Advantages and Disadvantages: What is Known About the "Kinzhal" Hypersonic Missile

Russia was the first in the world to adopt hypersonic missile systems, and the famous "Kinzhal" became one of them. The Kh-47M2 ballistic missile is designed to eliminate well-fortified command posts, underground storage facilities, and even aircraft carriers.

Destroying a moving target is not a problem for the "Kinzhal", as the missile is equipped with arguably the best guidance system in the world, assembled entirely from domestic components.

The exact characteristics of the "Kinzhal" are currently classified, but it is known from open sources that the missiles are capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to two thousand kilometers and flying at a speed 10 times greater than the speed of sound. The mass of the warhead is 500 kg.

The missile is capable of maneuvering in all sections of the trajectory, which allows it to overcome all existing missile defense and air defense systems, and is equipped with conventional and nuclear warheads.

The initial carrier of the missile was the MiG-31K fighter, which is expensive to maintain and operate. However, Russian engineers managed to adapt the hypersonic missile system to the more common Su-34 fighter-bomber.

However, according to the American magazine 19fortyfive, the "Kinzhal" is not actually a hypersonic weapon. The authors of the publication claim that the Kh-47M2 missile is not capable of maneuvering at hypersonic speeds in the dense layers of the atmosphere, thereby making it difficult for air defense and missile defense systems to intercept it.

Earlier, www1.ru reported that Tu-22M3 and MiG-31 armed with "Kinzhal" performed flights over the Baltic and Caspian Seas.

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