Kh-101
Air-launched stealth cruise missile of the strategic bombers
The VKS's main strategic cruise missile, fired from Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bombers beyond the reach of Ukrainian air defence (e.g. from Engels-2 and over the Caspian Sea). It flies low and subsonic, with a radar-evading shape and indirect routes around SAM coverage; the nuclear counterpart is the Kh-102. Since 2022 it has been the backbone of Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and cities — including the strike on Okhmatdyt children's hospital (8 July 2024). According to Ukrainian weapons-testing researcher Col. Oleksandr Zaruba (June 2026), production runs on a 24-hour cycle at 40–50 per month, and the missile has been upgraded since 2022: radar-absorbing coating, a passive jammer and automatic decoys, and since spring 2024 a second warhead (≈ 800 kg total) at the expense of range. In July 2026 a Kh-101 crashed in Poland's Lublin region after a failed Polish intercept; the wreck came from second-quarter 2026 production.
Learn more in the AirDefense Academy →Dimensionsfor imagery analysis
- Missile (L × Ø, span)
- 7.45 m × Ø 0.5 m; 2,400 kg
- Dimension source
- Wikipedia; WEG (ODIN)
General
- Type
- Air-launched subsonic cruise missile with low radar signature (Kh-102: nuclear version)
- Carriers
- Tu-95MS/MSM (external) and Tu-160/160M (internal) — see the bomber cards
- Use
- Syria since 2015; Ukraine since Feb 2022, in combined salvos with Kalibrs, ballistic missiles and Shaheds
- Production
- 40–50 per month on a 24-hour cycle (Ukrainian estimate, June 2026); up to ≈ 160 foreign components per missile
- Production (HUR, Oct 2026)
- More than 80 a month planned, and that figure is being exceeded; defects in release from the aircraft have sent some batches back to the factory — source: Euromaidan Press / NV, RU Mil Tracker e-20261023-02; Ukrainian estimate, cannot be independently verified
Performance
- Max range
- ≈ 1,350 NM (2,500 km) since the dual warhead; originally stated ≈ 2,970 NM (5,500 km)
- Speed
- Subsonic
- Warhead
- ≈ 450–480 kg (tandem); since spring 2024 dual warhead ≈ 800 kg; a cluster variant has also been reported
- Guidance
- Inertial + satellite correction; electro-optical terminal seeker; optical navigation correction by the Otblesk lidar when satellite navigation is jammed
- Supply chain (leaked, Sep 2026)
- According to leaked documents from the Azov Optical-Mechanical Plant (AOMZ, KTRV), the plant makes both the Otblesk lidar and the flight-control unit of the Kh-101, reportedly with no alternative supplier; Ukraine struck the plant on 26 Sep 2026. Documents via Dallas Analytics, authenticity not independently verified — source: RU Mil Tracker e-20260927-01 (Militarnyi)
- Supply chain (Oct 2026)
- According to HUR, Voskhod-KRLZ (Kaluga Radio Tube Plant) supplies amplifiers and analog switches for the Kh-101’s K003 computing unit and Monoblock-L module. The plant was reportedly struck by Ukraine on 3 Oct 2026; damage not independently confirmed — source: Militarnyi, RU Mil Tracker e-20261005-01
- Self-protection
- Radar-absorbing coating, passive jammer (L-504), automatically ejected decoys/chaff (Ukrainian wreckage analysis)
Threat
- Effect
- Precision strike on energy infrastructure, industry and cities from long range; long, unpredictable routes
- Countermeasure
- Fighters, SAMs and mobile fire groups; early warning as soon as the bombers take off; strikes on the bases (Engels-2, Olenya)
- Threat level
- Very high — high output, reduced detectability; also a risk to NATO territory along the routes (Poland, July 2026)
News archive 16
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
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Zelensky sanctions Russian missile makers and military-industry suppliers, including RUSAL group companies
President Volodymyr Zelensky has enacted two decisions of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council. They impose sanctions on Russian companies and individuals involved in producing ballistic and cruise missiles, drones, military aircraft and other weapons, Ukrainska Pravda reports, citing the President's Office.
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Russia fields two new Geran-5 derivatives with optical navigation, aiming for cruise-missile speeds
Russia has begun using two new jet-powered small cruise missiles that appear to be derivatives of the Geran-5, Militarnyi reported on 23 October, citing its own sources in the Ukrainian Defence Forces and a post by Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, adviser to the Ukrainian president on defence technology, who published a photo of the second type on 22 October. Th…
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HUR: Russia keeps missile stocks steady at up to 700 ballistic and several thousand cruise missiles, produces 200+ missiles a month, and has ordered over 100,000 Geran-type drones and decoys for 2026
According to figures Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) gave the Ukrainian outlet NV, published on 20 October 2026 and reported by Euromaidan Press, Russia holds up to 700 ballistic missiles and several thousand cruise missiles in reserve, roughly the same level HUR reported in July despite the autumn mass strikes. Russia can produce more than 200 missil…
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«Зенитная артиллерия возвращается: справятся ли пушки с реактивными беспилотниками?» (Topwar: 'Anti-aircraft artillery is back: can guns cope with jet-powered drones?')
In an analysis for Topwar (Voennoe Obozrenie), author Anatoly Blinov examines whether gun-based air defence can counter jet-powered one-way attack drones such as Russia's Geran-5. Citing Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR), he puts the Geran-5's cruise speed at 450–600 km/h (versus roughly 170–180 km/h for the piston-engined Geran-2), with a range of 950…
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Satellite Images Reveal russian Tu-160Ms Being Armed with Kh-101 Missiles at Engels and Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3 Bomber Deployments at Olenya (Defense Express)
Defense Express reports on new satellite imagery published by the monitoring site AviVector showing Tu-160M strategic bombers being loaded with Kh-101 cruise missiles at Engels airbase. According to the outlet, the images suggest Russia brings its bombers to Engels one at a time and arms them with cruise missiles in the same sequence, so that the intervals…
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«Понад 52 тисячі цілей за місяць: Повітряні Сили оприлюднили результати роботи у вересні» (ArmyInform: More than 52,000 targets in a month: the Air Force publishes its September results)
ArmyInform, the news agency of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, reports the Ukrainian Air Force's results for September 2026, published on 10 October. According to the Air Force, Ukraine's Defence Forces destroyed more than 4,700 aerial targets during the month and also neutralised more than 48,000 tactical-level UAVs, giving the headline total of over 52…
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Ukraine's General Staff says it struck the Barmin launch-systems institute, the Surovatikha ICBM elimination centre and the Redkino plant that makes Kh-101 fuel components on the night of 8-9 October.
Ukraine's General Staff says its forces hit three Russian sites tied to missile production and launch infrastructure on the night of 8-9 October. The first was a facility of the V.P. Barmin Research Institute of Launch Complexes near Dalneye Konstantinovo-5 in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. The institute belongs to TsENKI, the state operator of Russia's ground-bas…
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Russian missile and drone strike on 6-7 October hits Pryluky apartment block, Kyiv and other cities; Kh-101 strike in Pryluky kills 22, Zelensky and UK foreign secretary visit site
In the night of 6-7 October Russia launched a combined missile and drone attack on several Ukrainian regions. An air-raid warning for the threat of ballistic missiles was issued in Kyiv and most oblasts at 03:09, and explosions followed in Kyiv almost immediately (Ukrainska Pravda). According to the Ukrainian Air Force, as reported by Meduza, air defence de…
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Strike reported on Kaluga Radio Tube Plant (Voskhod), supplier of electronics for Kh-101 and Iskander missiles
Ukrainian forces reportedly struck Voskhod-KRLZ, the Kaluga Radio Tube Plant in western Russia, on 3 October 2026. The Ukrainian OSINT project Supernova+ reported the hit that evening, citing local residents. Residents' videos carry a jet-engine sound before the explosion, which suggests cruise missiles or jet-powered drones. The Kaluga regional governor sa…
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Tu-95MS crash in Amur Oblast killed eight strategic aviation personnel, including officers linked to missile strikes on Ukraine
A Russian Tu-95MS strategic bomber (NATO: Bear-H) crashed on 29 September 2026 during a training flight near the village of Krasnoyarovo in Amur Oblast, in the Russian Far East. The Russian Ministry of Defence (via TASS) said the aircraft carried no munitions and that, according to preliminary data, six crew members were killed and one was injured and hospi…
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russia Equips New Geran-5 Drones With Kh-101-Style Navigation: Why Darkness Could Be Problem
According to Defense Express, Russia has upgraded its Geran-5 jet-powered drones with a new guidance module called Susanin, a Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation (DSMAC) system that navigates by comparing preloaded reference satellite imagery with images from an onboard camera. This lets the drone keep navigating where satellite navigation (GNSS) is jam…
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Russia reportedly fields Geran-5 'K5' variant with autonomous optical (scene-matching) navigation and redesigned fuselage
Russian forces have reportedly begun using a new modification of the jet-powered Geran-5 strike UAV with an autonomous optical navigation system and a modified fuselage. The report comes from the monitoring Telegram channel Colonel GSh ("Polkovnik GSh"), which calls the variant the Geran-5 K5 and published a photo comparing the old and new airframes. Accord…
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Ukraine hits two Russian missile-component plants in two nights: Almaz-Antey's Iskra in Ulyanovsk (Kh-59, Pantsir parts) and the Azov Optical-Mechanical Plant, which leaked files tie to at least seven missile programs including Kh-101 and Oreshnik
Ukrainian long-range drones struck JSC NPP 'Iskra Plant' in Ulyanovsk overnight on 24–25 September 2026, as part of a wider drone barrage on Russia. The plant belongs to the Almaz-Antey defence conglomerate and makes semiconductor devices, microwave components and electronics. According to Militarnyi and an identification by the independent Russian outlet A…
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Partisans Claim Sabotage at Russian Missile-Component Plant in Voronezh
Ukrainian partisan group Atesh claims it sabotaged an electrical substation feeding VZPP-Sborka, a semiconductor, integrated-circuit and power-module plant in Voronezh, roughly 250 km from the Ukrainian border, announcing the operation on Sept. 16, 2026. According to Atesh, an agent infiltrated the substation and destroyed the main distribution cabinet, tri…
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NATO air commander details alliance's new air-defense plan against Russian drone and missile threats
Lt. Gen. Jason T. Hinds, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe/Africa (USAFE) and NATO's Allied Air Command, described in an interview with The War Zone (September 15, 2026) how the alliance is implementing its new air defense architecture. He said he has been tasked by SACEUR Gen. Alexus Grynkewich to fully implement the Enhanced Vigilance Activity "Easte…
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Russian Tu-95MS Bombers Carrying Kh-101 Missiles Flew Over Barents and Norwegian Seas
On 15 September 2026, multiple Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) Tu-95MS 'Bear' strategic bombers flew a roughly five-hour patrol over the Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea, north of Scandinavia. The bombers were escorted by Russian fighter jets (sources vary between Su-33 and Su-30SM). Norwegian F-35s, scrambled from Evenes Air Base under NATO Quick Reaction Aler…