Kyiv presented an intact warhead of the Kinjal missile. This is the first visual proof that this Russian hypersonic missile was actually shot down, reports Le Point, as cited by Rador Radio Romania.

A missile with a blunt blade? On Friday, January 5, Ukraine announced the downing of ten Kinjal (dagger) hypersonic missiles during Russia’s latest terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure. By the way, Kyiv showed an image of the warhead in good condition of one of the downed missiles.

This hypersonic missile, introduced in 2018, was called “invincible” by Vladimir Putin. However, in use since March 2022 on the Ukrainian front, Kinjal missiles quickly showed their limits, especially when Western anti-aircraft systems were delivered to Kyiv, which claimed to intercept 15 in 2023.

In March 2018, Moscow unveiled a series of new weapons designed to demonstrate the modernization and technological progress of the Russian military. Among them, one quickly caught my eye: Kinjal.

This ballistic missile, according to Moscow, will be hypersonic, meaning it will fly at a speed of more than Mach 5 (about 6,000 km/h) or even Mach 10 during certain stages of flight.

Derived from the Iskander surface-to-surface missile, the Kinjal air-to-surface missile is launched from the MiG-31K aircraft. An aircraft flying very fast and very high is an ideal vector for launching a missile, improving its characteristics and range (2000 km).

“In addition to speed, the argument for the invincibility of the Dagger missile also included its maneuverability,” explains Xavier Titelman, a former aviator and aviation consultant. “It usually has a variable trajectory, which makes it difficult to predict and therefore difficult to intercept.”

However, Kyiv claims that its Patriot defense systems, supplied, in particular, by the United States, have already shot down several Kinjal missiles. The first shot down on Saturday with visual confirmation. It was designed to hit military or high-priority targets, with Kyiv regularly accusing Russia of hitting civilian infrastructure and buildings with Kinjal.

Measuring seven meters and weighing more than four tonnes (with an explosive charge of 500 to 700 kilograms), the Kinjal is expensive to manufacture and takes advantage of currently embargoed Western electronics. Examining the remains of the intercepted Kinjal missile should allow us to determine whether it has European or American components.

“Today, the number of missiles produced per month is estimated at two, which means that, if we assume that Kyiv shot down all ten missiles during the last attack, five to six months of production is used up in one go,” Xav’ points out. is Titelman.

According to the expert, this new intercept shows the weakness of the Russian industry. “Everyone praised the S400 surface-to-air system, the Ka-52 attack helicopters or the T-14 tank. In fact, they are not that effective or not yet developed, and the countries that were interested in acquiring them are no longer there.”

On the same topic:

• In Russia, 3 researchers were arrested who created Vladimir Putin’s “invincible” weapon
• Will Ukraine be able to shoot down Russian hypersonic missiles with the help of Patriot defense systems?