“Why the Russian Military’s Use of the “Kinzhar” Missile is Under Scrutiny”

What is the real reason why the Russian military uses “Kinzhar” intensively?

• Tweet

Hypersonic missile “Kinzhar” suspended from a Russian military MiG-31K fighter (file photo, May 9, 2018, photo: AP/Aflo)

(Numata Kuon: novelist, military critic, former SDF officer)

Ukrainian forces intercepted and shot down Russian aircraft-launched ballistic missiles “Kinzhar” one after another. It seems that he shot down one Kinjar on May 4th and six on May 16th.

The missile used for the interception was a Patriot used by the Self-Defense Forces, and from the wreckage that fell, it seems that the type of ammunition was PAC-3CRI (low-priced PAC-3).

The interception of the Kinzhal hypersonic missile, which Russia boasted was “impossible to intercept,” has shown the robustness of the Patriot and Ukrainian air defenses.

However, as someone who has had hands-on experience with air defense systems, including the Patriot, I cannot be too happy about this news. I have two major concerns.

I’ll address those concerns below, hoping they don’t hit the mark.