Dec. 1, 2004
MosNews
The first conventional long-range cruise missile has been added to Russia’s arsenal.
This missile is designed for precision strikes in local conflicts and counterterrorist operations, the Izvestia newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The new missile H-555 is based on the model of the H-55, nuclear missile in the Russian strategic aviation arsenal. The new model has a target seeker and will be carried on the strategic Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bombers. Various modifications of the H-55 can carry out strikes at the distance of 2,000-3,000 kilometers.
Two new Tu-160 missile carriers will be built for the Russian Air Force next year, the paper wrote. One of them will be made solely for bombing equipment. It will be able to carry up to 45 tons of bombs.
From September 2003 to January 2004, Tu-160s were grounded after an accident involving the strategic bomber Mikhail Gromov that crashed after take-off at the Engels military airbase in Central Russia. All four crewmembers were killed.
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/12/01/missile.shtml