S-300V versus Kh-22 test

CV32 · January 17, 2023

I wonder if someone might do me a favour and set up a test scenario that pits S-300V (SA-12) against the Kh-22 (AS-4).

Run it a few times and let me know how often the S-300V is successful in shooting down the Kh-22.

CV32 · January 17, 2023

I ran a test scenario in Command.

A single Kh-22NA (NATO AS-4 Kitchen B Mod 3) was launched from a Tu-22M3 (NATO Backfire C) at near maximum range.

The target was an industrial plant in Dnipro, Ukraine.

A single Ukrainian S-300V1 (NATO SA-12) SAM battery was set up near the target.

The S-300V1 began engagement (with 2x 9M83 missiles) when the Kh-22NA was at about 16 nm from the target, and descending below about 28,000 feet.

The Kh-22NA was intercepted with 1x 9M83 SAM at about 9.7 nm from the target, while moving at 1499 kt and at 17,330 feet.

I thought the scenario was interesting given the recent tragic Kh-22 strike in Dnipro and the widespread claims (by Ukraine and others) that Ukraine has no capability to defend against Kh-22.

I didn't think that sounded technically correct, given that Ukraine does possess the S-300V1 and it was designed to defend against such weapons as Lance, Pershing and SRAM.

The Kh-22 is certainly a challenging target, but the S-300V1 is at least technically capable of defending against it. (On "paper" or in a sim like this, of course. Caveats apply.)

Still interested in what you might find in HCE.

broncepulido · January 18, 2023

Here, Mediterranean 2003 battleset:

2023-01 KITCHEN GIANT.zip

broncepulido · January 18, 2023

Outcome:

CV32 · January 18, 2023

Thanks, Enrique. I see you tried a mix of weapons, and S-300V was more or less capable of intercepting all of them.

broncepulido · January 1

Some considerations on the use of Kh-22/32 Kitchen in Ukraine.

For months I did think on any Kitchen has been shoot-down in Ukraine.

This article gets many observation and ideas, but some are not clear or definitive. Perhaps all the Kitchen employed are those converted to Kh-32, flying at 44.000 meters (opposite to 27.000 meters the Kh-22), and are out of the flying envelope of most of the defensive missiles (less perhaps PAC-3 MSE). A solution can be doing the Kh-32 flying "Too High/suborbital" in the HCE DBs (In Harpoon V that height begins at 30.001 meters). Other highlight in the article is probably any Kh-47 Kynzal has been shot-down.

Comments welcome:

https://www.eurasiantimes.com/deadlier-than-hypersonic-weapon-why-ukraine-fears-russias/

CV32 · January 9

On 1/1/2024 at 1:43 PM, broncepulido said:

Some considerations on the use of Kh-22/32 Kitchen in Ukraine. For months I did think on any Kitchen has been shoot-down in Ukraine. This article gets many observation and ideas, but some are not clear or definitive. Perhaps all the Kitchen employed are those converted to Kh-32, flying at 44.000 meters (opposite to 27.000 meters the Kh-22), and are out of the flying envelope of most of the defensive missiles (less perhaps PAC-3 MSE). A solution can be doing the Kh-32 flying "Too High/suborbital" in the HCE DBs (In Harpoon V that height begins at 30.001 meters). Other highlight in the article is probably any Kh-47 Kynzal has been shot-down. Comments welcome:

https://www.eurasiantimes.com/deadlier-than-hypersonic-weapon-why-ukraine-fears-russias/

I doubt all of the Kh-22s that have been employed in the war in Ukraine have been converted to Kh-32 standard. I have been watching this issue with some interest, and the claim that Kh-22/-32 has thus far evaded intercept appears pretty consistent.

There's no doubt whatsoever that it is a very challenging target, but I certainly think PAC-3 CRI, PAC-3 MSE and SAMP/T can do the job.

I think the most likely explanation is that Kh-22/-32 is being primarily employed against Ukrainian targets beyond the reach of where the most capable Western supplied SAM systems are being deployed. Patriot batteries, for example, appear to be present to defend Kyiv, Lviv and Kherson but cannot offer coverage everywhere else.

In other words, Russia has been shooting them into areas where the best SAMs are absent, in places like Dnipro, Kremenchuk and Odesa.

For example, many launches of Kh-22/-32 appear to be made in a north to south direction, e.g. from the Kursk and Belgorod directions south into Ukraine. This would make their interception by SAM batteries located in places like Kyiv simply impossible.

Russia’s Kh-22 – the Missile Ukraine Has Yet to Shoot Down (Kyiv Post, 29 Dec 2023)

broncepulido · April 14

some first (few) news about the interceptions of Iranian missiles targeting Iran 14 april 2024, to crunch and get more numbers on probabilities and types (as example, two USN DDGs in Eastern Med have intercept only 3 of 120 ballistic missiles launched from Iran):

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/14/middleeast/israel-air-missile-defense-iran-attack-intl-hnk-ml/index.html