Russia Procured Classified Kh-BD Cruise Missiles

Russia has procured promising Izdelie 506 cruise missiles for strategic aviation for the first time, which are to replace the Kh-101 missiles.

This was revealed in Russian procurement documents, which Militarnyi exclusively obtained.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has ordered two batches of 16 new-type air-launched cruise missiles, which are to be delivered to the Air and Space Forces in 2024 and 2026. At the same time, Russian authorities have not yet publicly announced their adoption into service.

The cruise missiles were ordered in configurations for conventional and special, i.e., nuclear, warheads. The cost of each was estimated at RUB 337 million per unit, equivalent to $4.2 million.

The main contractor for missile production was the Raduga Design Bureau, which also supplies the Russian army with Kh-101 missiles in series.

Carriers for Kh-BD missiles

It is reported that the Kh-BD missiles were intended for the promising Russian PAK DA bomber project, which has not yet been implemented in metal. Therefore, the Tu-160 aircraft will be adapted for them.

The documents indicate that only modernized Tu-160M bombers will be rearmed with new missiles and that these aircraft will undergo the necessary design changes to the bomb bay mechanism. Their testing with new weapons was scheduled for 2025.

Presumably, due to the declared flight range of 6,500 kilometers, the dimensions of the winged missile significantly exceed the permissible parameters set for the Kh-101 missiles on the basic version of the aircraft.

At the beginning of last year, Militarnyi reported that the Gorbunov Kazan Aviation Plant was preparing to deliver a batch of four newly built Tu-160M aircraft.

There is currently no other reliable information about the new Russian weapon, but open sources report on the project’s development based on work on the Izdeliye 504. This suggests that the missile will inherit its stealth and survivability technologies.

Various sources have also stated that the weapon will have a complex navigation system with optical sensors, similar to those used in the Kh-101 missiles. They will also be equipped with an onboard Doppler radar for navigation and terrain contouring.

For more details on the cost of Russian missile weapons and enemy army orders, see the article “From Kalibr to Kinzhal: How Much Do Russian Missiles Really Cost?”.