The Ukrainian Air Force released a message on the social platform on May 6, saying that on the evening of May 4, local time, the Ukrainian army shot down a KH-47 dagger hypersonic missile launched by Russian MIG-31K. The Russian military has not yet responded to this news. So, is Ukraine capable of intercepting such missiles?
Russian MIG -3 1 dagger missile mounted under the belly. Dagger hypersonic missile is a weapon of great concern in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, because it is the first hypersonic missile put into actual combat.
On March 19, 2022, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced that the large Ukrainian missile and aviation ammunition depot in Ivan-Frankov, Ukraine, was destroyed by using the Dagger hypersonic missile. This is the first time that the missile has participated in actual combat, which triggered a heated discussion. In August, 2022, Russian Defense Minister shoigu said that in the special military action against Ukraine, the Russian army used the Dagger hypersonic missile three times.
Dagger is the first hypersonic missile launched by Russian army, which can be carried by improved MIG -3 1K interceptor or Tu -22M3M bomber. On March 1 March, 2065438, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled two kinds of hypersonic missiles under study for the first time in his annual State of the Union address, namely "Dagger" air-launched hypersonic missile and "Pioneer" land-based hypersonic missile, which aroused great concern and heated discussion around the world.
According to the above-mentioned State of the Union address, 20 17 12 1, the dagger air-launched hypersonic missile is carrying out flight test and combat duty at the same time in the southern Russian military region. The missile has a flying speed as high as 10 times the speed of sound, can maneuver in the whole flight trajectory, can penetrate all active air defense and anti-missile systems, can carry nuclear warheads or conventional warheads, and can strike targets 2000 kilometers away.
Dagger missile has become one of the important tools for Russian troops to attack high-value targets and demonstrate deterrence. For example, the missile has appeared in Syria, Belarus and Kaliningrad. These actions are regarded by the Russian army as a deterrent.
This missile can be said to be a threat to the Ukrainian army. On March 9 this year, the Russian army once again launched a large-scale air strike on the whole territory of Ukraine, in which six "dagger" hypersonic missiles were launched for the first time, which was called "unprecedented" by the American media as the largest hypersonic missile attack. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that Ukraine was attacked by six dagger air-launched missiles, and that Ukraine could not intercept such missiles.
Hypersonic missile has high flying speed, strong maneuverability and better penetration ability than ballistic missile. It is generally believed that the active missile defense system is mainly aimed at ballistic missiles with relatively rigid trajectories and cannot effectively deal with hypersonic weapons flying at high speed in near space.
Previously, the Ukrainian army repeatedly showed the wreckage of Russian subsonic cruise missiles that were shot down, such as Kh-555, caliber, Kh- 10 1 and other cruise missiles. However, before this interception of dagger missiles, the Ukrainian army never showed success in intercepting the wreckage of hypersonic missiles or ballistic missiles.
The "dagger" missile has a range of about 2,000 kilometers and can be equipped with conventional warheads or nuclear warheads. Patriots can theoretically intercept dagger missiles. According to the information released by the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian army used the Patriot missile system to intercept dagger missiles.
From June 5438 to February 2022, the United States announced that it would provide Ukraine with military assistance worth/kloc-0.85 billion US dollars, including the Patriot air defense missile system. This year1October 5, the German government said that Germany and the United States reached an agreement that Germany would provide Ukraine with "weasel" infantry fighting vehicles and a "Patriot" air defense missile system, and the two governments would also train Ukrainian soldiers in their respective weapon systems.
On April 2013 18, Ukrainian Defense Minister Reznikov revealed on social media that Ukraine officially received the first batch of Patriot missile systems provided by western allies. Reznikov also said that "Patriot system has created an ability that Ukraine did not have before-defeating ballistic targets".
CNN reported that Ukraine received at least two Patriot anti-missile systems, one from the United States and one from Germany.
Ukrainian national news agency reported on April 2 1 that the air force commander Olechuk of the Ukrainian armed forces inspected the Patriot air defense system deployed in one direction that day. He then posted news and photos on social media and said that the "Patriot" air defense system has begun to carry out combat missions.
Patriot is an air defense and anti-missile system developed by the United States. There are three main models: PAC- 1, PAC-2 and PAC-3. Participated in actual combat many times and successfully intercepted ballistic missiles. At present, the United States and Germany have not disclosed the specific mode of assistance to the outside world, but from the photos of Ukrainian soldiers training in Germany, Germany has provided Patriot PAC-2 series missiles to Ukraine.
"Patriot PAC-3 is the most advanced model in the missile family, focusing on enhancing anti-missile capability. Whether the United States will provide it to Ukraine remains to be seen, and it is likely to provide PAC-2 missiles. " Han Dong, a military expert, said.
According to Reuters's previous report, the Patriot air defense missile system provided by the West has a range of 150km, and the range of "150km" is the range of intercepting aircraft. When Patriot PAC-2 intercepts ballistic missiles, its range is 20-30km, the interception height is about 15km, and the warhead adopts fragment proximity bombing.
Patriot PAC-3 missile is mainly used to intercept short-range ballistic missiles, with a maximum interception distance of about 30 kilometers and a height of about 25 kilometers. "It uses kinetic energy warheads for direct attack," said Han Dong, the latest PAC-3? The maximum shooting height of MSE missile is increased to 35 kilometers, and its anti-missile ability is stronger. "
A missile expert who didn't want to be named told the newspaper, "The dagger missile is a Russian-based iskander -M tactical ballistic missile, and the maneuverability of the terminal phase has no qualitative leap compared with the reentry ballistic missile. Patriots PAC-2 and PAC-3 theoretically have the ability to intercept dagger missiles. "
"NATO led by the United States has given Ukraine a lot of support in intelligence and information, and has been paying close attention to the performance of various advanced Russian weapons in actual combat. Dagger missiles regarded by the Russian army as "big killers" are the key targets of attention. With the information support of NATO, it can provide support for Ukrainian Patriot missile operations and improve the success rate of Ukrainian troops intercepting dagger missiles. "
Han Dong believes that the authenticity of the "Dagger" missile wreckage circulating on the Internet is in doubt, and whether it has been successfully intercepted is waiting for the Ukrainian army to provide conclusive evidence.