Kinzhal hypersonic missile trials in the Arctic finished

The tests of the Russian hypersonic complex Kinzhal in the Arctic region have been completed. The tests of the missiles, which took place in northern latitudes, was recognized as successful, the Izvestia newspaper reports citing sources in the military department.

Russia started testing the hypersonic complex in northern latitudes several years ago. The source of the publication noted that as part of the work, the carrier aircraft of Kinzhal missiles – the MiG-31K aircraft – carried out combat launches and combat training patrols.

The Kinzhal complex, which translates into English as ‘dagger’, is designed to fight enemy ships. According to military expert Aleksei Leonkov, a missile of the system can destroy or disable a destroyer, a cruiser or an aircraft carrier at a distance of up to 2,000 kilometers from the coast. This peculiarity of the Russian system may interfere with the implementation of a strategy that involves a cruise missile strike from a distance of more than 550 kilometers from the coast.

Earlier, the Izvestia newspaper reported that Russia was preparing infrastructure for the Kinzhal hypersonic complexes at military airfields.