Russians start using homing head mockups on Kh-59 missiles

The Russians used Kh-59MK guided missiles with weight and size models instead of an active radar seeker (ARH).

This was reported by the War_home Telegram channel, which published the relevant photos.

It is noted that the dummies were used in both cluster and high-explosive versions of the Russian missile, which they use to fire at Ukraine.

The mockup is a metal block that only simulates the weight of a real U559 ARH to preserve the missile’s design center of mass.

The media notes that the active radar homing head is the most expensive and complex missile component, and this “innovation” in the invaders’ missiles may be due to their shortage.

Thus, the Kh-59MK missiles, equipped with mock-ups, are guided only by the satellite and inertial navigation systems on the base, which have not been modernized.

The Telegram channel also points out that the Kh-59 missiles are not equipped with Russian Kometa antennas designed to protect against satellite communications jamming and are actively used on Shahed-136/Geran-2 kamikaze drones and Iskander missiles.

Thus, the missile has vulnerabilities to electronic warfare (EW) at the terminal stages of flight.

In addition, it is noted that the Kh-59 still uses R95-300 engines manufactured by Motor Sich, which the Russians take either from Soviet stocks or disassemble existing Kh-55(SM) air-launched cruise missiles.

In March, a Ukrainian Air Force fighter jet shot down a Russian Kh-55SM cruise missile in the Rivne region using an R-27 air-to-air missile.

The missile was without a warhead and carried only a simulated nuclear warhead. In this version, it was most likely used as a decoy for Ukrainian air defense systems.

Back in December 2022, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Russians had started using Soviet Kh-55SM cruise missiles with a load-weight mockup of the warhead.