An Ukrainian Patriot PAC-3 air defense battery reportedly intercepted a Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile near Kiev. The Kinzhal was allegedly launched from a Mikoyan MiG-31K fighter jet from Russian territory towards the Kiev region on the early morning of May 4th. The Patriot PAC-3 missile battery, recently received from Western allies, managed to intercept the missile. If confirmed, this would be the first-ever interception of a hypersonic weapon in real operational conditions.
The information emerged from Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk, who claimed that the Patriot batteries had shot down the Kinzhal missile targeting Kiev at around 2:30 am. Images published seem to support this story. The Ukrainian Air Force has confirmed the operation in its official Twitter feed.
Ukraine's air defenders shot down Kinzhal, a hypersonic aeroballistic russian missile, for the first time since the attacks began. This was done by operators of Patriot air defense system. pic.twitter.com/V2YqZE5QEU
— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) May 6, 2023
Kh-47M2 Kinzhal
The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal (Dagger) is a nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) developed by Russia from the 9k720 Iskander short-range ballistic missile, adapted for use from aircraft. Some MiG-31 jets were modified to carry and launch these powerful weapons, receiving the designation MiG-31K. The munition is also intended for use with Tu-22M3 medium bombers.
Launched from high altitude, Kinzhal has a declared range of over 2,000 km and a speed of Mach 10, capable of evasive maneuvers at every stage of its flight. It can carry nuclear and conventional warheads of up to 500 kg, designed to attack well-fortified positions.
This Russian weapon was first tested in combat during the War in Ukraine. According to Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Major General Igor Konashenkov, «On March 18th, the Kinzhal aviation complex with its hypersonic ballistic missiles destroyed a large underground missile and ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army in Delyatyn, Ivano-Frankivsk region.»
Thus, the Kinzhal missile system became the first new-generation hypersonic weapon used in combat worldwide. According to the majority of global defense experts, no currently operational anti-aircraft system was believed to be able to intercept it.
PAC-3 Interceptor
Developed and produced by Lockheed Martin for use with the Patriot air defense system, the PAC-3 missile family are Hit-to-Kill interceptors, combat-proven and designed to intercept various aerial threats, such as tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and aircraft, through direct contact, providing exponentially more kinetic energy on target than fragmentation-explosion mechanisms.
Is it possible to intercept a hypersonic missile?
The Ukrainian Armed Forces reportedly have two Patriot missile batteries, one from Germany and another from the United States, which arrived in the spring to reinforce air defense around Kiev.
Related: Leaked Pentagon documents reveal the situation of Ukrainian air defense capabilities
Apparently, one or both of these batteries were equipped with the PAC-3 interceptor, the only weapon theoretically capable of intercepting a missile as fast as the Kinzhal. This is because the PAC-3 was designed to take down re-entry vehicles of tactical ballistic missiles, which can reach high supersonic speeds during descent.
The precise circumstances of the interception remain unknown, but it seems likely that the Kh-47M2 remains untouchable during its high-altitude cruise phase at 10 times or more the speed of sound. However, during the dive onto the target, the complete exhaustion of its rocket engine and the increased air density at lower altitudes could slow down the Kinzhal enough to be intercepted by the most advanced and capable anti-missile defense systems currently in service.
