Biden’s approval to authorize Ukraine use long-range weapons against Russian soil led to an unprecedented escalation that Spain is witnessing. After a first attack with American ATACMS missiles carried out by Zelensky’s men, a second offensive followed using Storm Shadow, British missiles fired against Russia shortly after. Now it was Putin who responded with an intercontinental ballistic missile attack against “critical infrastructure”.
In this case, Russia used Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles, the Spanish translation of which would be “Dagger” and which fall into the category of air-launched ALBM hypersonic missiles. They have nuclear capabilities and surprise with their brutal specifications, such as their maximum range of 2,000 kilometers and the possibility of reaching speeds of Mach 10.
This Thursday, Russia launched between 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. a total of seven Kh-101 cruise missiles, an RS-26 intercontinental ballistic missile and one of these Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles. The objective in this case these are factories “and critical infrastructure” located in the heart of Ukraine, in the city of Dnipro. The Ukrainian Air Force claims to have successfully shot down six of the seven cruise missiles, but it was unable to shoot down either the Kinzhal or the ballistic missile.
Hypersonic missiles
Russian Kinzhal or Dagger missiles began military service in December 2017 and were established as one of six new strategic weapons presented by Vladimir Putin himself in March 2018. They are still present in the Russian Aerospace Forces. Russia (VKS) and uses Mikoyan MiG-31K aircraft and Tu-22M3 bombers as launch platforms, the latter in 4-missile format.
The idea behind the Kinzhal missiles and the main reason for their development lies on the need for Russia to create an air-to-ground missile capable of penetrating the air defenses of NATO forces, such as the Patriot deployed in Poland by the United States or the Aegis combat systems. So much so that these missiles were specifically designed to be fired either from truck-mounted launchers on the ground or from aircraft at high altitudes.
A Russian hypersonic missile attached to a fighter.
The fact that this missile is hypersonic contributes precisely to this objective, as American defense officials have clearly highlighted the difficulties faced by conventional radar architectures in detecting and tracking this type of weaponry. Already in 2022, President Joe Biden (for now) certified that Russia was already using these hypersonic missiles against Ukraine.
The Kinzhal missile design includes a first stage from the 9K720 Iskander missiles, a type of short-range ballistic missile whose development began in the late 1980s. They can hit both fixed and mobile targets. and can accelerate to hypersonic speeds practically seconds after launch, with a maximum accuracy of one meter.
Launch of the Iskander
December 2017 was the month chosen to form the first operational unit of these Kinzhal missiles, in the Southern Military District in Akhtubinsk. As of May 2018, Russia used up to ten MiG-31Ks capable of using Kinzhal missiles as part of an experimental combat regime. The Daga have satellite and inertial guidance systems with remote control, and their maximum speed is between 10 and 12 times that of sound (a balance of 12,300 to 14,700 kilometers per hour).
Although its range is 2,000 kilometers, it should be noted that this range is achieved with the MiG-31K bombers; with the Tu-22M3 interceptors, this range reaches an impressive 3,000 kilometers. Dagger missiles can be mounted nuclear and conventional warheads weighing up to 480 kilos, specifications which total significant dimensions of 8 meters in length and 1 meter in diameter (with a weight of 4,300 kilos)
In December 2018, several planes armed with the Kinzhal They carried out up to 89 patrol flights, and we will have to wait until summer 2019 for the missile to be presented to the public during the international Aviadarts competition. At the end of the same year, its first launch test was carried out in the Arctic.
Almost three years later, in March 2022, Russia used Kinzhal missiles for the first time, and in a manner very similar to how they carried out this latest attack on Ukraine. During this offensive, Russia attacked a weapons storage center near the town of Deliatin in western Ukraine. Shortly before invading the country, Russia had already transferred several MiG-31 units to an air base in Kaliningrad.
Why so dangerous?
The category of hypersonic missiles includes all these devices capable of exceeding 5 times the speed of sound provided you maintain a relatively low altitude. It is these two factors which confer these “stealth” capabilities to these weapons, since they manufacture these missiles virtually undetectable.
This is not a trivial subject at all. When Biden announced the use of these hypersonic missiles, he went so far as to say that it was “nearly impossible” to stop this type of weaponry for precisely this reason. Of course, adding in his opinion that these missiles have “the same warhead as any other missile launched. There is not much difference”, declared the current president.
Missile detection infographic
There are, at least known, two different methods for launching this hypersonic weapon. The first is to use a rocket to propel a non-motorized glider vehicle, but with the ability to maneuver. The missile is propelled at breathtaking speeds during the first launch stage, and the aerodynamics and gravitational pull They help the missile strike.
The second method is believed to be the one used by Russia to launch its Kinzhal missiles. In this case, a jet engine specially designed to operate at these hypersonic speeds is used. The main advantage of this system is that it adds invaluable versatility to allow attackers to launch Kinzhal. from all types of platforms, whether bombers, ships, submarines or fighters.
And why is low altitude necessary? Simple: anti-aircraft shields. The United States, along with many other powers around the world, has comprehensive air defense shields deployed to protect them from this type of threat. The curvature of the Earth adds to this reduced height, making it impossible for anti-missile systems to detect and shoot down missiles in time.
This has led the United States and other countries to already develop shields suitable for these hypersonic threats. However, from Ukraine, they took care to describe Kinzhal’s vulnerabilities and their efforts to address them. In May 2023, Zelensky’s army claimed to have shot down a total of 18 missiles which aimed at kyiv, among which were six Kinzhal hypersonics.
