The Office of the Chief Prosecutor of Ukraine announced preliminary investigation results showing that Russian troops appear to have used Kh-59 guided cruise missiles to attack, breaking a television tower in half in the Kharkiv region.
Ukraine’s Pravda newspaper quoted a statement from the country’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office as saying that the missile attack on the 240-meter-high television tower in Kharkiv took place at about 4:30 p.m. local time on April 22. Authorities said there was material damage, but no one was injured in the incident.
The scene of the TV tower in Kharkiv being broken in half due to a Russian missile attack on April 22. Source: Ukrainska Pravda
Videos taken from the scene showed the broken portion of the television tower lying in nearby forest land. Buildings adjacent to the tower were also seriously damaged by falling debris.
The area is temporarily without television signal. Authorities recommend that people watch cable TV, online TV or listen to radio instead.
According to Ukrainian prosecutors, the Russian army used Kh-59 “Gadfly” cruise missiles (NATO designation AS-13 “Thunderbolt King”) for the above raid. This is a guided tactical missile, launched from the air and installed on Su-24M, Su-30, Su-34, Su-35 or Su-57 fighter aircraft.
The Army Recognition page reported that the Kh-59 was developed by the Raduga OKB company in the 1970s, based on the design of the Kh-25 missile to create a precision remote attack weapon for fighter jets. of Russia. This missile model has been in use since 1980, with 3 main variants: Kh-59, Kh-59M and Kh-59MK2 (including 2 sub-variants), with ranges of 45km and 110km respectively. and 290km.
A Kh-59 missile is installed on a Russian Su-24M fighter. Photo: Defense Express
The rocket is equipped with a 2-stage solid fuel propulsion system, can fly at an altitude of 7m above sea level and 100 – 1000m above ground thanks to an altimeter radar system. It can launch at a speed of 600 – 1,000 km/h at an altitude of 0.2 – 11km.
Kh-59 possesses a modern targeting system. Coordinates and target images can be provided to the missile before launch. After launch, the missile is used for inertial guidance.
Kh-59MK2 is the most advanced upgraded model of the Kh-59, applying stealth technology with an increased range of up to 550km for the domestic version. This missile has a length of 4.2m, wingspan of 2.45m, weight when launched is 770kg and warhead weighs 310kg.
Notably, the Kh-59MK2 uses the new generation TRDD-50B engine, which is being equipped for modern Russian long-range cruise missiles such as the Kh-101 and 3M-14 Kalibr.
However, military experts assess that the Kh-59MK2 still has the disadvantage of limited mobility. This missile can only attack fixed targets on the ground with precise coordinates.
