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.
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.