This Is How Russia Could Wage a 'Hypersonic' War

Charlie Gao

Security, Europe

From the sky...

Looking to the future, the Su-57 (PAK FA) has the aerodynamic characteristics that would enable it to carry the Kinzhal: a high Mach max speed and flight ceiling. However, from the design, it looks like it lacks an internal bay large enough to carry the missile. Carrying the Kinzhal would likely compromise the stealth characteristics of the Su-57.

When Russia first demonstrated the Kinzhal hypersonic missile, it was mounted on a variant of the MiG-31 interceptor, the MiG-31K. The high speed and altitude of the MiG are utilized to give the Kinzhal a significant energy boost to allow it to attain its extreme speed and range.

(This first appeared in July.)

But on July 2, 2018, Russia media outlet TASS reported that the Kinzhal was also tested on the Tu-22M3 bomber. This is notable news as while these bombers can fly high and fast, they are not as high performance as the MiG-31K. It’s rumored that the Tu-22M3 could carry as many as four Kinzhals on a single sortie.

This could mean that the Kinzhal could be integrated onto many other airframes used by Russia, which could have worrying implications for NATO air defenses and air forces. If a Kinzhal could be launched from practically any strike fighter, including those that could take off and land on short runways, many more targets could be within its reach.

Recommended: Air War: Stealth F-22 Raptor vs. F-14 Tomcat (That Iran Still Flies)

Recommended: A New Report Reveals Why There Won't Be Any 'New' F-22 Raptors

Recommended: How an ‘Old’ F-15 Might Kill Russia’s New Stealth Fighter