US does not doubt veracity of Ukraine's statement about Kinzhal interception – CNN
The United States has high confidence in the veracity of Ukraine's statement that it used an American Patriot air defence system to intercept a Russian Kinzhal hypersonic air-launched ballistic missile.
Source: CNN with reference to an informed source
Details: CNN notes that while the Patriot system has been successful in countering ballistic missiles, its ability to stop air-launched hypersonic missiles was purely theoretical before last week. Ukraine’s intercept has now provided a real-world demonstration of that capability – something that has been viewed within the Pentagon as a major development, the source said.
The production of hypersonic ballistic missiles has always been challenging for Russia, and sanctions have only made it more difficult, according to CNN.
But prior to last week, Russia’s calculus was that if it did use a hypersonic ballistic missile, whatever it was shooting at would assuredly get hit, the source said. This intercept has called that calculation into question.
The fact that this intercept was conducted by a Ukrainian crew that was trained in Oklahoma, but had no US advisers on the battlefield, is even more of a feather in the cap for the Pentagon, the source added, calling it a major return on investment.
The intercept also has likely caused a severe amount of uncertainty for Russia, raising the question of whether Ukraine is in possession of a sustainable countermeasure against hypersonic ballistic missiles, the source added.
Background:
- The media outlet Defense Express, after analysing photos of the missile wreckage, suggested that a hypersonic Kh-47 Kinzhal missile was successfully shot down over Kyiv for the first time in the early hours of 4 May.
- Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said that Ukraine's air defence did not shoot down a Russian ballistic missile in the skies over Kyiv on 4 May.
- On 6 May, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, said that the Ukrainian military had indeed shot down a Russian Kinzhal missile.
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