ANALYSIS: Russia's deadly Kinzhal missile

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.

Russian Kinzhal missile and MiG-31 [Press and Information Office of the President of the Russian Federation/Alexey Nikolskiy]
MiG-31K s/n ‘90 Red’/RF-95215 taking part in the flypast over Moscow’s Red Square on May 9, 2018, as part of the annual Victory Day Parade. Note the missile – apparently this was originally an all-grey 9-S-7760-EDM display and training mock-up, painted all-white especially for this appearance. Press and Information Office of the President of the Russian Federation/Alexey Nikolskiy

 

Become a Premium Member to Read More

This is a premium article and requires an active Key.Aero subscription to view.

I’m an existing member, sign me in!

I don’t have a subscription…

Enjoy the following subscriber only benefits:

  • Unlimited access to all KeyAero content
  • Exclusive in-depth articles and analysis, videos, quizzes added daily
  • A fully searchable archive – boasting hundreds of thousands of pieces of quality aviation content
  • Access to read all our leading aviation magazines online - meaning you can enjoy the likes of FlyPast, Aeroplane Monthly, AirForces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, Aviation News, Airports of the World, PC Pilot and Airliner World - as soon as they leave the editor’s desk.
  • Access on any device- anywhere, anytime
  • Choose from our offers below