In the wake of the ongoing fighting on Ukrainian soil, Russia announced today, Saturday, that it had used its new kengal hypersonic missiles.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said his forces used their latest hypersonic missiles for the first time in Ukraine on Friday to destroy a weapons storage site in the west of the country.
He also added that the large warehouse that was targeted was underground, in the village of Delatin in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, and contained missiles and ammunition, according to what was reported by the Russian RIA Novosti news agency.
In addition, the ministry announced that it had also destroyed radio communications and reconnaissance centers belonging to the Ukrainian army near the coastal city of Odessa using a coastal missile system.
The latest Russian missiles
But what are the features of this latest Russian kengal missile?
Perhaps the most important feature of this hypersonic missile is its superior ability to hit targets with pinpoint accuracy, very similar to the accuracy of sniping, especially since its deviation from the target does not exceed one meter.
Its speed is about 12 thousand kilometers per hour (10 Mach), and it is capable of destroying targets at a range of 2000 kilometers, which requires the entry of the MiG-31K missile-carrying aircraft into the air defense zone of the target area.
The MiG has a speed of Mach 2.3, which guarantees the speed needed to launch the missile.
It is noteworthy that "kengal", which can be called in English "the sniper's dagger", is intended to destroy large ships and even aircraft carriers.
Moscow first revealed this missile in 2018.
No flight
It is noteworthy that since the launch of the Russian military operation on the territory of its western neighbor on February 24, Kyiv has demanded from the West to impose a comprehensive flight ban over Ukrainian airspace to prevent Russian planes and fighters from flying and targeting Ukrainian military centers and forces.
However, NATO countries, led by the United States, confirmed that this matter is unlikely, because of the risks it carries. The European Union countries have more than once confirmed their rejection of this idea, because it may expand the conflict to unimaginable consequences, and may even ignite a third world war!
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- Agencies