Kh-55/Kh-555

The 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.

Russia-Ukraine WarRussia

Conflict side: Russia
Built by: Raduga Design Bureau
Built in: Soviet UnionRussia

Kh-55/Kh-555, Air-launched subsonic cruise missile family, Artillery

Profile

Type: Air-launched subsonic cruise missile family
Conflict side: Russia
Origin: Soviet Union / Russia
Service note: Entered service in the 1980s; Kh-555 conventional variant fielded in the 2000s and used during the Russia-Ukraine War

cruise missile air-launchedstrategic bomberlong-range fires

Service History

In service: Kh-55 in service from 1984; Kh-555 conventional variant accepted for service in the 2000s
Used by: Russian Aerospace Forces
Wars: Russia-Ukraine War, Syrian Civil War

Production History

Designer: Raduga Design Bureau
Designed: Development began in 1971
Built by: Raduga Design Bureau
Built in: Soviet UnionRussia
Produced: 1980s onward
Variants: Kh-55, Kh-55SM, Kh-555

Specifications

Class: Air-launched subsonic cruise missile
Launch platform: Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers
Length: 6.04 m for Kh-55
Diameter: 0.514 m for Kh-55
Launch weight: About 1,210 kg for Kh-55
Range: About 2,500 km for Kh-55; up to about 3,500 km reported for Kh-555
Warhead: Kh-55 nuclear warhead; Kh-555 conventional high-explosive, penetrating, or submunitions warhead
Guidance: Inertial navigation with terrain contour matching
Cruise altitude: About 40-110 m

Conflict Usage

Russia-Ukraine War: Side: Russia
Russian forces have used Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 air-launched cruise missiles from Tu-95MS strategic bombers in long-range strike packages against Ukrainian energy, infrastructure, industrial, and military targets.

Kh-55/Kh-555 Images

Kh-55/Kh-555, Air-launched subsonic cruise missile family, Artillery - view 1

Kh-55/Kh-555, Air-launched subsonic cruise missile family, Artillery - view 2

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Sources

Kh-55 (AS-15)Publisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports background, variants, launch platforms, dimensions, range, payload, guidance, and service status for the Kh-55/Kh-555 family. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 AS-15 Kent (Kh-55 Granat)Publisher: Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance | Note: Supports Raduga producer attribution and additional technical specifications for the Kh-55/Kh-555 family. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Test of a Kh-555 cruise missilePublisher: Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces | Note: Supports Kh-555 background as a conventional Kh-55 derivative and its reported acceptance into service in 2004. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Day 575: Ukraine's air defenses destroy 36 of 43 missiles that Russia launched on Ukraine overnightPublisher: Ukraine Crisis Media Center | Note: Directly supports Russia-Ukraine War use: cites Ukraine's commander-in-chief saying Russian Tu-95MS bombers fired Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 missiles during the September 21, 2023 attack. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Day 684: Ukraine prepares airfields for F-16sPublisher: Ukraine Crisis Media Center | Note: Directly supports Russia-Ukraine War use in a January 2024 mixed strike package, including Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 cruise missiles fired by Russia. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 8, 2024Publisher: Institute for the Study of War | Note: Supports direct Russia-Ukraine War use by summarizing Ukrainian reporting on a Russian strike package that included Kh-101/555/55 cruise missiles. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Kh-55 AS-15 Kent 2016 G1.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the primary Kh-55 museum photograph; the photographer released the file into the public domain. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Tupolev Tu-95 launching Kh-55 missile (from SMP).JPEGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the gallery illustration; sourced to Soviet Military Power 1985 and marked as a U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency public-domain work. | Accessed: 2026-06-20