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Hypersonic Missile Possibly Used for the First Time in Combat
Russia claims to use a hypersonic missile in attack on arms depot in Ukraine.
Russia has fired scores of guided missiles into Ukraine, but on Saturday it claimed for the first time that it had launched one capable of hypersonic speed in an attack on an ammunition depot in western Ukraine. The report could not be independently verified, but if true could be the first use of a hypersonic weapon in combat.
Hypersonics, generally defined as weapons capable of flying at speeds over Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, are at the center of an arms race among the United States, Russia and China.
[...] A spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, said hypersonic missiles, called Kinzhals, had destroyed the underground warehouse storing Ukrainian missiles and aviation ammunition in the western Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine.
Yuriy Ignat, a spokesman for Ukraine's military, confirmed Saturday that Russian forces had hit an underground warehouse in western Ukraine but said the type of missile involved "is yet to be determined."
Russia Reports First Use of Hypersonic Missile
Russia reports first use of hypersonic missile:
The Russian military says it used its latest hypersonic missile, Kinzhal, for the first time in combat during its offensive in Ukraine. The Kinzhal is a nuclear-capable hypersonic aero-ballistic air-to-ground missile.Spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the hypersonic missiles destroyed an underground warehouse storing missiles and aviation ammunition of Ukrainian troops in the western Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Second Kinzhal Missile Fired
Russia has claimed that a 2nd hypersonic missile ("Kinzhal" - dagger) was used on 20 Mar against "a Ukrainian fuel depot in Kostiantynivka near the Black Sea port of Mykolaiv."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Immerman on Monday March 21 2022, @03:46PM (8 children)
Agreed. There's not a whole lot of point in using a hypersonic missile in the absence of a missile defense system that could intercept slower missiles.
My money is on some combination of a field test and saber-rattling/dick-waving.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by janrinok on Monday March 21 2022, @04:04PM (2 children)
It also 'demonstrates' the ability to deliver an air-launched (potentially nuclear) weapon from within Russian airspace to anywhere in Poland which, if it is truly hypersonic will cause a major problem for western air defences.
If they fly over Belarus or Ukraine then they can reach well into Germany.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 21 2022, @09:05PM
These are air-to-ground missiles. If we actually went to war with Russia, taking air superiority removes these completely off the table. Another problem for Russia is that these weapons have not been seen in combat anywhere near their unclassified specification. Given Russia's proven track record of over-promising and under-delivering when it comes to their military combined with the otherwise tactically pointless use here, it is likely that the missiles are much less of a threat than Russia would like us to believe.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 22 2022, @01:06AM
Textbook Maskirovka! [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Monday March 21 2022, @04:09PM (2 children)
Most of the Ukraine invasion is a weapons/will-to-use-them demonstration. Like a military parade.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 22 2022, @04:59AM (1 child)
I expect better from a parade. The rusted out junk they are showing off is disgraceful, and breaking down halfway isn't a good look either.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday March 22 2022, @10:27AM
I don't know whether to believe the "Putin was advised that this would be a six day war" press or not... Seems likely that was the case; there was a lot of international support of Ukraine in the months leading up to the invasion, and I think his advisors didn't take any of that into account.
The junk didn't start falling apart until after about a week in the field.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday March 21 2022, @04:24PM
(Score: 3, Interesting) by khallow on Monday March 21 2022, @04:31PM
Apparently, cruise missiles can and have been intercepted [cnn.com] in the Ukraine. Link is to a CNN video of a site from a cruise missile that was claimed to have been shot down, but with the warhead still active - creating a large crater when it hit ground.