Russia’s Defense Ministry said last week it had deployed “Kinzhal” (meaning “Dagger” in Russian) hypersonic aeroballistic missiles.
, President Vladimir Putin bragged about Russia's development of hypersonic missiles as he unveiled the Kinzhal and several other next-generation strategic weapons. Putin said at the time Russia had developed
The Kinzhal hypersonic missile is designed to be carried by MiG fighter jets, as seen in the image below, which shows MiG-31K supersonic interceptor aircraft designed to carry Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles.Russia's MiG-31 supersonic interceptor jets carrying hypersonic Kinzhal missiles fly over Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2018.
"In this regard, it is quite understandable why the leading armies of the world seek to possess such an ideal weapon," Putin said. "It's a bit of a head-scratcher ... Why you would need a hypersonic missile fired from not that far away to hit a building?" the official said. Since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbor, the Pentagon has observed more than 1,100 Russian missile launches into Ukraine.
"I think the reason he is resorting to using these types of weapons is because he is trying to re-establish some momentum," Austin told CBS talk show"Face the Nation."