The Kinzhal is capable of flying at least five times the speed of sound, which helps it to remain invulnerable to enemy air missile defense systems.
It is impossible to shoot down the Russian hypersonic Kinzhal ballistic missile with the US-made surface-to-air missile (SAM) Patriot MIM-104 system, Moscow-based military expert Alexey Leonkov told Sputnik, debunking Kiev's recent claims.
He explained that the SAM’s radar cannot track the Kinzhal due to a speed limit for the intercepted target of up to Mach 3.
"When they [Ukraine] use a head-on Patriot missile, they cannot give target designation to anything that flies faster [than Mach 3]. In case of a Patriot missile flying in pursuit of the Kinzhal, the interceptor should fly at least 1.5 times faster than the Russian hypersonic missile,” the expert pointed out.
He suggested that a recent media report about a Patriot system allegedly downing a Kinzhal had emerged due to a lack of results from work of the Patriots, which were earlier supplied to Kiev as part of Washington’s military assistance.
Leonkov’s remarks came after the Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yury Ignat admitted that his country’s combat arsenal was not enough to counter the Kinzhal missiles.
“There are few weapons in the Ukrainian arsenal capable of shooting down the Kh-47 Kinzhal missile. The Patriot has never worked with such a type of target as the Kh-47, which is why it’s too early to rejoice,” he said in a nod to reports about the alleged downing of the Russian hypersonic missile by the US-made SAM.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov did not think twice about commenting on the reports as he tweeted: “Thanks to the US Patriot air defense system, a Russian Kinzhal missile had been shot down”. He went even further by claiming that "with the support of our friends, the impossible becomes possible," an apparent reference to the US’ military assistance to Ukraine.
What is Kinzhal Missile?
The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal (NATO reporting name "Killjoy") is a Russian nuclear-capable hypersonic ballistic missile that has a range of more than 2,000 km (1,200 miles). The Kh-47 is capable of traveling at least five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5, which is the definition of hypersonic.
The missile can reach a top speed of Mach 10 (12,250 km/h or 7,612 mph) while also performing evasive maneuvers, which helps the Kinzhal to be virtually invulnerable to enemy air missile defense systems.
With the weapon’s advanced maneuvering capabilities, high precision and hypersonic speed, some sources refer to the Kinzhal as a "carrier killer" due to its purported ability to disable or possibly even sink a hypothetical 100,000-ton aircraft carrier with a single strike.
Russian Military Deploys Kinzhals in Massive Strikes in Ukraine in Retaliation to Bryansk Terror
Two civilians were killed and a ten-year-old boy injured last week after a group of saboteurs penetrated the Russian-Ukrainian border in Russia's Bryansk region and opened fire on civilian vehicles and infrastructure. NATO-provided weapons were found at the crime scenes. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the incident a "terrorist attack."
Russia carried out massed missile strike on targets inside Ukraine in retaliation to last week's terrorism in Bryansk region, the Russian Ministry of Defense has announced.
"In response to the terrorism organized by the Kiev regime on March 2 in Bryansk region, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation delivered a massive retaliatory strike. High-precision long-range air, sea and land-based precision weapons, including the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system, hit key elements of Ukraine's military infrastructure, enterprises of the military-industrial complex, as well as energy facilities providing them with power," MoD spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a briefing Thursday.
All of the designated targets were hit, the officer said, with the strikes said to have destroyed sites hosting Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, knocked out railway infrastructure involved in the transfer of foreign weapons, and disabled facilities involved in the production of ammunition and the repair of military equipment.
Two people were killed and a 10-year-old boy injured last week after saboteurs infiltrated the Russian-Ukrainian border and seemingly randomly opened fire on residents, vehicles and local infrastructure using small arms, drones, and other weapons. Russia's Federal Security Service announced Monday that the March 2 attacks were organized by militants from the 'Russian Volunteer Corps', a neo-Nazi militia fighting for Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry warned last week that the use of NATO-provided weapons in the Bryansk attacks raised questions about the West's culpability for the acts of terrorism. Russian and American military and international affairs experts told Sputnik that the Bryansk attacks may have been designed to provoke Russia into launching a premature new offensive in Ukraine amid growing frustration about the situation on the front, and as a pretext for Kiev to demand more weapons from the West.
The Kinzhal (lit. 'Dagger') is a new Russian air-launched, nuclear-capable hypersonic missile with a range of over 2,000 km, designed to overcome any existing or prospective air defenses, and to launch attacks on foreign warships, including carriers. The missile has been used in Ukraine repeatedly over the past year. President Biden, Kiev's main sponsor in NATO's proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, characterized the Kinzhal as a "consequential weapon" that's "almost impossible to stop."
Drone Attack on Military Object Repelled in Russia's Voronezh Region
Enemy unmanned aerial vehicles tried to attack a military facility in Russia's Voronezh region, following response measures, one deviated from the course and fell and the second one was destroyed, Governor Alexander Gusev said on Wednesday.
"Early this morning, an attack attempt by two enemy UAVs was thwarted at a Voronezh military facility. As a result of measures, one of them deviated from the course and fell, the second was destroyed by fire," Gusev wrote on Telegram.
US Will Not Send Long-Range Missiles to Kiev as UK Planning Deliveries - Reports
The United States has no plans to send long-range missiles to Ukraine, hoping that the United Kingdom's intention to transfer such weapons would help Washington to avoid criticism amid calls for boosting arms deliveries to Kiev, including the MGM-140 ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles, media reported.
The US is expected to continue providing the MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile systems, ammunition and armored vehicles, the report said.
On Tuesday, American news outlet reported that London was planning to send missiles with a range of 300 kilometers (200 miles) to Kiev on the condition that they would be used only for hitting targets on the territory of Ukraine. The report was based on an International Fund for Ukraine procurement notice.
Western countries have been supplying Kiev with different types of weapon systems, including air defense missiles, multiple launch rocket systems, tanks, self-propelled artillery and anti-aircraft guns, since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine over a year ago. The Kremlin has repeatedly warned against further arms deliveries to Kiev.
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