On Saturday, the spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, announced that a hypersonic Kh-47M2 Kinzhal (dagger) missile had been used to strike an underground Ukrainian munitions warehouse in the western region of Ivano-Frankivsk. It was the first time Russia had deployed the hypersonic Kinzhal system since it sent its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24.
▫️Destruction of a weapons depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by high-precision missile weapons strike. We can see the exact hit of an underground hangar with weapons and ammunition. pic.twitter.com/sKTF46Tdb0
— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) March 19, 2022
It is unclear where the hypersonic Kinzhal missiles were fired from.
Western countries, including the US, have no way to defend against hypersonic missiles.
The Kinzhal has a claimed range of more than 1,200 miles, Mach 10 speed, and can perform evasive maneuvers at every stage of its flight. It can carry conventional and nuclear warheads and launch from Tu-22M3 bombers or MiG-31K interceptors. It is allegedly designed to overcome any known or planned US air or missile defense systems and has a greater penetration capacity and destructive power due to its high speed. Russia claims the missile is capable of carrying a 500-kiloton nuclear warhead.
Last month, footage appeared showing four newly deployed Russian MiG-31 interceptors armed with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles in the Russian Chkalovsk Air Base in Kaliningrad bordering Poland and Lithuania. Unconfirmed reports suggest that 10 or 11 MiG-31s have been converted to carry and launch Kinzhal with two more used for test work, meaning that there could be five of the aircraft in Kaliningrad.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the country is also developing a hypersonic intercontinental ballistic glide missile called Avangard that will travel at Mach 20 to reach targets around the world. The Avangard is a Russian hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) that can be carried as a payload in an ICBM. It can deliver both nuclear and conventional payloads.
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