First presented to the Russian parliment by President Putin himself, the Kinzhal missile is a formidable asset. Vladimir Trendafilovski delves into the background of this highly effective weapon, following its recent deployment to Syria for a Russian military anti-shipping exercise in the Mediterranean Sea.
The existence of Kinzhal (Dagger), a new air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM), was officially revealed by Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, during his annual address to the Russian Federation parliament on March 1, 2018. Back then, the missile itself had not been seen in public, though the aircraft destined to launch it –a derivative of the MiG-31 Foxhound supersonic interceptor – had. The appropriately designated MiG-31K (K for Kinzhal) had been noted the previous year, albeit unarmed.