Terrifying scenario if Tu-22M3 successfully carries Kinzhal

This information was reported by TASS citing a source in the Russian Defense Industry Complex saying that the latest hypersonic missile system Kinzhal will be tested on the Tu-22M3 bomber.

The Tu-22M3 is a long-range supersonic bomber designed to destroy ground and sea targets. The aircraft entered service in 1989, with a total of nearly 500 aircraft in various versions and modifications.

However, to carry the Kinzhal missile, the Russian Air Force is currently upgrading this long-range aircraft to be compatible with the world's number 1 supersonic missile.

If the integration between Kinzhal and Tu-22M3 is successful, along with MiG-31 and PAK DA, Tu-22M3 will be the next vehicle to carry this terrible weapon.

Russia's weapons program has been made public, but according to The National Interest magazine, Russia will not change anything even if the three types of aircraft above are equipped with Kinzhal.

The fact that Russian long-range aircraft carrying hypersonic missiles is a real nightmare for many opponents, but this weapon does not say anything about a future confrontation with the US.

US military sources confirmed that the missile that can fly faster than the Russian Kinzhal was developed by the US 60 years ago. Therefore, US defenses understand very well what they need to do to confront hypersonic targets.

Russia's Kinzhal hypersonic missile, which can reach speeds of Mach 10, was one of the weapons introduced in President Putin's state-of-the-nation address. It is believed to be an air-launched version of the 9M723 missile of the Iskander-M complex.

The principle of creating high speed for Kinzhal is to require the aircraft carrying it to fly as high as the ceiling of 20,000 m at supersonic speed to create initial speed, then Kinzhal will take advantage of kinetic energy and high altitude to reach long range while performing a dive to reach the design speed.

Kinzhal's specifications were impressive, but as early as 1958, the Americans had been working on a secret program codenamed Bolt Orion (WS-199B). The project aimed to build an unstoppable, non-contact tactical missile for air-launched launch.

The United States designed an air-launched ballistic missile that could be carried on current and future aircraft platforms. The program progressed rapidly and was completed under the code name WS-199C or WS-138A. By 1962, all technical testing was completed and the WS-199C was ready for mass production with the designation AGM-48 Skybolt.

This is a missile weighing 5 tons, 9 m long, 0.9 m in diameter, with a combat range of 1,800 km, a ballistic altitude of 480 km and a maximum speed of up to Mach 12.5. All parameters 60 years ago were completely superior to today's Russian Kh-47M2 Kinzhal.

The AGM-48 Skybolt is even more superior than the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal in that it does not require the carrier aircraft to climb to very high altitudes and maintain Mach 2 speeds like the Kinzhal while still easily reaching its design specifications.

The Americans did not continue to maintain the AGM-48 Skybolt because they realized that this weapon did not provide the same level of secrecy as a submarine-launched ballistic missile and that it was still capable of being intercepted, especially when the launch vehicle was detected from a distance.

Therefore, the Americans believe that with their current state-of-the-art defense system and choosing to intercept before the Kinzhal can fire, Russia will no longer have any advantage over the US. In particular, Moscow may also suffer heavy counterattacks from failed attacks with the Kinzhal.