Since May, Ukrainian air defense forces have already shot down 13 Russian Kh-47 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles, and more than 20 Iskander cruise missiles and S-400 ballistic missiles, according to Yurii Ihnat, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force Command.
The most recent Russian attack involving the allegedly hypersonic Kinzhals occurred on 11 August. Ukrainian air defenses shot down one of the Kh-47s in Kyiv Oblast. The Kinzhal is a difficult target for most air defense systems due to its high speed. However, some systems, such as the US-made Patriot, can destroy such missiles.
“On 16 May, six [Kinzhal] missiles were downed [by Ukrainian air defenses]; on 16 June, also six, and now we have one more. That is, Ukraine’s air defense forces have already downed 13 Kinzhal missiles. In addition, more than 20 [other] ballistic missiles were shot down, including Iskander and S-400 missiles. Given that Kinzhal is moving in the sky at a huge speed, more than 7,000 km per hour, there is not much time to eliminate it,” Ihnat told Ukrainian Radio, according to Ukrinform.
Russians have a small supply of the Kinzhal, but can produce about 100 missiles of various types a month, which includes some Kh-47s, Ihnat says.
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