On March 19, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that Major General Igor Konashenkov said before reporters that in the latest special operation in Ukraine, the Russian armed forces used hypersonic missiles for the first time to achieve the precise destruction of Ukrainian military warehouses, a large underground missile and aviation ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. It is worth noting that this is not the first time that Russia has used high-precision super-powerful modern weapons! During the attack on 69 Ukrainian military facilities on the 18th, 12 drones were shot down with high-precision weapons, and the radio intelligence center of the Ukrainian army in the Odessa region was destroyed using coastal missile systems.
There are many similar pinpoint strike incidents, so what is special about this time? According to experts from the Russian side, this is the first time in the history of mankind that hypersonic missiles are used in real combat! A stone stirred up a thousand waves, and this remark caused a sensation and quickly climbed to the top of the hot search lists of major platforms. So what exactly is this hypersonic missile? How powerful is it? Let’s let the Rubik’s Cube give you a popular science.
The “first hypersonic weapon in human history” used by the Russian army – the “Dagger”, what is it?
Hypersonic weapons refer to weapons based on hypersonic flight technology and flying at speeds of more than 6 times the speed of sound. The Russian Dagger hypersonic missile is actually one of a series of new weapons that Putin unveiled in his State of the Union address as early as 2018, which uses the Aerospace Force’s MiG-31K fighters for combat launch and combat-training patrols, and after several years of continuous testing, has successfully completed the ultimate test in the Arctic in December 2021.
The “Dagger” missile launched by the Russian army during the exercises
It is reported that this aviation system was previously put on combat test duty at the airfield of the Southern Military District of Russia in 17 years, and it has also participated in exercises over southern Russia and the Black Sea many times. According to relevant reports, because of its excellent test results, it will not only be deployed in the Southern Military Region, but also in other military regions and the Northern Fleet, and the construction of infrastructure for the paired Aerospace Forces units is also being carried out in an orderly manner. It is clear that the “Dagger” means a bit of an all-round deployment in Russia, everything is only a matter of time.
The use of the “dagger” in the Ukrainian theater of operations has undoubtedly broken through another first in human history, but at the same time, it also highlights its power. Use less, but use accurately, do not seek more, but seek good results. Sure enough, the “Dagger” is out of the circle and has now won global attention. So how powerful is it? Without further ado, let’s take a look.
How powerful is the “Dagger”? The United States is also willing to bow down!
As mentioned above, in fact, the “Dagger” has existed for a long time and has participated in many exercises. No, the most recent one we got happened in mid-February this year, when the Russian Aerospace Forces were conducting a strategic deterrent force exercise, including the launch of the Dagger hypersonic missile. And this, I believe that this is also the latest time many people have seen the true face of the “dagger”. In the view of the Rubik’s Cube, the “dagger” is indeed very powerful, and it is also concentrated in the following aspects!
First of all, as a new type of hypersonic weapon, the biggest breakthrough of the “Dagger” is that it is not the first to start, but it is the first strong, and even the United States is not comparable. Hypersonic weapons have one of the most obvious characteristics, and that is their speed. It is reported that this idea originated in the United States, claiming to “hit the world in one hour.” Then the American series of experiments such as the X-51 were unsuccessful, and although Russia started late, its research and development results were significantly superior to those of the United States, for example: “Dagger” is one of them, which can reach 15 times the speed of sound. In addition, “Pioneer” launched on land, which can reach 20 times the speed of sound, and “Zircon” launched at sea, can also reach more than 7 times the speed of sound, which are very good.
And worth one
It is mentioned that US interceptor missiles can only intercept attack missiles below five or six times the speed of sound, and attack missiles above five or six times the speed of sound are not capable of intercepting. Existing missile defense systems, including US-made THAAD and Aegis, cannot intercept the “Dagger”, and according to military commentator Song Zhongping, the missile defense technology of various countries has not achieved major breakthroughs, and this is still the case. Therefore, in this regard, the United States is not only incomparable, but even unable to intercept it, how helpless must this be?
Secondly, the data of the “Dagger” are indeed excellent! The Dagger missile warhead weighs 80 kilograms and can carry a nuclear warhead in conventional combat. In addition, the combination of the “Dagger” missile + backfire bomber can effectively break through the existing missile defense system. In addition, the combat radius of the Backfire bomber can reach 3400 miles, and the effective range of the “Dagger” is 1200 miles, and the final effective range of them is 4600 miles, about 7300 kilometers, which is almost similar to intercontinental missiles. All in all, choosing either of these two is a severe test for any country’s defense system.
Finally, of course, its precision guidance performance! The Dagger missile is a “precision-guided weapon with a multi-purpose warhead capable of attacking fixed or even mobile targets.” Its combat process is: after the carrier aircraft takes off, then accelerates to a specific speed at high altitude, and finally the missile begins to fly autonomously towards the target until it hits. Indeed, this process is incredible just by thinking about it, but it is clearly true, and the destruction of Ukraine’s large underground missile and aviation ammunition depot is the best proof of this.
summary
All in all, the “Dagger” hypersonic missile is indeed very good, and its performance is indeed in the forefront of the world. But in fact, we all know that the greatest role of weapons is not to throw into war, but to deter and self-defense. The “Dagger” was put into actual combat for the first time in human history, and it was also its first actual combat test, which is indeed very good from the perspective of its power alone. What do you think?