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The Russian Ministry of Defense has stated that it deployed hypersonic missiles to attack objectives in Ukraine last weekend. The first use in the ongoing war of this kind of weapon, which was confirmed by US intelligence, represents a new phase in Russia’s ramping up of its military operations in the conflict given the capabilities of these missiles, known as Kinzhals, which have a range of over 1,200 miles and can carry a nuclear payload.
What is a Kinzhal?
The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal (which means “dagger” in Russian) is a Russian-made nuclear capable hypersonic aero-ballistic air-to-surface missile, which is able to perform evasive maneuvers in flight. A Kinzhal is eight meters long and can reach Mach 10, which is 10 times faster than the speed of sound (Mach 5 to Mach 10 speeds are classified as hypersonic). The missile weighs 9,500 pounds (4,300 kilograms) and can carry a conventional or nuclear payload of up to 1,110 lb (480kg), according to the Center for Strategic and International studies. A July 2018 report by the Russian TASS news agency suggested that a Kinzhal can achieve a range of over 1,800 miles (2,000 km) if launched from a Tupolev Tu-22M strategic bomber.
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Article URL : https://english.elpais.com/international/2022-03-23/russias-kinzhal-hypersonic-missile-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work.html