Experts from the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise started examining the wreckage of the Kh-69 missile

Experts of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise (KSRIFE) started to examine the wreckage of the Russian Kh-69 cruise missile.

Oleksandr Ruvin, director of the Institute, announced this in his telegram channel.

This is the first time the Institute’s specialists have studied this type of missile. The main object of research is the warhead compartment.

It is reported that the surviving fragments of the missile have a minimal amount of microelectronics and any components of the control and guidance systems.

The markings on the hull provide information on the date of manufacture at the end of 2023.

First of all, the experts will examine the materials of the missile body, as well as a specific foil placed under the outer skin of the warhead. It is likely that this foil, when hit by a warhead or any other high-speed element, causes the missile to detonate in the air.

On February 17, Militarnyi reported that the Russians used the latest Kh-69 cruise missiles to strike at Ukrainian infrastructure.

The Kh-69 missile was in development for a long time, but the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war exacerbated the need for high-precision long-range weapons, and, obviously, the development and production process was sped up.

In February last year, the International Institute for Strategic Studies stated that the Kh-69 was “probably in the final stages of development or the production stage.”

It is reported that the missile is part of the Russian Su-57 fighter jet’s weapons system, so it is possible that the launches were carried out from it. However, one should not rule out the possibility of using the missile from another aircraft.

Kh-69

The Kh-69 missile, which was called the Kh-59MK2 during its first public presentation in 2009, is being developed and manufactured at the facilities of the Raduga Design Bureau.

Kh-59MK2 was very similar to the previous generation Kh-59MK anti-ship missile. The main difference was the guidance system: the active radar homing was replaced by an inertial navigation system combined with GPS/GLONASS and a Digital Scene Matching Area Correlator (DSMAC) system for approaching the target.

It can be assumed that the guidance system was borrowed from another Raduga product, the Kh-555 cruise missile.

In 2015, the Kh-59MK2 was utterly redesigned using stealth technology elements. In fact, only the guidance system remained unchanged.

The hull now has a boxy trapezoidal cross-section, adapted for placement in the Su-57’s internal compartment, although it can be suspended on external hardpoints.

The manufacturer claims that the missile can be used with Su-30MK, Su-34, Su-35S, MiG-35S, and MiG-29K.

A pair of retractable wings are located in the upper part of the body, which can be opened in flight. The turbofan engine is now located in the missile body, unlike the Kh-59MK2 engine, which was located in the external container.

The Russians claim that the missile carries a warhead weighing 310 kilograms with a gross weight of 710 kilograms. The maximum range is 290 kilometers, and the flight speed is about 700-1000 kilometers per hour.