What weapons Russia used to strike targets in Ukraine on Aug. 26

On August 26, the Russian Armed Forces launched a massive missile strike on targets in Ukraine. The Russian Army used kamikaze drones and various missiles for the attack.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by Andrei Shmatko, CC BY-SA 4.0

From 7:30 Moscow time, explosions could be heard in Poltava, Vinnytsia, Kirovograd, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Odessa, Volyn, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Zhytomyr, Sumy and Ternopil regions of Ukraine, Strana.ua reports.

Russia's attack was part of Moscow's response to Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region, State Duma deputy Andrei Krasnov said. In turn, Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense, said that Russia's retaliation that Ukraine saw on August 26 for its incursion into the Kursk region would continue. 

"Today's strike on Ukraine is, among other things, a response to the provocation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region. There will be a development," Kartapolov said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the August 26 attack was one of the largest ones since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine.

"We are liquidating consequences across the country. It was one of the biggest strikes — a combined one. More than a hundred missiles of various types and about a hundred Shahed 136s," Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

It is believed that the Russian forces used long-range aircraft and navy warships for the strike.

Geran-2 unmanned aerial vehicles

Geran-2 drones were also in today's strike. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that groups of drones were heading towards Kyiv, Khmelnytsky, Vinnytsia and Poltava regions.

The drone has a delta wing and is built using a tailless design. The drone is powered by an internal combustion engine with a pusher propeller, which provides the Geran with a cruising speed of about 180 kilometers per hour. It is believed that the 200-kg drone is capable of carrying a high-explosive fragmentation warhead (WCH) weighing 40-50 kilograms.

The drone uses inertial and satellite navigation which makes it invisible to jamming equipment. At the same time, the relatively low speed and altitude of the flight, as well as the high noise level make it easier for mobile air defense groups to shoot the UAV down. The range of the Geran drone allows the vehicle to hit targets in the western part of Ukraine.

Long-range strategic Tupolev bombers

Long-range Tu-22M bombers and Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers were also used for the attack on Ukraine on August 26. These aircraft carry Kh-101 and Kh-555 missiles. The Kh-101 strategic missile carries a warhead weighing 400 kilograms, its range may reach up to 2,800 kilometers. In June, it became known that the Russian Aerospace Forces began using the Kh-101 missile with a double warhead weighing 800 kilograms. In addition to the high-explosive fragmentation warhead, the missile was equipped with a cluster warhead.

The Kh-555 is a follow up to the Kh-55 missile. The upgraded product has an improved control system, which significantly increases the missile accuracy. The Kh-555 with its 410-kilo warhead is capable of hitting targets at a distance of 2,000 kilometers.

The Tu-22M bomber is a carrier of Kh-22 anti-ship cruise missiles. One such aircraft can lift three supersonic missiles into the air. Initially, the Kh-22 was developed to destroy individual aircraft carriers and enemy naval strike groups, but later it began to be used to destroy ground targets. The basic version of the missile carries a high-explosive cumulative penetrating warhead weighing 960 kilograms, including 630 kilograms of explosive.

MiG-31 and Kinzhal missiles

Kyiv reported that MiG-31K aircraft armed with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles were used for the strike as well. It is believed that the range of the missile amounts to 3,000 kilometers. The missile develops the speed of more than 4,080 meters per second. The Kinzhal carries a warhead weighing 500 kilograms. The missile was developed to destroy important enemy targets, including air bases, command posts and air defense systems.

The Kinzhal provide bypasses enemy air defense systems. In March last year, former spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force Yuriy Ignat said that Kyiv's air defenses were unable to shoot down a single missile during the attack. According to retired Colonel Anatoly Matviychuk, the Kinzhal is capable of changing its flight direction, so it is impossible to calculate its trajectory.

Iskander-M and Bastion missiles

There were also reports of the use of Russian land-based Iskander-M and Bastion systems. The Iskander launcher carries two 9M723 quasi-ballistic missiles with a 480-kilogram warhead, while Bastion uses Onyx supersonic anti-ship missiles. In March, TASS reported that Bastion missiles was upgraded to have new active homing heads to hit ground targets even with higher accuracy.

Kalibr missiles

In addition, Kyiv said that the Russian forces used a submarine, a small missile ship (MRK) and frigates to launch Kalibr missiles. Kalibr missiles are used by various ships of the Russian Navy, including small missile ships of Project 21631 Buyan-M and 22800 Karakurt, corvettes of Project 20385 and diesel-electric submarines of Project 636.3. Information about Kalibr technical specifications remains classified.

Details

The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal is a Russian hypersonic air-launched ballistic missile. It has an estimated range of 460–480 km (290–300 mi) and a reported top speed of Mach 10. It can carry either conventional or nuclear warheads and can be launched by Tu-22M3 bombers, MiG-31K interceptors, or modified Su-34 fighter-bombers. It is the first hypersonic weapon used. It has been deployed at airbases in Russia's Southern Military District and Western Military District. The Kinzhal entered service in December 2017 and was one of the six new Russian strategic weapons unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2018.

The Kalibr is a family of Russian cruise missiles developed by NPO Novator (OKB-8). It first saw service in 1994. There are ship-launched, submarine-launched and air-launched versions of the missile, and variants for anti-ship, anti-submarine and land attack use. Some versions have a second propulsion stage that initiates a supersonic sprint in the terminal approach to the target, reducing the time that air defense systems have to react, while subsonic versions have greater range than the supersonic variants. The missile can carry a warhead weighing up to 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) of explosive or a thermonuclear warhead.

The 9K720 Iskander is a Russian mobile short-range ballistic missile system. It has a range of 500 kilometres (270 nmi; 310 mi). It was intended to replace the OTR-21 Tochka in the Russian military by 2020. The Iskander has several different conventional warheads, including a cluster munitions warhead, a fuel–air explosive enhanced-blast warhead, a high-explosive fragmentation warhead, an earth penetrator for bunker busting and an electromagnetic pulse device for anti-radar missions. The missile can also carry nuclear warheads.