Ukrainian experts and the media again began to talk about the promising Russian operational-tactical cruise missile Kh-50 Orion. They report that Moscow intends to start mass production of such ammunition in the near future in order to “nightmare and shake” Ukraine in the fall.
In their opinion, the latest aviation guided missile, which has been under development since 2017, is distinguished by its versatility and poses a great danger. Kh – 50 would be a smaller copy of the Kh – 101 strategic cruise missile. However, Kh – 101 is a large (length 7.45 m) and very expensive one-piece missile, weighing up to 2400 kg and having a range of up to at 5500 km, the carriers of which are Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic missile bombers. At the same time, the X-50 is much cheaper, it is smaller, weighs 1600 kg and can travel 1500 km. The purchase of the X-50 is planned by the State Armaments Program (GPO) of the Russian Federation for 2018-2027.
In fact, the X-50 can be launched from all types of bombers in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces. But, most likely, the main carrier of the Orion will be the modernized tu-22M3M bomber and carrying long-range supersonic missiles, recently presented by the Kazan Aviation Plant, they will be able to carry up to six such missiles in the bomb bay and two more on the outer strap. X – 50 – subsonic missile defense equipped with self-defense equipment, which can be carried out with one or more warheads.
In the coming months, Russia’s military-industrial complex could build up a stockpile of several hundred X-50 missiles, enough to step up strikes against Ukraine.
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