launched cruise missiles for long-range strikes on Ukraine; documented examples include 2022 land-attack use, recovered Kh-32 debris in Sumy Oblast, and a January 24, 2026 Kyiv-region attack in which Ukraine reported 12 Kh-22/Kh-32 launches and nine interceptions.
Role detailsKh-32 keeps the Kh-22 family's large air-launched anti-ship role but adds a longer-range, high-altitude attack profile and updated seeker. That makes it useful for Russian standoff strikes, while its anti-ship design heritage and steep terminal approach create accuracy and interception problems when used against land targets.
| Aspect | Sourced context | Reader impact |
|---|---|---|
| Flight profile | References describe a climb toward roughly 40 km before the terminal attack phase. | High altitude and terminal speed narrow the engagement window for defenders. |
| Targeting heritage | CSIS and Ukrainian reporting frame Kh-32 as a Kh-22-derived anti-ship weapon repurposed for land attack. | Large-area naval targeting logic does not translate cleanly into precision urban strikes. |
| Carrier dependency | Public reporting ties operational launches to Tu-22M3-series bombers. | Bomber availability shapes salvo size and launch geography. |
Source labels: Putin's Missile War; Russia steps up attacks with Kh-32 missiles - here's what we know; Raduga Kh-32.
Kh-32 is normally described as a Kh-22 modernization rather than a clean-sheet missile. Public reporting often groups battlefield launches as Kh-22/Kh-32 because the missiles are closely related and can be difficult to distinguish from strike reporting alone.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Soviet-era predecessor | The Kh-32 keeps the Kh-22 family mission and external lineage but is reported with revised propulsion, seeker, payload tradeoffs, and greater range. Sources: Putin's Missile War, Raduga Kh-32, Russia steps up attacks with Kh-32 missiles - here's what we know |
Kh-32 is tied to Russia's Backfire bomber force rather than tactical aircraft in the better-supported public record.
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Long-range bomber and missile carrier | Kh-32 references identify Tu-22M3 and modernized Tu-22M3M bombers as the aircraft used to carry or launch the missile; open-source footage from 2024 was described as a Tu-22M3 releasing a Kh-32-family missile during a reported Ukraine strike. Sources: Kh-32, Russia's Upgraded Tu-22M3M Makes Maiden Flight, Rare Video Shows Tu-22M3 Firing Kh-32 |
Specialist reporting summarized by The Kyiv Independent says Kh-32 work resumed in the mid-1990s and early testing occurred in 1998 before the program stalled again.
Sources: Russia steps up attacks with Kh-32 missiles - here's what we know
The program reportedly resumed after a Tu-22M3 bomber was modified for Kh-32 testing.
Sources: Russia steps up attacks with Kh-32 missiles - here's what we know
The Kyiv Independent reported that Russia publicly presented the missile in 2016 and declared it operational that year, while other references place service entry around 2017.
Sources: Russia steps up attacks with Kh-32 missiles - here's what we know, Raduga Kh-32
CSIS assessed that Russia had begun repurposing Kh-22 and Kh-32 air-launched anti-ship missiles for land-attack missions in Ukraine by early summer 2022.
Sources: Putin's Missile War
Euromaidan Press, citing Militarnyi, reported that Ukraine shot down a Russian Kh-32 manufactured in the third quarter of 2023 during the April 19, 2024 air-defense action.
Sources: Ukraine air defense intercept Kh-32 produced in 2023
Ukrinform relayed Ukrainian Air Force reporting that Russia launched 12 Kh-22/Kh-32 cruise missiles from Bryansk-region airspace during a combined strike focused on the Kyiv region, with nine Kh-22/Kh-32 missiles reported intercepted.
Sources: Ukrinform Jan. 24, 2026 air attack report
