Ukrainian air defense has already shot down 14 Russian Kinzhal missiles.
This was announced by the speaker of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat in a commentary to Babel.
So, for the first time a missile of this type was shot down on May 4th. Ukrainian defenders destroyed 6 Kinzhals each during Russian attacks on May 16 and June 16, and another such missile on August 11. Also, the air defense of Ukraine shot down more than 20 Iskanders and S-400s.
At the same time, Ignat, in a commentary to Ukrainian Radio , said that the Russians monthly produce almost 100 missiles of various types, including the Kh-47 Kinzhal.
What is known about the “Dagger”?
The Kinzhal missile first appeared in Russian service in 2017. After being launched from an aircraft, it rises to a great height in the upper atmosphere, and then approaches the target along a ballistic trajectory.
In Russia, it is called hypersonic. Defense Express notes that this missile can accelerate to hypersonic speeds thanks to the booster, but cannot fly like that all the time. At the stage of approaching the target, the Dagger moves quickly, but does not reach hypersonic speed, journalists say.
But the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine claims that during the approach to the target along a ballistic trajectory, the missile can reach a speed of about 12 thousand km / h, that is, reach hypersound.
Aviation and defense expert David Gambling noted in an article for Forbes that Kinzhal missiles are not necessarily faster than traditional ballistic missiles, which also reach hypersonic speeds.
“However, if ballistic missiles have a high expected flight path, like a cannonball, then hypersonic missiles are able to maneuver inside the atmosphere. And this means that ballistic missiles can be detected at a great distance, and an interception point can be predetermined, while hypersonic missiles remain at a lower level, give less time for warning and do not follow the intended path, ”explains the expert .
Source : Hromadske
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