Did Ukraine Shoot Down A Russian Hypersonic Missile?

The Ukrainian Air Force has claimed that it has shot down a Russian Kinzhal Hypersonic missile using a US-made Patriot Air Defence missile system, on Saturday (6 May).

The 'Kh-47 Kinzhal', also known as 'Dagger' in Russian language is a hypersonic missile, which can travel at speeds of more than 10 Mach. Kinzhal's high-speed makes it very difficult to intercept by air defence systems.

"I congratulate the Ukrainian people on the historic event," the Ukrainian Air Force Commander General Mykola Oleshchuk said confirming the shootdown of the missile that "Yes, we shot down the 'unparalleled' Kinzhal missile".

It has been reported that the Russians have used the Kinzhal missile system on multiple occasions in the year-long Russia-Ukraine war.

Until now, it was believed that the missile was invulnerable to air defence systems, but the supposed interception can be an example that these missiles could be intercepted as well.

It is woth noting, however, that the Kinzhal Hypersonic missile is just an Air-Launched Ballistic Missile (ALBM) and not the Air-Breathing type of Hypersonic missile.

The Air-Breathing type of Hypersonic missiles are even more deadlier since they are highly maneuverable, extremely fast (more than 10 Mach), fly at depressed trajectories and unlike the ALBMs are powered for the entire duration of the flight.

The Patriot missile defence system, on the other hand, was donated by the United States and various other NATO-countries to boost Ukrainian air defence.

The Patriot uses multiple types of missiles for shooting down various targets like cruise and ballistic missiles, fighter jets and bombers. According to a Washington Post report, the missile that shot down the Kinzhal could have been — the MSE, or Missile Segment Enhancement — which is specifically designed to shoot down ballistic missiles.

Although, the Ukrainian Air Force has claimed to have shot down a Kinzhal hypersonic missile, it is important to note that there is no conclusive evidence to confirm this claim.

It is possible that the missile intercepted by the Patriot missile defense system could have been an Iskander-M missile, on which the Kinzhal hypersonic missile is reportedly based. Further investigation and analysis is needed to confirm whether the missile intercepted was Kinzhal or something else.

Nevertheless, the shootdown will boost the morale of the Ukrainian population in general and the Ukrainian forces in particular, who until now have been having a very hard time with the Russian Air Force fighter bombers. These bombers were having a free run on the Ukrainian forces since the depletion of the air defense missiles in the Ukrainian inventory.

This interception is coming just three days after a drone attack in Moscow aimed at assassinating Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Reportedly, the drones targeted the president's official residence, which is located in the Kremlin complex in the heart of Moscow. Putin was not present in the complex at the time of the attack.

Ukraine has categorically denied any involvement in the drone attack. The Ukrainian officials have also stated that they are willing to cooperate in any investigation into the attack.