US officials speculate on Ukraine's 'shooting down of Kinzhal' scenario

US officials say Russia tried to use a Kinzhal hypersonic missile to destroy a Ukrainian Patriot battery last week but was unsuccessful and shot down by Kiev.

The Ukrainian Air Force claims it intercepted a Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missile on the night of May 4. Speaking to CNN about the situation that led to the incident, two unnamed US officials believe that Russia then picked up the signal of the Patriot air defense system and decided to attack with Kinzhal missiles. However, the Kinzhal attack failed and the Ukrainian military used Patriots to shoot down the hypersonic missile.

Ukrainian air defenses "fired multiple Patriot missiles from different angles to intercept the Russian missiles," a US official said, adding that this showed "Ukrainian soldiers were proficient in operating the system."

The Patriot system has a powerful radar to detect incoming targets from a distance, helping to intercept enemy ballistic missiles and aircraft. However, the enemy can detect and find the location of the Patriot system using this long-range radar signal.

MiG-31K fighter jet carrying Kinzhal missile performs in 2018. Photo: Kremlin — MiG-31K fighter jet carrying Kinzhal missile performs in 2018. Photo: *Kremlin*

US officials said there were ways to “camouflage the Patriot’s radar signature to some extent,” but Russian forces could still find the rough location of Ukraine’s Patriot battery outside the capital Kiev.

Asked about Ukraine's claim, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said that Ukraine's Patriot system "shot down a Russian missile," but did not mention the Kinzhal.

A Russian defense official said on May 11 that the information about the Kinzhal hypersonic missile being shot down was "just an attempt to spread illusions." According to this person, the announcement of the downing of the Russian missile by the Ukrainian military "is an attempt to justify the high rate of consumption of anti-aircraft missile ammunition and promote the effectiveness of the complexes they operate."

The MIM-104 Patriot is an air defense missile developed by the United States and has been in service with the U.S. military since 1981. The PAC-2 variant, or MIM-104C, can hit targets more than 60 miles away and fly higher than 100,000 feet, according to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

The latest variant in the Patriot family is the PAC-3, also known as the MIM-104F, which is a near-complete upgrade capable of destroying airborne threats such as fighters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.

The situation on the Russia - Ukraine battlefield. Graphics: WP

Ukraine has received at least two Patriot batteries, one from Germany and one from the United States, to bolster its air defenses against advanced Russian missiles. Russia has declared the Patriot batteries in service with the Ukrainian military a “legitimate target” and warned it would strike their deployment sites.

Hypersonic missiles are weapons that travel at least five times faster than the speed of sound, equivalent to more than 6,200 km/h. Thanks to their complex flight trajectory and very high speed, hypersonic weapons have higher lethality and are almost impossible to intercept with current defense shields.

The Kinzhal hypersonic missile is one of six super weapons announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018. Russia first used the Kinzhal missile in March 2022, when it attacked a large weapons depot in Ivano-Frankivsk province, western Ukraine. US President Joe Biden later said that the Kinzhal was "a weapon that has a high impact but does not make much difference, except that it is virtually impossible to intercept".

Nguyen Tien (According to CNN )

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