MiG-31K is considered a 'threat of revenge' from Russia
(Baonghean.vn) - The possibility of deploying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles on the outskirts of Kaliningrad is a very serious signal to the North Atlantic Alliance, Forbes magazine commented. In an interview with Sputnik, military expert Alexei Podberezkin shared his opinion on this issue.
The American magazine Forbes is concerned about the possibility of deploying MiG-31Ks with missiles that look very similar to Kinzhal in the Kaliningrad region. The author of the article believes that this is a "threat of revenge" from Russia.
Previously, a video appeared online that was said to show a MiG-31K landing at an airbase on the outskirts of Kaliningrad.
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The article notes that if Kinzhal is launched from the Baltic countries, then in just 7-10 minutes the missile will be able to reach most Western European capitals.
The Kh-47 Kinzhal missile has a range of 2,000 km. Developing speeds up to ten times the speed of sound, the missile leaves no time for air defense systems to react, - the author of the document assesses. In his opinion, the deployment of MiG-31K in the Kaliningrad region is most likely a "targeted warning" to NATO.
Meanwhile, Dr. of History Alexei Podberezkin - Director of the Center for Political-Military Studies of the ASEAN Research Center of the Moscow State Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Federation (MGIMO) commented on the article in the American newspaper.
"Of course, this can be a stern warning. Because such a deployment practically reduces the value of all the anti-missile air defense systems that the United States has deployed to date, both in the Baltic and in Europe. In addition, it makes the aforementioned system vulnerable, not only to basic land targets, but also to sea targets. A hit by a hypersonic missile would be enough to destroy the entire largest aircraft carrier. Therefore, this move will have a general effect on the change in the balance of power."
"The MiG-31K fighter is one of the current hypersonic missile carriers. And here there is another plus: the long flight range of the MiG itself and the firing range of the hypersonic missile. These excellent capabilities complement each other, meaning that any subject in Europe is within reach of hypersonic missiles," analyzed Dr. Alexei Podberezkin./.
