Discovering enemy secrets: Ukraine uncovers Russian missiles’ design echoes NATO tech

Rocket attacks provide Ukrainians with a lot of material that allows for the analysis of the construction and operation of Russian missiles. The latest discovery could have been quite a surprise, as the Ch-101 missile was found to have solutions copied from the American Tomahawk missile.

Thanks to the analysis of missile wreckage, which was shot down by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense, Ukrainians learn the construction and mode of operation of Russian missiles. One of the analyzed is the maneuvering missile Ch-101. In its debris, a guidance system was found, thanks to which it is possible to reconstruct the way in which the missile finds its targets.

The Ch-101 is a deep modification of the Russian nuclear missile Ch-55. In addition to the use of a conventional warhead, changes have been introduced to reduce the effective radar cross-section, thereby making it harder to detect.

However, this solution is not very effective - the missiles are detected by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense and shot down. Their destruction is not difficult due to their relatively low, subsonic speed.

See also: Is this NATO equipment, or Russian?

The missile is carried, among others, by Tu-95 strategic bombers. It has an unusual feature in the form of an engine that is extended from the fuselage just before launch. Moreover, during the flight, the Ch-101 has empty fuel tanks. They are filled from the carrier's fuel system directly before launch.

The Ch-101 is 7.4 meters long and weighs about 2.3 tonnes. Its range depends on the flight altitude – in optimal conditions, it can even be 3,500-4,500 km. When the missile flies low, using the cover provided by the terrain, its range is considerably shorter.

What caught the Ukrainians' attention was the Otblesk-U guidance system, similar to that used by the Americans in the Tomahawk cruise missile. It is a module with a downward-facing camera. It records the image of the terrain passing under the missile and compares it with a stored pattern, allowing for precise positioning. It is not known how the Russians learned the workings of the American weapon, but it raises many important questions for Western countries. Especially since solutions used in NATO equipment have been found in the weapons used by the invaders before.

Ukrainians discovered that while in older wrecks a system with a single variable-focus lens was found, newer missiles have an improved, 3-lens guidance module.

This allows for accuracy within a few meters, and moreover, it is completely passive and insensitive to disturbances. Satellite navigation is used in the case of the Ch-101 for initial positioning – precise targeting is the responsibility of the Otblesk-U.

A drawback of this solution is the need to load into the missile's memory a precise map of the terrain along with the target image. For the Russians, who have limited capabilities in terms of satellite reconnaissance, this may prove to be impossible, limiting the effectiveness of the Ch-101 missiles.