144-026 KH-22 (AS-4) SOVIET LONG-RANGE ANTI-SHIP MISSILE

The Ch-22 (another designation: AS-4 Kitchen) was a Soviet long-range air-to-water missile. Its first prototypes appeared in the late 1950s, and serial production began in 1962. The Ch-22 was a liquid fuel-powered missile with a range of up to 600 kilometers, capable of carrying a conventional warhead weighing up to 1,000 kg or an atomic warhead weighing between 350 and 1,000 kilotons. The Ch-22 missile was developed at the MKB Radug office in response to the demand of a long-range missile by the Soviet Air Force and the Navy. Finally, the Ch-22 had a very long range, high speed of 4-4.5 Ma and a high ceiling of up to 14 kilometers in mass-produced copies. Several versions of this missile were created in the course of production. The first was the Ch-22 with a conventional warhead, then a version of the Ch-22N with a nuclear warhead and inertial guidance was created. Shortly thereafter, the Ch-22M was introduced with a conventional warhead, but an active radar guidance system. A missile for enemy radar control, designated as Ch-22MP, was also created. Missiles of this type were used by the armed forces of Egypt and Ukraine. Currently, their only user is the Russian Federation.