Kh-22 range and the outer air battle

The Tu-22M and Kh-22, known to NATO as the AS-4 Kitchen, bring a large, fast missile into the 1976 threat picture. The quoted armament options are a one-ton RDX warhead or a thermonuclear warhead between 350 kilotons and one megaton. Other stated figures include Mach 4.6 speed, a 600 km range and an operating ceiling between 14 and 27 km. Inertial guidance is described as bringing the missile within about 91 metres of its target, with active radar homing offering a closer approach. Clarke says a friend who had worked in NATO explained "Kitchen" as a reference to throwing the kitchen sink at a target. A strike on the superstructure can disable a ship, while a hit that opens the hull creates a different sinking risk. The missile's reach pushes interception of its launch aircraft hundreds of kilometres away from the defended ship. Electronic measures complicate this outline without removing the need for a distant interception layer.