Ukrainas flygvapen bekräftar att en rysk hypersonisk Kinzhal-robot har skjutits ned för första gången medelst det amerikanska luftförsvarssystemet Patriot.Bloomberg skrev:Ukraine’s military confirmed the interception of a Russian “Kinzhal” hypersonic air-launched ballistic missile after it deployed Patriot air-defense systems obtained this spring from Western allies.
The rocket was launched from a Mikoyan MiG-31 fighter jet toward the Kyiv region in the early morning of May 4, according to Mykola Oleshchuk, Ukraine’s air force commander.
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The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, or Dagger, is claimed to have a range of about 1,200 miles (2,000 km) and can carry either conventional or nuclear warheads. It was among six new strategic weapons unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018.
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Media reports from Ukraine estimate about a dozen Kinzhal missiles fired in the conflict to date. Ukraine’s military authorities estimate Russia’s stockpile of the weapon at probably less than 40.
Ukraina: Ryssland använder fosforbomber i Bachmut
Brandstridsmedel (t.ex. vit fosfor, termit, elektron och napalm) har återkommande använts av Ryssland. Till skillnad från utarmat uran är detta inget tabu!DN skrev:Vit fosfor i ammunition är ett fruktat vapen, eftersom ämnet brinner med 800 grader så fort det kommer i kontakt med luft. Det är klibbigt och svårt att få bort, och på människor orsakar det fruktansvärda brännskador.
Enligt Joakim Paasikivi rör det sig troligen inte om vit fosfor utan andra metallbrandämnen, som termit, men det finns ingen anledning att betvivla att Ryssland använder sig av brandstridsmedel, och att det sker nu.
– Metallbrandämnen kännetecknas av att det ser ut som ett fyrverkeri, som på de här bilderna. Det har kommit flera filmklipp som visar det. Det är inget nytt tyvärr, Ryssland har ett mönster av att ha använt det vid ett stort antal tillfällen, det var samma sak i Mariupol och på ett otal andra ställen, säger Joakim Paasikivi.
Termit brinner med 2 400 grader och kan bränna sig igenom tak och metaller.
Ukraine Claims It Shot Down Russia’s Most Sophisticated Missile for First Time
Amerikanska tjänstemän styrker uppgiften att Ukraina sköt ned en hypersonisk Kinzhal-robot. Befälhavaren Mykola Olesjtjuk kallar händelsen "historisk".The New York Times skrev:The downing of a Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missile by a Patriot missile, confirmed by three senior U.S. officials, appeared to offer the first proof that Russia’s hypersonic missiles — presented as invulnerable by President Vladimir V. Putin — could be defeated by current Western missile defense systems.
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The U.S. officials said that they had received information about the strike from the Ukrainian military through classified channels. One official added that U.S. military analysts were able to verify the claim using technical means. Nevertheless, independent analysts were reluctant to confirm the interception until more information was available about the type of missile Russia fired and whether it was hit by a Patriot.
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“It is invincible against all existing and prospective missile defense and counter-air defense systems,” Mr. Putin claimed in 2018. But Western analysts have remained skeptical, calling the missiles, modified versions of existing conventional munitions, “new wine in old bottles.”
Ukraine says it shot down hypersonic Russian missile with Patriot system
Militäranalytikern Kofman menar däremot att det inte finns något speciellt eller särskilt spännande med detta ryska vapensystem.Washington Post skrev:Michael Kofman, a military expert at CNA, a U.S.-based policy institute, said that too much was being made of the Kinzhal and that it was not particularly different from other ballistic missiles. The Kinzhal is a variant of Russia’s Iskander-M.
“Don’t understand the interest in Russian use of Kinzhal. There’s nothing special or particularly exciting about this system,” Kofman tweeted.
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“They were saying that the Patriot is an outdated American weapon, and Russian weapons are the best in the world,” Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said on Ukrainian television. “Well, there is confirmation that it effectively works against even a super hypersonic missile.”