The United States confirms the statements of representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) that they managed to intercept the Russian hypersonic missile “Dagger” with the help of the American anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) Patriot. On this subject writing CNN, citing a source.
As previously reported by the Ukrainian edition of Defense Express, on the night of May 4, the Ukrainian armed forces were able to intercept an X-47 Kinzhal missile over the skies of Kiev for the first time. Journalists noted that they received from sources photographs of the wreckage of the “Dagger” that fell in one of the capital’s stadiums. Defense Express suggested the missile was shot down by the Patriot complex.
According to reports from the Kiev City Military Administration, on the day the Kinzhal missile was shot down, Defense Express said the city was subjected to rocket fire, “probably of a ballistic type”.
On May 6, the commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykola Oleshchuk reported on his Telegram channel that the “dagger” was shot down by a Patriot complex “during a night attack on May 4 in the sky of the Kiev region. ”
CNN, citing a source, writes that the United States is “very confident in the accuracy of the statement” from the Ukrainian side about the successful interception of the “Dagger” by Patriot. As the newspaper notes, despite the fact that this air defense system can successfully resist ballistic missiles, until early May it was believed that the Patriot was capable of intercepting hypersonic missiles only in theory.
According to a CNN source, the probable interception of the “Dagger” was a real demonstration of such a possibility, which the Pentagon considered a “major event”. As the interlocutor of the channel clarified, military personnel trained in Oklahoma (USA) were responsible for intercepting a hypersonic missile, but in Ukraine they acted without American advisers. CNN writes that the APU called the incident a “major payback.”
The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on reports of the alleged interception of the Kinzhal missile by the Ukrainian military.
Kinzhal is a Russian hypersonic aviation missile system. How said President of Russia Vladimir Putin, this missile is capable of reaching speeds of Mach 10 (about 12,000 km / h), covering a distance of up to 2,000 km and also carrying nuclear and conventional weapons.
“Dagger” was repeatedly used by Russian troops during battles in Ukraine. Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov argued that the “Dagger” is invulnerable to Ukrainian air defense. At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine noted the inability of Ukrainian troops to intercept hypersonic missiles. By words According to Sidharth Kaushal, a researcher at the Royal United Arms Institute in London, hypersonic weapons are difficult to intercept due to their speed, altitude and maneuverability.
Patriot is an American anti-aircraft missile and missile defense system that allows you to shoot down missiles before they hit the target. The batteries of this air defense system are capable of hitting air targets, in particular aircraft. The Ukrainian armed forces received a Patriot launcher as well as 100 missiles in mid-April. Learn more about what Patriot is in Russian media hardware.
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