According to a report by the reference news network, recently, the "Russian newspaper" published a video of the Russian Kh-101 cruise missile releasing infrared decoy bombs at the end of the flight to penetrate the defense**. This actual combat case is the first case of the Russian military and the world's cruise missile releasing decoy bombs at the end of the flight to penetrate the defense, providing valuable experience for the development of cruise missiles.
The KH-101 cruise missile was deeply improved from the KH-55 KH-555 series during the Soviet period in the 90s of the 20th century, inherited mature technology, and adopted modern technologies such as stealth appearance, advanced inertial navigation, "GLONASS" satellite navigation, and composite guidance integrated with photoelectric correction. Its main features include ultra-long range and high accuracy, the Russian side claims that it has a range of 4,500 to 5,500 kilometers, and the strike accuracy is at the level of 5-7 meters. Equipped with a 400-kilogram warhead, the KH-101 is capable of achieving ultra-long-range accurate "decapitation strikes", and is widely used in the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield to strike at key nodes in depth such as command posts, military camps, and logistics warehouses of the Ukrainian army.
In response to the tactical adaptation of the Kh-101 cruise missile, Russia launched a new Kh-101 cruise missile equipped with a jamming system at the end of 2022, known to the outside world as the "504AP" project. In January 2023, Ukraine found the remains of an unexploded Kh-101 bomb on the battlefield, confirming that the missile was suspected to be equipped with a decoy bomb launcher underneath. Ukraine identified it as an "anti-radar jamming device" with metal chaff strips, fiberglass tapes, and X-rays showing its internal structure, claiming to be equipped with thermal decoys.
However, there are still key questions about how the KH-101 cruise missile will control the timing of the release of jamming measures and whether it will be equipped with a perception warning device. Unlike the radar warning and imminent warning systems, which are generally equipped with fighters, there is no clear precedent for an integrated perception warning system on cruise missiles. Further verification is needed to suggest that the KH-101 may be pre-programmed to be automatically released in a dangerous area where it may encounter air defense interception, as well as that it integrates red ultraviolet and radar warning systems.
Despite the technical problems, it is of great importance for the Russian army to equip cruise missiles with jamming measures, providing them with a new tactic of use. The KH-101 and other cruise missiles are equipped with jamming measures, which can form attack waves, which are guided by the KH-101 with penetration capabilities, attract and disperse the anti-aircraft firepower of the Ukrainian army, create penetration conditions for follow-up missiles, and improve the overall hit rate. In addition, both Russia and Ukraine are equipped with air-launched decoy shells, the Russian army uses modified Kh-55 Kh-555 to simulate the Kh-101, while the Ukrainian army uses ADM-160 MALD air-launched decoy shells provided by the United States.
In the future, Russia and Ukraine will usher in a new stage in the technical and tactical aspects of cruise missiles.