Global Courant 2023-05-16 20:10:02
STORY: Ukraine’s military says it destroyed six Russian hypersonic missiles over Kiev skies overnight, out of a salvo of 18 aimed at the country.
And if confirmed, it could be an important demonstration of the effectiveness of its newly deployed Western air defenses against what Russia has previously described as an unstoppable superweapon: dubbed the Kinzhal missile, or Russian for “dagger.”
But what is the Kinzhal missile? What supposedly makes it so powerful, and what would their supposed interception suggest?
These photos would show the aftermath of the falling wreckage. Three people were reportedly injured.
The Kinzhal is said to be able to move at 10 times the speed of sound, hence its label hypersonic.
The Russian Defense Ministry says a Kinzhal destroyed a Patriot air defense system in the night salvo, a US model recently deployed by Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has often described the Kinzhal as evidence of “next-generation” weapons capable of taking on NATO, with a range of 2,000 miles and the ability to carry a nuclear or conventional warhead.
They were first revealed to the public in 2018. This footage from the Russian Defense Ministry shows them being launched from a fighter jet. Russia says it first used them in Ukraine last year and has only acknowledged their use on a few occasions.
Earlier this month, Ukraine claimed it had shot down one over the capital for the first time, using one of those Patriot air defense systems.
Previously, the ability of patriots to intercept Kinzhals was only theoretical. Hitting six at once would suggest it could be a reliable defense, rather than just a lucky shot.
The Kinzhal is not Russia’s only hypersonic weapon. It also possesses a hypersonic cruise missile called the Zircon, which can be deployed by naval vessels.
