A most capable Russian missile Kh-101 has been and recovered relatively intact.
Images have surfaced online of what appears to be the relatively intact remains of a downed Russian Kh-101 air-launched cruise missile, which offers a remarkably clear view of some of its features.
The Kh-101 in question was reportedly shot down by Ukraine’s air defense forces in the country’s central Vinnytsia region on January 26, as per the Facebook post from the Ukrainian Air Force.
The Kh-101 is one of Russia’s most capable air-launched cruise missiles (ACLMs). The developmental work on the missile began in the 1980s to replace the Kh-55.
The missile made its first flight in 1998, and the first pictures of the missile surfaced in 2007. Externally, it has some similarities with the US AGM-158 JASSM air-launched cruise missile. However, the Kh-101 has a significantly longer range. It can travel up to a distance of 3,000 kilometers.
As previously reported by EurAsian Times, the Kh-101 also appears to be heavily dependent on foreign-made chips, as the Ukrainian intelligence has claimed to have found at least 35 US-made chips, including those manufactured by Texas Instruments, Atmel Corp.