Kh55

Kh-55 is a Soviet and later Russian air-launched cruise missile, known in NATO reporting as the AS-55 Kent. It was developed by the Raduga design bureau in the 1970s and entered service with the Soviet Air Forces in the early 1980s. The missile was designed for long-range, precision strike against high-value land targets, and it formed a core component of Soviet and later Russian strategic bombers’ stand-off capabilities.

The Kh-55 is a subsonic, turbojet-powered missile designed to be carried by strategic bombers such as the Tu-95MS and Tu-160. It employs a long, relatively slender airframe with wings set about mid-span. The guidance system combines inertial navigation with terrain reference (and in some versions midcourse or satellite updates) to provide accurate navigation over intercontinental distances. The missile is typically configured to carry a nuclear warhead, though variants and modernization efforts have sought to accommodate different payloads for adaptable mission profiles. Its propulsion and aerodynamics are optimized for long-range flight at low to moderate altitudes to balance speed, range, and survivability against air defenses.

Over the decades, the Kh-55 family has been subject to modernization programs that extended range and updated guidance. Notable derivatives associated with the lineage have included longer-range variants and more contemporary cruise missiles developed from the same concept, such as later Kh-55 improvements and related models. As of the 2020s, the original Kh-55 design remains part of the broader Russian cruise-missile inventory, with upgrades integrating newer navigation technologies and compatibility with modern bomber platforms.