Ukraine war
London: Russia is using hypersonic missiles again
A Mikoyan MiG-31 interceptor of the Russian Air Force flies at the Russian Victory Day military parade loaded with an air-to-surface ballistic missile “Kinschal”. (archive image) photo
© Pavel Golovkin/AP/dpa
The Kinschal-type hypersonic missile is intended for well-defended targets. According to London, their efforts have been mixed so far. Now it was apparently supposed to target a military airfield.
According to British assessments, the Russian Air Force recently had one for the first time since August Kinschal hypersonic missile used against Ukraine. The British Ministry of Defense said the target of the missile (NATO code: AS-24 Killjoy) was probably a military airfield.
The “Killjoy” (killjoy) is intended for high-value and well-defended targets. NATO gave it the nickname because, according to the alliance’s assessment, these missiles can hardly be intercepted with conventional air or missile defenses.
In London it was now said that the deployments of the hypersonic missile so far had been mixed. “Many launches likely missed their intended targets, and Ukraine also managed to intercept attacks from this supposedly “invincible” system,” the ministry said.
The British Ministry of Defense has been publishing daily information on the progress of the war since the war against Ukraine began in February 2022. Moscow accuses London of disinformation.