Russia declares use of Kinzhal hypersonic missile on Ukraine battlefield
Defense Minister Shoigu has just announced that the Russian army has successfully fired three Kinzhal hypersonic missiles during the military conflict in Ukraine.
The missile “has been used by us on three occasions during special military operations,” Shoigu told Russia’s R1 television channel on August 21. “This missile has demonstrated outstanding qualities that no other missile in the world has,” he said.
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Kinzhal missile during a test. Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense. |
The Kinzhal (meaning Dagger) missile is a Russian hypersonic air-to-surface missile that entered service in 2017. It can fly at Mach 12 (equivalent to about 14,800 km/h) while constantly performing evasive maneuvers and thus can penetrate current air defense systems.
This missile can be equipped with a nuclear warhead and launched from Russian Tu-22M3 or MiG-31 aircraft.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it fired a Kinzhal missile in mid-March to destroy an arms depot near the city of Ivano-Frankovsk deep in western Ukraine. This is probably the first time a hypersonic missile has been used in combat./.
