On Thursday, Ukraine confirmed that it had intercepted and destroyed a Russian Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missile over Kyiv.
One day after two drones in Moscow’s proximity exploded, Russia launched a barrage of missile and drone attacks against Ukraine on Thursday, the majority of which were stopped by air defense.
Kinzhal Missile’s Capabilities
A dagger in Russian is a Kinzhal, which is the name of a Russian knife. One of the six next-generation weapons announced by President Putin in 2018 was the Kinzhal missile, which he said could not be intercepted by any existing air defense system in the globe.
Putin called the Kinzhal missile an ideal weapon that is nearly impossible to intercept with missile defenses. The Russian military claims that the ballistic missile has a range of up to 2,000 km (1,250 mi) and travels at a speed 10 times that of sound, making it extremely difficult to intercept.
The ballistic missile can be armed with either conventional or nuclear weapons. The Kinzhal missile weighs roughly 4,300 kilograms in launch weight, measures 8 meters in length, and has a body diameter of 1 meter.
The missile is meant to be dropped from a height of around 18 kilometers (59,000 feet) by MiG-31 fighter planes. This missile performs maneuvers during its entire flight in order to avoid detection by enemy air defenses.
Ukraine’s Air Defense Upgrades
Ukraine has requested Western help in improving its air defense system since Russia has been bombing its energy facilities.
In the middle of April, Ukraine acquired its first Patriots, widely regarded as one of the United States’ most cutting-edge air defense systems.
Since Russia has been bombing Ukraine’s energy facilities all winter, Ukraine has asked the West for assistance in enhancing its air defense system.
In the middle of April, Ukraine received its first Patriot air defense system from the US.
Major blackouts were brought on by Russian attacks, but the grid was not destroyed. Russia denies picking on individuals.
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