Kh-59M / Kh-59MK2
Tactical air-to-surface cruise missile of the fighter-bombers
The standard tactical cruise missile of VKS frontline aviation, fired from Su-34, Su-35, Su-30SM and Su-24M; the Kh-59MK2 also fits the Su-57's internal weapons bay. The Kh-59M is steered onto the target in the terminal phase by the weapons officer via a datalink pod and TV image; the Kh-59MK2 flies autonomously with satellite navigation and optical scene matching out to ≈ 290 km. Subsonic and low-flying, it lets the launch aircraft stay outside the reach of medium-range SAMs. Used since 2022 against Ukrainian cities, ports, energy and bridges, often from the south against Odesa and Dnipro; Ukraine regularly intercepts them. On 19 July 2026, according to Militarnyi, Russia hit the grain bulk carrier GOLDEN LEO in the Black Sea with three Kh-59/Kh-69 missiles — the Kh-69 is the newer, longer-range successor.
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- Missile (L × Ø, span)
- Kh-59M: 5.7 m, span 1.3 m; 930 kg (WEG: 4.7 m × Ø 0.35 m for the base Kh-59)
- Dimension source
- Wikipedia; WEG (ODIN)
General
- Type
- Subsonic tactical air-to-surface cruise missile
- Carriers
- Su-34, Su-35, Su-30SM, Su-24M; Kh-59MK2 also internally in the Su-57
- Variants
- Kh-59 (AS-13, ≈ 40 km), Kh-59M (AS-18, TV/datalink), Kh-59MK2 (AS-22, autonomous — also the export designation of the Kh-69 family); see also the Kh-69 card
- Use
- Ukraine since 2022 (incl. Mykolaiv, Odesa, Dnipro); Black Sea shipping (GOLDEN LEO, 19 Jul 2026)
- Production chain
- Supplier NPP Iskra in Ulyanovsk (Almaz-Antey; semiconductors and microwave components for the Kh-59M2/M2A via the Yaroslavl Radio Plant, also diodes for Pantsir-S1) was hit by Ukrainian drones on 25 Sep. 2026; the extent of production damage is unknown — source: Militarnyi / ASTRA, RU Mil Tracker e-20260927-01
Performance
- Max range
- Kh-59M ≈ 55–62 NM (100–115 km); Kh-59MK2 ≈ 155 NM (285–290 km)
- Speed
- ≈ Mach 0.7–0.9 (subsonic)
- Warhead
- ≈ 320 kg (HE/penetrating or cluster)
- Guidance
- Kh-59M: inertial + TV command guidance via datalink pod; Kh-59MK2: inertial + satellite navigation + optical scene matching (DSMAC)
Threat
- Effect
- Precision strike on bridges, ports, energy and C2 without the aircraft entering SAM coverage
- Countermeasure
- Interception by SAMs and fighters (Ukraine regularly reports kills); detect the launch aircraft early and keep them at a distance
- Threat level
- High — cheaper and more numerous than the strategic cruise missiles
News archive 4
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
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«Три ракети та 112 дронів знищили сили ППО під час нічної атаки» (ArmyInform: 'Air defence destroys three missiles and 112 drones during overnight attack')
ArmyInform, citing the Ukrainian Air Force, reports that during the night of 26 October (from 18:00 on 25 October) Russia attacked with missiles and strike drones. According to the Air Force, Russia launched one Kh-31P anti-radiation missile and three Kh-59/69 guided air-launched missiles from occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, plus 140 Sha…
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Russia follows its ballistic strike with a 580-drone wave heavy on jet-powered Gerans, hitting Kirovohrad Oblast hardest and severing a unique Dnipro power-line tower in Kyiv
From 18:00 on 14 October to 08:00 on 15 October, Russia launched two Kh-59 air-launched missiles (fired from over the Black Sea) and 580 drones of various types, including Shaheds and Gerbera decoys, according to Ukraine's Air Force. The drones were launched from Oryol, Millerovo, Shatalovo, Bryansk, Kursk and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia and from occupied…
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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 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…