Russia has fired several hypersonic missiles that destroyed its targets in Ukraine. But the United States military considers Russia's hypersonic weapons so far not effective or have a major impact in its war with Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledged that it had used a hypersonic missile called the Kinzhal. Recently, the Ukrainian military spokesman for the Odesa region, Sergey Bratchuk announced that 3 Khinzal missiles were fired from Russian warplanes. The target is tourism infrastructure.
You could say, this is Russia's most advanced missile today. Hypersonic missiles means beating the speed of sound at least five times or Mach 5. Hypersonic missiles can be changed direction even though they are already flown and maneuver with agility. It can fool radar.
General Mark Milley of the US military considered the missile mediocre and did not change the course of the war. "Russia is already using some hypersonic missiles," he said while addressing the US parliament.
"The standout factor for this missile is its speed, but other than that, in terms of its impact on the target, we don't see a very significant impact so far in terms of the small number of hypersonic missiles Russia uses," he added.
It is reported that Russia has fired between 10 and 12 hypersonic missiles since the start of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24. This is the first time such a weapon has been used in a war.
The Russian hypersonic missile that struck Ukraine was fired from the air, possibly from a MIG-31 warplane. It can also be launched from a ship or submarine, and can carry a nuclear warhead.
The Kinzhal hypersonic missile can hit targets up to 2,000 kilometers away. For example, if this missile is placed in the city of Kaliningrad, it can reach the German city of Berlin which is less than 600 kilometers away.