Unexploded Russian missile warhead found in Ukrainian cemetery begs questions about production quality

Expert personnel from Ukraine's State Emergency Service skillfully extracted the warhead of the unexploded Ch-59 missile, reports Defense Express. The rocket was then taken to a secure location for a controlled detonation, per safety protocols. Eight technicians participated in this operation, according to the report.

The discovery of a Russian Ch-59 missile warhead in Ukraine is the latest in a series of similar incidents over recent weeks. Notably, the missile failed to detonate upon impact, a potential indication of in-flight failure. As such, the weapon posed a realistic threat to its crash location.

Over the past few days, Ukrainians reported on another comparable incident in the Kirovohrad region. A Ch-47 missile, which had been shot down, remained unexploded upon impact. Such incidents have led observers to note that "Russian missiles are not performing as expected". Frequent malfunctions confirm ongoing problems within the Russian arms industry, possibly due to accelerated missile production compromising quality control.

The Raduga Ch-59 missile, also known as AS-13 Kingbolt by NATO code, is an air-to-ground guided missile found in Ukraine. It was introduced in 1991 and has been in production ever since. The rocket currently in use is an enhanced version, designated as Ch-59M.

The missile uses television guidance and operates on solid fuel. With a length of almost 5.4m (about 17.7 feet), the Ch-59 weighs slightly over 750kg (about 1653 pounds), with the warhead accounting for close to 150kg (around 330 pounds) of this weight. The missile's maximum speed is 285 m/s (over 1000 km/h, about 621 mph), with a range of 40km (roughly 24.9 miles).