What are the hypersonic missiles Russia is using in Ukraine?

By William On Mar 10, 2023

Russia bombed Ukraine with Kinzhal missiles, which fly many times faster than sound and are impossible to shoot down with ground defenses.

Russia unleashed a barrage of high-precision missile strikes on Ukraine that sparked a wave of power cuts and temporarily left Europe’s largest nuclear power plant without power.

According to the Ukrainian army, Russia is said to have used six Kinzhals – hypersonic missiles that fly many times faster than the speed of sound.

President Vladimir Putin regularly praises the Kinzhal, which means “dagger” in Russian, as a weapon to which the NATO alliance that backs Kiev has no answer.

Here’s what you need to know about the weapon:

What are Hypersonic Missiles?

Hypersonic weapons travel in the upper atmosphere at more than five times the speed of sound — or about 6,200 km/h (3,852 mph) — and they can evade advanced radar systems.
There are two main types of hypersonic missiles. One is the hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), which leaves Earth’s atmosphere and then crashes back into it.
The second is the hypersonic cruise missile (HCM) which, while not as fast, flies low and at extremely high speeds, giving opponents little time to react. They can also carry a nuclear warhead.

The Kinzhal can hit targets 2,000 km (1,250 miles) away at a speed 10 times the speed of sound [File: Sergey Pivovarov/Reuters]

What are the main features of Kinzhal missiles?

Kinzhal is an air-launched ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads.
It has a reported range of 1,500–2,000 km (930–1,240 mi) with a payload of 480 kg. The missiles can reach speeds of up to Mach 10 (12,350 km/h or 7,674 mph).
President Vladimir Putin says Russia is the world leader in hypersonic missiles whose speed, maneuverability and height make them difficult to track and intercept.
In Ukraine, the missiles were first used in March 2022 to destroy a fuel depot, Moscow said.
That is what Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian air force, said on Thursday. said his country lacked the capacity to ‘counter’ the Kinzhals.

Who else develops hypersonic missiles?

The United States has been actively pursuing the development of hypersonic weapons — maneuvering weapons that fly at speeds of at least Mach 5 — since the early 2000s as part of its Conventional Prompt Global Strike program, according to a congressional statement. report.
In April 2022, Australia, the UK and the US – a grouping known as AUKUS – agreed to collaborate on hypersonic weapons and electronic warfare.
China is also aggressively developing the technology, according to the US Congressional Research Service (CRS).
Iran, Israel and South Korea have conducted basic research on the technology, the CRS previously said.