Why are the Russian H-101 “air-to-ground” missiles replacing the “sea-to-surface” Kalibr missiles?

Russia – Military experts noted that the “Caliber” missiles that the Russian army used extensively in the first phase of the special military operation in Ukraine were gradually replaced by the winged K-101 “air-to-surface” missiles.

What is the reason for this? Experts say that the ТРДД-50 engine is a major limiting factor in the production of both the “Kalibr” and Х-101 missiles. But “Caliber” must be placed inside the submarine’s 533 mm torpedo device, so its weight is less than that of the H-101 and reaches 1,170 kilograms, compared to 2,300 kilograms for the H-101 missile. The wingspan of the H-101 missile is greater than that of the “Calibr” missile (4 meters compared to 3.1 metres).

There is another important feature of the H-101 that plays a major role in the effectiveness of the missile, which is launching it from an airplane and not from underwater, as is the case with the “Calibr” missile, as the air take-off gives the missile additional acceleration and the necessary fuel is provided for its launch.

The third advantage of the H-101 missile is its ability to stealth when penetrating air defenses, noting that there are no restrictions imposed on the form of the H-101, so its concealment from enemy radars increases. As for the more elaborate navigation system, it allows the H-101 missile to fly at a lower altitude, compared to “Caliber,” that is, at an altitude of 30 meters compared to 50 meters for Caliber.

The experts recalled that the firing range of the H-101 missile with 300 kilograms of explosives reaches 5,000 kilometers, but this range is considered excessive for a special military operation, as the missile with a range not exceeding 2,000 kilometers can hit any target on Ukrainian territory. Therefore, Russian developers decided to increase the weight of the combat warhead of the missile up to 800 kilometers at the expense of reducing the operating range to two thousand kilometers. While the “Calibr” missiles can carry only 200 kg of useful payload.

All of this led to the Russian army almost abandoning the use of winged “Kalibr” sea-to-surface missiles and moving to directing strikes at Ukrainian targets with the more effective K-101 winged missiles.

It is noteworthy that the H-101 missiles are used by the Tu-95 and Tu-22 long-range bombers and the Su-24 field bombers. While “Caliber” missiles are used by Russian submarines and frigates.

Source: Rossiyskaya Gazeta