In practice, however, the Kh-32 remains large, heavy, and logistically demanding, requiring liquid fuel, which complicates storage, handling and pre-launch operations. It can only be launched from the Tu-22M3, limiting the number of missiles Russia can deploy simultaneously and constraining their operational use.

“Despite the upgrades, this is not a fundamentally new weapon,” says Andrii Kharuk, a Ukrainian historian and weapons expert. “It is an attempt to modernize an old Soviet design, not to turn it into a precision missile.”