Su-34 carries Kinzhal hypersonic missile to attack target in Ukraine for the first time

Russian state media reported that for the first time, the Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missile was deployed by a Su-34 multirole fighter bomber during a special military operation in Ukraine. This marked a tactical change in the way Moscow uses its air force in the current conflict.

Russia's TASS news agency reported on September 4 that, "Su-34 aircraft used Kinzhal hypersonic missiles in an airstrike on targets in Ukraine."

Kinzhal missile

Kinzhal is a Russian-made ballistic missile, also known as “Dagger”, with a range of over 2,000 km and a hypersonic speed of Mach 10-12. Kinzhal is capable of performing trajectory changes to evade enemy air defense missiles at all stages of flight. This is one of three advanced hypersonic weapons that Russia has put into service since 2018 (the other two are the Avangard glide vehicle and the Zircon cruise missile).

The Kinzhal hypersonic missile is one of the latest achievements of the Russian defense industry, it is usually equipped on the MiG-31K fighter jet. Kinzhal is highly maneuverable, designed to attack ground and sea targets.

The Ukrainian military said that since the beginning of the conflict Moscow has repeatedly launched Kinzhal missiles on Ukrainian territory, but in smaller numbers than other types of missiles. Previously, Kinzhal missiles were launched from the air mainly from MiG-31K aircraft, not from the Su-34 twin-engine supersonic fighter-bomber.

Russian media have also reported that Tu-22M3 strategic bombers and Su-34 fighter bombers can be modified to carry Kinzhal missiles. And the recent attack was also the first time the Su-34 bomber successfully launched the Kinzhal missile.

Reasonable move

Modifying the Su-34 to equip the Kinzhal missile is a "logical step" for the Russian military, according to Sidharth Kaushal, an expert at the London-based Royal United Services Institute.

The successful modification has allowed the Russian air force to “free up” its MiG-31s to serve as frontline interceptors, he told Newsweek.

“In this role, the MiG-31’s long-range radar and R-37 interceptor missiles will be very useful as a tool to intercept Ukrainian aircraft,” he added. The expert noted that in theory, the MiG-31’s radar system can identify enemy cruise missiles and act as an anti-cruise missile weapon.

Kaushal argues that, "if we use the Su-34 as a missile launcher instead of the MiG-31, we could see the MiG-31 in a more defensive role, especially against aircraft and cruise missiles."

Moscow has hailed the Kinzhal as one of its new generation of "unstoppable" weapons, capable of traveling at 10 times the speed of sound. However, according to Western experts, Russia's assessment that the Kinzhal is unstoppable is wrong and the missile is not completely invulnerable to air defense systems as Russia claims.

Reviews from the West

Military expert David Hambling previously told Newsweek “all indications are that the Kinzhal is simply an air-launched ballistic missile” with limited maneuverability, rather than a true hypersonic weapon.

Russia currently has a very limited number of Kinzhal missiles. If the country had more launch vehicles that could carry the missile, it would open up the possibility of Russia increasing production of the missile and using it as a conventional weapon, Hambling told Newsweek on September 4.

According to the Ukrainian military, its air defenses have shot down several Kinzhal missiles in recent months. Ukrainian Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Mykola Oleschuk said Ukraine had “successfully shot down a Kinzhal missile” fired from a MiG-31K in early May 2023. The Pentagon later confirmed that a Ukrainian-operated Patriot system had intercepted a Kinzhal missile, but the Russian Defense Ministry denied the report.

Ukraine says it has shot down more than two dozen Kinzhal missiles in recent months. “The Kinzhal is more vulnerable than people think, which could come as a surprise and embarrassment to Russia,” the British Ministry of Defense said in a social media post in mid-May.

Integrated into fighter aircraft, the Kinzhal ballistic missile's unique capabilities have played a very important role in Russia's arsenal. Kinzhal effectively compensates for shortcomings in other aspects of the Russian defense sector.

Notably, it was the serious delays in deploying stealth fighters, Russia's programs of which have lagged significantly behind those of its Chinese and American rivals, that necessitated such measures.

The Kinzhal hypersonic missile has been deployed in the Russian armed forces for testing since December 2017. According to Russian state media, the Russian military first used the missile during a special military operation in Ukraine on March 18, 2022.

Le Hung (Newsweek)

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