Kh-47M2 Kinzhal

The missile is designed to hit NATO warships posing a threat to strategic missile systems in European Russia and to destroy NATO missile defence systems, ballistic missile defense ships and land objects close to the Russian borders. It is allegedly designed to overcome any known or planned US air or missile defense systems including MIM-104 Patriot, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Aegis Combat System.[16][17][18][19] Rather than using the more recent hypersonic glide and scramjet missile designs, it uses the more classical ballistic missile technology at simply greater speeds.[20]

The missile overall design is shared with 9K720 Iskander and the guidance section is modified for this missile. It can hit static and mobile targets such as aircraft carriers.[21][22]

Because it flies at hypersonic speeds within the atmosphere, the air pressure in front of it forms a plasma cloud as it moves, absorbing radio waves.[23]

The high speed of the Kinzhal gives it better target-penetration characteristics than lighter, slower cruise-missiles[24] With advanced maneuvering capabilities, high precision and hypersonic speed, some sources give it the name "carrier killer" due to its alleged ability to disable and possibly even sink a 100,000 ton supercarrier with a single strike.[25] With a mass of 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) and a speed of Mach 12 (including 500 kg warhead and the other parts of the missile), the Kinzhal has more than 16.9 gigajoules of kinetic energy, or the equivalent of 4,000 kg of TNT.

Russian media claims the missile's range is 2,000 km (1,200 mi; 1,100 nmi) when carried by the MiG-31K and 3,000 km (1,900 mi; 1,600 nmi) when carried by the Tu-22M3.[26]

The Kinzhal entered service in December 2017 and is one of the six new Russian strategic weapons unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 1 March 2018.[27][28] The missile was reportedly first used in 2016 during Russia's military campaign in Syria.

In May 2018, ten MiG-31Ks capable of using Kinzhal missiles were on experimental combat duty and ready to be deployed.[29] By December 2018, aircraft armed with Kinzhal missiles had conducted 89 sorties over the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.[30]

By February 2019, crews of the MiG-31K Kinzhal missile carriers had performed more than 380 training sorties with the missile, of which at least 70 have used air-to-air refueling.[22][31][32] The weapon made its public debut during the Aviadarts international contest in August 2019.[33]

According to TASS, the first launch of Kinzhal in the Arctic took place mid-November, 2019. Reportedly, the launch was carried out by a MiG-31K from Olenya air base. The missile hit a ground target at "Pemboy" proving ground, reaching the speed of Mach 10.[34] In June 2021, a Kinzhal missile was launched by a MiG-31K from Khmeimim Air Base, on a ground target in Syria.[35] A separate aviation regiment has been formed, armed with MiG-31K aircraft with the Kinzhal hypersonic missile in 2021.[36]

Rumours in early February 2022 suggested that several MiG-31 interceptors armed with Kinzhal missiles were dispatched from Soltsy Air Base, Novgorod Oblast, to Chernyakhovsk Naval Air Base in Russia's western Kaliningrad exclave.[37][38][39][40] Russia's Aerospace Force launched Kinzhal hypersonic aeroballistic missiles on 19 February 2022.[41]

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian military said that it used Kinzhal missiles to destroy an alleged underground weapons depot of the Ukrainian armed forces in Deliatyn on 18 March 2022 and a fuel depot in Konstantinovka the next day.[42][43][44][45] U.S President Joe Biden confirmed "It's almost impossible to stop it".[46] It was reportedly used again on 11 April.[47]

 Russia

• Russian Aerospace Forces[48]

• Avangard (hypersonic glide vehicle)
• 3M22 Zircon
• Kh-22

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kh-47M2 Kinzhal.

• https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/kinzhal/