Friday, March 29, 2024

Ukraine’s top official confirms “Russian hypersonic missile” shot down

Commander of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Mykola Oleshchuk confirmed on Saturday the shooting down of the Kinzhal hypersonic missile over Kyiv by the Patriot air defense system on May 4.

“I congratulate the Ukrainian people on a historic event! Yes, we have shot down the “unparalleled” Kinzhal,” Oleshchuk said.

Oleshchuk claims that the Kinzhal missile was launched by a MiG-31K fighter jet from Russian territory.

- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW -

Defense Express was the first to report that Ukrainian troops shot down a Russian hypersonic ballistic missile using a Western-made air defense system.

According to Defense Express, Ukraine’s Armed Forces successfully intercepted a Russian Kinzhal (Kh-47) hypersonic missile at around 02:40 a.m. on May 4 over Kyiv.

The Russian military says the Kinzhal is an ‘unstoppable’  air-launched hypersonic ballistic missile.

The Kinzhal, which means “Dagger” in Russian, missile is reported to fly at speeds of up to Mach 10, or 7672 miles per hour, and has a range of around 3,000 kilometers when launched from a modified MiG-31K fighter jet, allowing it to be used as a precision standoff weapon in Ukraine.

The Kinzhal missile was among the six new weapons unveiled by Russian president Vladimir putin during his 2018 state-of-the-nation address.

If you would like to show your support for what we are doing, here's where to do it.

If you wish to report grammatical or factual errors within our news articles, you can let us know by using the online feedback form.

Executive Editor

About author:

Dylan Malyasov
Dylan Malyasov
Dylan Malyasov is the editor-in-chief of Defence Blog. He is a journalist, an accredited defense advisor, and a consultant. His background as a defense advisor and consultant adds a unique perspective to his journalistic endeavors, ensuring that his reporting is well-informed and authoritative. read more

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

TRENDING NOW

Ukraine uncovers secrets of Russia’s new hypersonic missile

Ukrainian analysts have unveiled the classified specs of Russia's shadowy hypersonic cruise missile, the 3M22 Zircon, intercepted by US-made missile defense systems over Kyiv,...