CNN: Russia’s attempt to destroy Patriot air defense system with Kinzhal missile foiled by Kyiv last week

The Kh-47 Kinzhal missile, which the Russian Federation fired over the capital of Ukraine last week, was supposed to hit the Patriot anti-aircraft missile complex. However, Ukrainian air defense intercepted the missile.

CNN reports this with reference to two unnamed American officials.

As one of the officials explained, the Defense Forces of Ukraine fired several missiles from the Patriot at different angles to intercept the Kinzhal. He noted that this demonstrates how the Ukrainians quickly mastered the new air defense system.

According to American officials, the Russians were able to determine the likely location of the Patriot by picking up a radar signal from the system itself.

The Patriot has a powerful radar to detect long-range targets, making it a powerful air defense system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. However, CNN explains that radar radiation also allows an adversary to determine the battery's location.

According to officials, there are ways to mask these signals to some extent, but the Russian military apparently was still able to determine the approximate location of the system.

Ukraine is said to have received at least two Patriot systems, one from the United States and one from Germany, to bolster its air defenses, which were previously unable to intercept more advanced Russian missiles such as the Kinzhal.

For reference:

The Ukrainian military portal Defense Express reported on May 5 that Ukrainian service members shot down a Kinzhal missile for the first time. The Defense Express noted the receipt of photographs of the wreckage, specifically the nose fairing with evidence of damage, which belonged to the Kh–47 Kinzhal missile utilized by the perpetrators in an attempt to strike Kyiv on the night of May 4. Air Force Command spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat initially denied the downing of the "Kinzhal." However, in the end, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk confirmed the destruction of this target.

The US Ministry of Defense also officially confirmed that the Ukrainian military shot down the Russian Kinzhal missile with the help of the Patriot air defense system.

The Kinzhal missile first appeared in the Russian service in 2017. After launching from the plane, it rises to a high altitude in the upper layers of the atmosphere and then approaches the target along a ballistic trajectory.

In Russia, it is called hypersonic. Defense Express notes that this missile can accelerate to hypersonic speed thanks to an accelerator but cannot fly so continuously. At the stage of the approach to the target, Kinzhal moves quickly but does not reach hypersonic speed, journalists say.

However, the General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces claims that the missile can reach a speed of approximately 12,000 km/h during its ballistic trajectory, i.e., reach hypersonic speed.

CNN previously noted that while the Patriot system is successful against ballistic missiles, its ability to stop missiles like the Kinzhal, which Russia calls hypersonic, was purely theoretical until last week.