The Kinzhal hypersonic missile is shown immediately after launch from a MiG-31

In the process of the ongoing Russian SVO on Ukrainian territory, interesting photo and video materials from the scene of events have begun to appear frequently on the Internet, which attract the attention of experts. Thus, the day before, a photograph appeared on the Internet, which shows a view of the launched hypersonic aeroballistic missile 9-S-7760 "Kinzhal" (Kh-47M2 "Kinzhal" complex) of the "air-to-surface" class, taken from the carrier of this high-precision munition.

The photo was taken by one of the crew members directly from the cockpit of the supersonic, high-altitude, all-weather, long-range interceptor fighter MiG-31I/K. It shows how the powerful munition moves away from the aircraft, being at a decent distance.




The Kinzhal has been in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces since December 2017. In NATO codification, the missile is designated as the AS-24 Killjoy ("boring" or "grumbler"). This is an airborne version of the Iskander ground-based OTRK. The speed of the munition reaches 10 Machs, and the range is 2 thousand km, the weight of the warhead is 500 kg. The price is not officially disclosed, but in the West they believe that it cannot be less than $10 million per piece.

As of 2023, the Russian Aerospace Forces had a squadron of 12 MiG-31I/K units on combat duty as part of a separate air regiment in the Southern Military District. Kinzhal missiles are used during the SVO in Ukraine, striking important targets.