The Ukrainian Air Force (UAF) claims that Russia has again used the Kh-47 Kinhzal hypersonic missile against “important” military installations. The most recent attack with the advanced weapon was recorded on Sunday (07) in the Vinnytsia region, about 360 km from the capital Kiev.
The UAF reported the use of the Russian missile on Monday via a Facebook post titled "Vinnytsia hit with Kinzhal". In the post, Air Force Command says that “On August 7, Russian occupiers used Kh-47M2 “Kinzhal” hypersonic missiles against military installations in the Vinnytsia region.”
https://www.facebook.com/kpszsu/posts/pfbid032chGy1xsjEUfG4BffBz3F34VvQCHrUVR4wzdpAi4bu31vsDFeuc3hNVBDXWzjot1l
The UAF also points out that, due to “Tactical and technical characteristics of this missile [prevent] existing air defense means in the Armed Forces of Ukraine from effectively detecting and destroying it.”
The first reported use of the Kh-47 (also called the X-47) came on March 19 via the Ministry of Defense of Russia. At the time, the folder claimed to have attacked a “large underground warehouse of missiles and aviation ammunition of the Ukrainian troops in the village of Delyatyn”, on the outskirts of the city of Ivano-Frankovsk, in the west of the country.
Russia would also have used the Kinzhal two days later, in a attack on the fuel depot located in close proximity to the port of Mykolaiv on the Black Sea.
Although it is a very advanced weapon, the UAF says that "As of February 24, 2022, only a few combat applications of missiles of this type have been ed." Ukraine also claims that the Russians are “trying to use it on extremely important targets.”
The Kh-47 is the first hypersonic missile to enter regular operation, followed by Chinese models. The artifact was developed based on the short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) 9K720 Iskander, receiving the necessary modifications to be launched from MiG-31K, Tu-22M and Tu-160 aircraft.
Its main feature is high speed: according to Russia, the Kh-47M2 can reach speeds in excess of 12.300 km/h. Thus, the detection and interception of this missile is challenging, even for the most current air defense systems.
Currently, the US and China are in the race to develop hypersonic cruise missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles, more advanced and lethal than the Kinzhal, a ballistic missile.
