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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: 2) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday March 22 2022, @05:34PM (1 child)
I am a little surprised that the US never developed hypersonic missiles through all the Cold War and the massive military spending and development that has really never stopped. Is it not cost effective, or was there never a bona fide military need for them?
I don't follow DARPA or the military industrial complex that closely--Jane's is not on my book shelf.
Are there Soylentils who are more familiar with the subject who can explain?
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 22 2022, @11:47PM
There's not really a need for them. The idea of hypersonic missiles is that they are hard to intercept, but beyond that, they don't really add much capability. Since only the US and Israel have good* missile defense systems, the US doesn't really need this kind of weapon.
Even the "hypersonic" missiles currently in service with China and Russia are only barely worth the name. China's are cut-down ICBMs rather than the sort of tactical weapons that could be fired in a typical battle. The idea is that missiles fired from heavily defended bases inside China could land in the vicinity of an aircraft carrier in the China Sea, close enough to knock it out with a nuclear weapon. If conventionally armed, it might not be accurate enough. Russia's are really an air launched version of the Stone surface to surface missile, which is the successor to the famous-for-the-wrong-reasons Scud. Because the missile is coming down rather than going up, it can go a lot faster. But it's only an evolutionary upgrade. Since it's a giant weapon that has to be air dropped, they can probably only launch it from Bear bombers using special equipment, so again not a very practical weapon, but more of a political statement.
* The Army's Patriot missiles get most of the hype, but the Patriot system is not really very effective. The Navy's Aegis system, which is an umbrella term for a bunch of integrated systems, is much better. Most of the Aegis systems are mounted on ships, but there's Aegis Ashore which the Army doesn't like but is probably the best option. And Israel has the Iron Dome, which is very expensive but seems to be the best available missile defense system right now. I don't think Israel is willing to sell Iron Dome technology to anyone, although I don't know if that is a political matter or one of availability.