Profile
- Type
- Air-launched supersonic anti-ship cruise missile
- Conflict side
- Russia
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Service note
- Cold War design; still used by Russian long-range aviation
Artillery
Kh-22
The Kh-22, NATO reporting name AS-4 Kitchen, is a large Soviet-era air-launched cruise missile built for long-range attacks on carrier groups and other major targets. Designed by Raduga for bomber carriage, it combines a liquid-fuel rocket motor, supersonic speed, and a very large conventional or nuclear warhead. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Russia has repurposed the missile family for land-attack strikes, where its anti-ship guidance heritage and heavy payload make it especially destructive when used against urban targets.
- Conflict side
- Russia
- Built by
- MKB Raduga
- Built in
- Soviet Union
Service History
- In service
- Entered Soviet service in the late 1960s; retained in Russian service
- Used by
- Russian Aerospace Forces, Soviet Long-Range Aviation
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- MKB Raduga
- Designed
- Late 1950s-1960s
- Built by
- MKB Raduga
- Built in
- Soviet Union
- Unit cost
- Not reliably published
- Produced
- 1960s onward
- Number built
- At least 1,000 reported by Missilery.info; other estimates are higher
- Variants
- Kh-22, Kh-22M, Kh-22N, Kh-22P, Kh-22NA, Kh-32 derivative
Specifications
- Launch platform
- Tu-22, Tu-22M/Tu-22M3, and Tu-95K-22 bomber variants
- Length
- About 11.3-11.67 m
- Diameter
- About 0.9-0.92 m
- Launch weight
- About 5,635-6,000 kg depending on variant
- Warhead
- High-explosive or shaped-charge conventional warhead around 930-1,000 kg; nuclear variants also existed
- Range
- Roughly 140-600 km depending on variant and launch profile
- Speed
- About Mach 3.5-4.6 / around 4,000 km/h in published references
- Guidance
- Inertial guidance with active radar, passive radar, or autonomous/terrain-correction variants depending on model
- Propulsion
- Liquid-propellant rocket motor
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Russia
Russian forces have used Kh-22-family air-launched missiles from long-range bomber aircraft in strikes on Ukraine, including attacks where Ukrainian authorities identified Kh-22 cruise missiles and outside investigators documented their large-warhead effects in populated areas.
Kh-22 Images
Related Weapon Systems
Kh-32Supersonic air-launched anti-ship and land-attack cruise missileThe Kh-32 is a Russian supersonic air-launched cruise missile derived from the Kh-22 family and built for long-range strikes against ships and fixed ground targets. Carried by Tu-22M3-series bombers, it combines high-altitude flight, inertial navigation, and terminal radar homing, making it part of Russia's long-range missile strike inventory used against Ukraine.
HarpoonCoastal and anti-ship cruise missile systemHarpoon is a U.S.-origin all-weather anti-ship cruise missile family built around active radar terminal homing and sea-skimming flight. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Ukraine received land-based Harpoon coastal defense systems and adapted truck-launched RGM-84 missiles to threaten Russian surface ships operating near the Black Sea coast.
KalibrSea-launched land-attack cruise missile familyKalibr is a Russian family of ship- and submarine-launched cruise missiles, including the 3M-14 land-attack variant known to NATO as SS-N-30A. Its long range, naval basing, and conventional or reported nuclear payload options make it a central Russian Navy strike weapon, and Russian forces have repeatedly used Kalibr missiles in the Russia-Ukraine War for deep strikes against Ukrainian targets.
Kh-101Air-launched cruise missileThe Kh-101 is a Russian conventional air-launched cruise missile in the Kh-101/Kh-102 family, designed for long-range standoff attacks from strategic bombers. Its low-altitude flight profile, turbofan propulsion, satellite/inertial navigation, and terminal guidance make it one of Russia's principal long-range strike weapons in the Russia-Ukraine War.
Kh-55/Kh-555Air-launched subsonic cruise missile familyThe Kh-55/Kh-555 family is a Soviet-designed, Raduga-built air-launched cruise missile line carried by Russian strategic bombers. The original Kh-55 was a nuclear-armed standoff weapon, while the Kh-555 is a conventional derivative with improved accuracy and a reported range up to about 3,500 km. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Russian Tu-95MS bombers have launched Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 missiles as part of large mixed strike packages against Ukrainian infrastructure and other targets.
Kh-59Air-launched tactical cruise missileThe Kh-59 Ovod is a Soviet/Russian air-launched tactical cruise missile family developed by Raduga for standoff strikes from tactical aircraft. Later Kh-59M, Kh-59MK, Kh-59MK2, and Kh-59MKM variants added turbojet propulsion, larger warheads, anti-ship or land-attack guidance options, and longer range. Russia has used Kh-59-series guided air-launched missiles during the Russia-Ukraine War as part of mixed missile and drone attacks.Sources
Raduga Kh-22 (AS-4 Kitchen)Publisher: Federation of American Scientists | Note: Supports Raduga background, launch platforms, variants, and core specifications such as dimensions, launch weight, speed, range, propulsion, guidance, and warhead. | Accessed: 2026-06-20X-22 Cruise Missile (K-22 Complex)Publisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports development history, Raduga design bureau context, production background, launch platforms, variants, and detailed published characteristics. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Ukraine: Russian Missile Kills Civilians in Shopping CenterPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Directly supports Russia-Ukraine War use context; HRW cites the Ukrainian Air Force identification of Kh-22 cruise missiles in the June 2022 Kremenchuk strike and documents large-warhead effects. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Russia's Kh-22 - the Missile Ukraine Has Yet to Shoot DownPublisher: Kyiv Post | Note: Directly supports Russia-Ukraine War use context, including Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson comments on Russian Kh-22/Kh-32 missile use during the full-scale invasion. | Accessed: 2026-06-20File: Raduga Kh-22.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Primary image provenance; Commons identifies the photo as a Raduga Kh-22 under a Tu-22M and marks it public domain as a U.S. Department of Defense work. | Accessed: 2026-06-20File: Elimination of Kh-22 Air-to-Surface MissilePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Gallery image provenance; Commons identifies a Kh-22 missile elimination image from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and marks it public domain as a U.S. Department of Defense work. | Accessed: 2026-06-20