41-467: The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal (Russian: Х-47М2 Кинжал , IPA: [kʲɪn'ʐaɫ] , lit. ' Dagger '; NATO reporting name : AS-24 Killjoy ) is a Russian hypersonic air-launched ballistic missile . It has an estimated range of 460–480 km (290–300 mi) and a reported top speed of Mach 10. It can carry either conventional or nuclear warheads and can be launched by Tu-22M3 bombers, MiG-31K interceptors, or modified Su-34 fighter-bombers. It
82-574: A MIM-104 Patriot missile defence system. According to CNN , the Patriot system's ability to stop an air-launched hypersonic missile was considered to be only theoretical before the claimed interception. On 9 May 2023, Patrick S. Ryder , a Pentagon spokesman, confirmed that Ukraine downed the hypersonic missile. On 10 May 2023, Vitali Klitschko showed fragments of the alleged downed Kinzhal missile for Bild journalists in Kyiv. Russian media alleged that
123-522: A Kinzhal missile the same night. US officials confirmed that the Patriot system was damaged, but stated that the damage was minimal and that the battery has been fully operational after minor repairs. Neither the US nor Ukrainian officials confirmed whether the damage was due to falling debris or another cause. The Ukrainian Patriot operator that intercepted the Kinzhal missile launched on 4 May 2023 claimed that
164-497: A Su-24M, a S-400 defensive missile system was installed, allowing Russia to defend the air space from Southern Turkey to Northern Israel. At the end of January 2016, Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets started to be deployed. In February 2016, one Tupolev Tu-214R was reported to have been deployed. At the end of February 2016 and in response to developments at the Geneva peace talks , a truce coordination center had been established at
205-567: A component of its permanent military contingent stationed in Syria. The Russian name of the air base " Хмеймим " has been transliterated also in other ways, namely Hemeimeem , Hmeymin , all based on the local Arabic name, — حميميم . Khmeimim air base was built in mid-2015 adjacent to the Bassel Al-Assad International Airport to serve as "the strategic center of Russian military intervention on behalf of
246-510: A large-scale renovation at the airport. This included the construction of a second landing strip, hangars to shelter planes from drone attacks and the sun, and a centralized fuel system to speed up refueling. With the demise of opposing forces, Russian pilots were said to perform mainly training sessions having at hand 30 aircraft consisting of Su-35S, Su-34 and Su-24 planes and Mi-35 and Mi-8AMTSh helicopters. In 2021, both Tu-22M3 Backfire long-range bombers and Su-35 fighters operating from
287-634: A low altitude and “created a dangerous situation for other aircraft and vessels in the region.” “The Israeli pilots used the Russian plane as cover and set it up to be targeted by the Syrian air defense forces. As a consequence, the Il-20, which has radar cross-section much larger than the F-16, was shot down by an S-200 system missile,” the statement said, adding that 15 Russian military service members have died as
328-420: A modified guidance section for the Kinzhal. It can reportedly hit both static targets and mobile ones such as aircraft carriers. The high speed of the Kinzhal gives it better target penetration than lighter, slower cruise missiles. In Russian media the "hypersonic" feature has been highlighted as a unique feature to create an impression it is a new and advanced design ( hypersonic glide and scramjet ) although
369-511: A reason they're using it." Chinese analysts, after reviewing its performance in Ukraine in 2023, point out that is not really a hypersonic missile since it follows a ballistic trajectory and cannot maneuver at hypersonic speeds. This makes it relatively easy to intercept compared with true hypersonic missiles. They also criticised its accuracy. The Kinzhal entered service in December 2017 and
410-540: A result. On 3 October 2024 it was claimed that the Israel Defense Forces had targeted a weapons dump in or near Khmeimim. On 6 January 2018, Russian forces thwarted a drone (UAV) swarm attack on the base, the first of this kind in the history of warfare. Statements from Russia's MoD on 8 and 10 January confirmed earlier reports about the incident, saying that the attempted attack that involved 13 armed, fixed-wing drones which were used to attack both
451-446: A special operation. Furthermore, a terrorist drone assembly and storage depot was destroyed as well in the Syrian province of Idlib. A Krasnopol precision projectile were used in both the strikes. On 6 March 2018, a Russian Antonov An-26 transport plane crash during an attempted landing at the airbase killed all 39 military personnel on board. The Russian MoD said that the plane was not fired upon and preliminary data suggested that
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#1732790790796492-501: A technical malfunction had caused the crash. On September 19, 2018, a Russian Ilyushin Il-20 plane that was coming in to land was hit by Syrian air defense in a friendly fire incident. The Syrians were trying to target Israeli aircraft . The Russian Defense Ministry said that four Israeli F-16 fighter jets had attacked targets in Syria's Latakia after approaching from the Mediterranean. The Israeli warplanes had approached at
533-570: Is a Syrian airbase currently operated by Russia , located south-east of the city of Latakia in Hmeimim , Latakia Governorate , Syria . The airbase shares some airfield facilities with Bassel Al-Assad International Airport . The legal status of the base is regulated by a treaty Russia and Syria signed in August 2015. At the end of 2017, Russia said it had decided to turn the Khmeimim base into
574-455: Is in charge of protecting the base perimeter, while the Russian side is responsible for air defense and internal policing of base personnel. The treaty was amended by signing a protocol to the treaty on 18 January 2017. In late December 2017, Russia announced it had set about "forming a permanent grouping" at Khmeimim as well as at its naval facility in Tartus , after president Putin approved
615-457: Is reported to be capable of handling Antonov An-124 Ruslan and Ilyushin Il-76 M transport aircraft; the deployed aircraft included Sukhoi Su-24 Ms, Sukhoi Su-25s , and Sukhoi Su-34s , reconnaissance aircraft Il-20M as well as T-90 tanks, BTR-82 vehicles, artillery, with Mil Mi-24 , Mi-28 , Ka-52 gunships and Mil Mi-8 support helicopters. After the 24 November 2015 shootdown of
656-558: Is the first hypersonic weapon used in combat. It has been deployed at airbases in Russia's Southern Military District and Western Military District . The Kinzhal entered service in December 2017 and was one of the six new Russian strategic weapons unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2018. The overall design of the missile is shared with the older ground-launched 9K720 Iskander missile, adapted for air launching with
697-594: The Russian Aerospace Forces to begin permanent patrols over the Black Sea region with MiG-31K aircraft armed with Kinzhal missiles on 18 October 2023. Russian sources stated that these missiles have received the capability of mid-flight re-targeting. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine , the Russian military claimed to have used Kinzhal missiles to destroy an alleged underground weapons depot of
738-532: The Russian MoD published its statement, no aircraft were destroyed in the attack, but ten were damaged. An article on /Drive said that key questions about the attack were still unanswered despite the Russian MoD's communique. On 12 January 2018, the Russian MoD announced the military had eliminated the group of militants that shelled the Khmeimim airbase, close to the western border of Idlib province in
779-603: The 6 January swarm attack on 25 October, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Alexander Fomin stated that "Thirteen drones moved according to common combat battle deployment, operated by a single crew. During all this time the American Poseidon-8 reconnaissance plane patrolled the Mediterranean Sea area for eight hours," according to the TASS article which provided details on the operation and how
820-653: The Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. 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 . The weapon made its public debut during the Aviadarts international contest in August 2019. According to TASS , the first launch of Kinzhal in the Arctic took place mid-November 2019. The launch
861-468: The Hmeimim base and the Tartus naval facility on 5—6 January was repulsed by the Russian forces' radio-electronic warfare technologies; it also refuted earlier reports that a greater number of UAVs were involved in the attack and alleged that the drones could have been obtained only from a country that possessed "high-tech capabilities for providing satellite navigation and remote control." Referring to
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#1732790790796902-574: The Kinzhal actually uses a standard ballistic missile technology at greater speeds. The "hypersonic" feature is shared with many older designs and does not represent any particular technological breakthrough. Russian media state the missile's range as 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 ; in both cases these figures are arrived at by adding
943-496: The Poseidon managed the attack and the drones were switched from autonomous to manual control. Further analysis was provided by Editor-in-Chief of National Defense journal Igor Korotchenko stating "There were three such goals: uncovering the Russian air defense system in Syria, carrying out radio-electronic reconnaissance and inflicting actual harm to our servicemen in Syria," in a 2nd TASS article providing further information on
984-539: The Russian analysis of the attack and the Russian official belief that it was a Pentagon operation. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the Deputy Defence Minister's claim. In a statement to Military Times the Pentagon said “Any suggestion that U.S. or coalition forces played a role in an attack on a Russian base is without any basis in fact and is utterly irresponsible,” in an article covering
1025-1002: The Syrian government in the Syrian U.S. proxy war (2011-present). The existence of the Russian strategic base was revealed by the United States in early September and American officials expressed concern over the possibility of escalation of the conflict in Syria. The airbase became operational on 30 September 2015. On 26 August 2015, in Damascus, Russia and Syria signed a treaty, effective forthwith, that stipulates terms and conditions of use by Russia of Syria's Khmeimim Airport, free of charge and with no time limit. The treaty, ratified by Russia's parliament and signed into law by president Vladimir Putin in October 2016, grants Russia's personnel and their family members jurisdictional immunity and other privileges as envisaged by Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations . The Syrian military
1066-674: The Ukrainian armed forces in Deliatyn on 18 March 2022, followed by a fuel depot in Konstantinovka the next day. When asked about the use of these missiles, U.S. President Joe Biden noted that it was a significant weapon, but ultimately had the same warhead as any other missile, which is difficult to defend against. Subsequent reports suggest that the Kinzhal missiles were used again on 11 April, while on 9 May, Russian Tu-22 aircraft launched three Kinzhal-type missiles at targets in
1107-532: The airbase to coordinate activities of warring parties and "render maximum assistance" to all parties participating in recent ceasefire agreements; the center will not support ISIL , Al-Nusra , and terrorist groups so designated by the UN Security Council . The Sixth Directorate of the Russian GRU reportedly operated a signals intelligence station by the airport. In 2018 RT reported on
1148-488: The airbase was targeted by multiple drone attacks, all were repelled. In August 2018, a total of 47 drones had been shot down by Russian air defenses. 50 drones were shot down in September–October 2018. Three more attacks occurred in August 2019. Air defense and electronic warfare systems deployed at Russia's Hmeymim air base in Syria have shot down or disabled over 100 drones during terrorists’ attempted attacks on
1189-662: The aircraft's combat radius to the missile's range. Its range once launched from its aircraft has been estimated between 460 and 480 km, similar to that of the Iskander missile upon which its design is reportedly based. It is claimed that one Kh-47 Kinzhal hypersonic missile costs about US$ 10 million. U.S. defense officials have concluded that existing radar architectures are insufficient to detect and track hypersonic weapons. In March 2022, American President Joe Biden confirmed that Russia used hypersonic missiles in Ukraine. "It's almost impossible to stop it," he said: "There's
1230-515: The base were reported engaged in training flights over the eastern Mediterranean. In November 2016, after the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov lost a MiG-29K fighter due to arrestor cable problems, satellite images indicated that at least some of the carrier's air wing of MiG-29K and Sukhoi Su-33 aircraft had been deployed to Khmeimim. On 3 January 2018, the Kommersant reported that rebel shelling on 31 December 2017 caused
1271-413: The deaths of 2 Russian military personnel and the loss of at least seven aircraft stationed on the base; the Russian MoD on 4 January 2018 acknowledged that the attack occurred and confirmed that two servicemen had been killed, but denied that any jets had been disabled. According to Roman Saponkov, a Russian military journalist who posted photographs of the aftermath of the attack on the same day that
Kh-47M2 Kinzhal - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-490: The drones and 47 of the missiles. One person was killed and two others were injured when an apartment block in the Holosiiv district was hit during the attack. On 9 March 2023, Ukrainian cities were hit with a barrage of 84 missiles, including 6 Kinzhals—the largest use of these missiles to date. On 4 May 2023 at about 2:40 AM over Kyiv , one Kh-47M2 missile was said to be shot down by the Ukrainian air defense forces using
1353-430: The fragments closely resembled the concrete-piercing BETAB-500 ShP aerial bomb. On 16 May 2023, Ukraine said that they had intercepted six Kinzhal missiles fired at Kyiv overnight; Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu denied the Ukrainian claims, stating that less than six missiles had been launched. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have destroyed a US-built Patriot surface-to-air missile defense system with
1394-411: The kind of military infrastructure that Russia had installed in Syria, which included anti-aircraft defence systems, was a de facto no-fly zone: "As we see the very capable air defense [systems] beginning to show up in Syria, we're a little worried about another A2/AD [anti-access/area denial] bubble being created in the eastern Mediterranean." (Russia's third denial zone around Europe) Khmeimim Airbase
1435-437: The likelihood of the Russian claims. On 24 April, the airbase was targeted by another wave of drones in a swarm attack. Russian forces reported they had intercepted and destroyed several "small-size unidentified airborne targets" while they approached the base. On 30 June, Russian air defences repelled another drone attack on the base, shooting down multiple unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles. During July and August 2018,
1476-401: The military facility over the past two years, Defense Ministry Spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said on September 27, 2019. On January 19, February 3 and 11, June 22 and July 11, 2020, and also on September 27, 2021 Russian air defense systems repelled drone attacks. At the end of September 2015, NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe, General Philip Breedlove , said that
1517-752: The missile travelled only at approximately 1,240 m/s (Mach 3.6), which is about one-third of the maximum speed claimed by Russia and that consequently for the subsequent attack "it was just a matter of getting on with the job". Khanjali Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 245549369 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 10:46:30 GMT Khmeimim Air Base Khmeimim Air Base ( Russian : Хмеймим ), also Hmeimim Air Base ( Arabic : حميميم ),
1558-663: The port city of Odesa . In another development, three MiG-31K fighter aircraft equipped with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles were redeployed to the Chkalovsk airfield in the Kaliningrad Region on 18 August 2022. On 26 January 2023, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that 55 missiles, including a Kh-47 Kinzhal hypersonic missile, and 24 Shahed-136 drones had been fired at targets in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force said that they were able to shoot down all of
1599-419: The structure and the personnel strength of the Tartus and Hmeymim bases. Within several months in 2015 new infrastructure was built: air-conditioned accommodation for approximately 1,000 people, an air traffic control tower , runway extensions, storage facilities, field kitchens, and refuelling stations. Supplies were flown in from Russia or shipped via Tartus harbour 50 km (31 mi) away. The base
1640-653: Was one of the six new Russian strategic weapons unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 1 March 2018. The Kinzhal missile has since been deployed on the MiG-31K, the Tu-160M , the Tu-22M3M, and also reportedly the Su-34. In May 2018, ten MiG-31Ks capable of using Kinzhal missiles were on experimental combat duty and ready to be deployed. By December 2018, aircraft armed with Kinzhal missiles had conducted 89 sorties over
1681-728: Was reportedly carried out by a MiG-31K from Olenya air base . The missile hit a ground target at Pemboy proving ground, reaching a speed of Mach 10. In June 2021, a Kinzhal missile was launched by a MiG-31K from Khmeimim Air Base on a ground target in Syria. A separate aviation regiment was formed in 2021 which is armed with MiG-31K aircraft with the Kinzhal hypersonic missile. 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 . Russia's Aerospace Force launched Kinzhal missiles on 19 February 2022. Vladimir Putin ordered