The Russian strategic bomber squadron will soon get a lot of new weapons, such as hypersonic cruise missiles.
“A number of new weapons, including hypersonic cruise missiles, are currently being developed and delivered to the strategic air force,” said Sergey Kobylash, commander of the Russian strategic air force, in an interview. The publication was released on December 26.
General Kobylash did not specify the type of missile nor whether it is an entirely new weapon or a Kinzhal hypersonic missile that has been commissioned. In 2023, the Russian strategic air force is anticipated to get a large number of updated bombers, he added.
“The deep upgrade with the Tu-160M, Tu-95MSM, and Tu-22M3M aircraft models continue, while the Tu-160M bomber production line is already operational. The first aircraft will be delivered to the customer.
Next year, the development of specialized aviation complexes for nuclear and non-nuclear deterrence is also underway,” added General Kobylash.
The Russian official said the strategic air force had commissioned a regiment of MiG-31 heavy fighters equipped with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles by the end of 2021.
This force is participating in the military operation in Ukraine, helping the crew of Flight gain practical combat experience and master new weapon systems.
Hypersonic missiles can travel at least 5 times the speed of sound, which is more than 6,200 km/h. Hypersonic weapons are hard to stop with the defence shields we have now because they move so fast and have such complicated paths.
In August, Sergei Shoigu, who is in charge of Russia’s defence, said that the country had sent three Kinzhal hypersonic missiles to Ukraine. He said that the Kinzhal missiles had successfully hit high-value targets and that they were “unmatched and almost impossible to stop.”
US President Joe Biden said that Kinzhal is “a weapon that has a great impact but doesn’t make much difference, except it’s almost impossible to intercept.”