Watch the Incredible Moment a Cruise Missile Launches Into Action In Ukraine – A rare video of a Ukrainian S-300PT missile system launching a rocket from a ground station was shared on social media last week, offering an incredible insight into just how powerful these weapons are.
The short video clip, which had amassed roughly half a million views in just one Twitter post by June 6, shows a Kh-59MK cruise missile and a Kh-31P missile leaving their launchers, moving into the air, and shooting off into the distance as they seek their targets.
The missiles are seen being “pushed” out of the rocket launcher initially, before the cruise missiles’ onboard engines kick in, propelling them into the air and leaving behind a plume of smoke.
Few videos of these cruise missiles being launched in Ukraine exist. The latest video offers a look at the sheer power of cruise missiles that are being used to destroy Russian aircraft in significant numbers.
What is the S-300PT?
The S-300PT is a long range missile system that was developed in Soviet Russia, adopted in 1978, and deployed a year later in 1979. The surface-to-air missile system is known in the West as the SA-10 grumble, and it includes a radar guidance system.
Disused by Russia in 2008, however, the weapons systems appear to have been brought out of storage as Russia struggles to replenish its troops with modern military equipment and advanced weapons. Most S-300PT missile systems have been replaced with new air defense systems.
All operational units were upgraded in 2014, though some older systems without any upgrades are believed to have been kept in storage. It is unknown whether the units being used in Ukraine are of the modernized variety, or equipped in exactly the same way that they were during the Soviet Union.
#Ukraine: An extremely rare video of Ukrainian S-300PT surface-to-air missile system in action – also showing some of its kills, including a Russian “secret” recon drone, Kh-59MK cruise missile and a Kh-31P anti-radar missile. pic.twitter.com/nuocwCa6aD
— ?? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) June 2, 2022
There are nine variants of the missile system, some of which are designed to be mounted to trucks, and others that have an upgraded and higher range.
What is the Kh-59MK?
The Kh-59MK missile seen in the video is an extended-range air-to-surface that is often used to target and destroy ships. The missile delivers its payload with pinpoint accuracy, using a sensor in its nose to deliver real-time imagery to the control unit, allowing the operator to choose the exact impact point.
The missile was developed in the Soviet Union in the early 1980s.
What is the Kh-31P?
Also seen in the video is the Kh-31P air-to-surface missile – a Soviet-era missile that Russia pulled out of storage to assist with its ongoing “special military operation” in Ukraine.
A medium-range supersonic missile designed to strike enemy air defenses, the Kh-31P is technically an anti-radiation missile that features a scramjet and a built-in booster. The scramjet is a supersonic combustion ramjet jet engine that operates at speeds no less than Mach 15.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
