Quote (Santara @ 5 May 2023 19:19)

A supposedly unstoppable Kinzhal hypersonic missile has been shot down by a Patriot battery. https://defence-blog.com/ukraine-shoots-down-russian-unstoppable-hypersonic-missile/

Quote (Djunior @ 5 May 2023 19:44)

Kinzhal is going much faster than a Patriot, right? And hypersonic missiles travel so fast that a plasma cloud is formed around the missile as it flies through the air, absorbing radar waves right?

That information is available and explains why a hypersonic missile is supposedly unstoppable. You need to be able to detect it and use a missile that is faster than the incoming missile if you want to shoot it down.

I's say they managed to hit an Iskander, not a Kinzhal

Quote (Ironfister @ May 5 2023 07:48pm)

Except kinzhal isn't hipersonic all the flight time.
When it nears target it slows down to much slower speeds.

Quote (Santara @ May 5 2023 02:19pm)

A supposedly unstoppable Kinzhal hypersonic missile has been shot down by a Patriot battery. https://defence-blog.com/ukraine-shoots-down-russian-unstoppable-hypersonic-missile/

Quote (Djunior @ May 5 2023 12:44pm)

Kinzhal is going much faster than a Patriot, right? And hypersonic missiles travel so fast that a plasma cloud is formed around the missile as it flies through the air, absorbing radar waves right?

That information is available and explains why a hypersonic missile is supposedly unstoppable. You need to be able to detect it and use a missile that is faster than the incoming missile if you want to shoot it down.

I's say they managed to hit an Iskander, not a Kinzhal

Quote (Santara @ May 5 2023 09:22pm)

You're thinking of a missile having to catch up, as opposed to timing their arrivals at a meeting point. PAC3 variants are designed to achieve "skin on skin" hits and travel at mach 4.1. All it would have to be is in front of the Kinzhal's path of flight. Could it be an Iskandr? Maybe.

Quote (Santara @ 5 May 2023 19:19)

A supposedly unstoppable Kinzhal hypersonic missile has been shot down by a Patriot battery. https://defence-blog.com/ukraine-shoots-down-russian-unstoppable-hypersonic-missile/

Quote (Djunior @ May 5 2023 02:38pm)

I'm skeptical, at those speeds both missiles would be vaporized. The footage shows what appears to be a nose cone with a hole in it.

Quote (Meanwhile @ May 5 2023 02:43pm)

"Hypersonic" is between mach 5 & 25. Kinzhal is believed to reach Mach 6–7, or possibly less, like 5.9, so it was more "hyped" than "hypersonic".

Quote (Djunior @ 5 May 2023 19:56)

Source?

The Kinzhal is designed to hit NATO warships including supercarriers and high speed is great for target penetration. So obviously you don't want it to slow down before hitting the target.

Let alone give your opponent a chance to intercept it.

Quote (Santara @ May 5 2023 04:54pm)

I think that's some pretty wild speculation, considering that even without an interceptor strike, these missiles are expected to pierce their targets (i.e. pass through a ship). Can't do that with a nose cone that disintegrates on contact.



More than 5. Hypersonic.