The statement was issued by the former Commander of the 4th Air Defense – Air Force Corps, Lt. Gen. Valery Gorbenko when Russia equipped Kinzhal missiles for the Arctic.
In principle, the Russian Defense Ministry decided to equip the Kinzhal supersonic complex for the marine air force of the Northern Fleet. The training of personnel and infrastructure to maintain and operate hypersonic weapons will begin in 2021.
The vehicle carrying the Kinzhal supersonic missile will be the MiG-31 fighter. Currently, the 98th Mixed Air Regiment stationed at Monchegorsk on the Kola Peninsula is currently equipped with this type of aircraft.
This regiment is in the service of Army Air Defense – Air Force 45 of the Northern Fleet. The combination can be assigned to a new air force unit.
Kinzhal is capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 2 thousand km. Its operating radius will include specifically Scandinavian peninsula, Baltic states and most of the North Sea Route.
“Such a product will, in any way be beneficial. This is the most powerful weapon, and other countries do not have it. The hypersonic complexes from the airports of the Northern Fleet will be very useful.” Covering both the northern and northwestern territories. In particular, the missile not only has supersonic speed but also has the ability to maneuver when in flight. This feature makes missiles much more difficult to shoot down for present and future missile defense and air defense systems, military experts say.
Currently, the Kinzhal air defense systems that can intercept the Kinzhal simply do not exist. Therefore, these missiles can perform the assigned tasks effectively in the necessary case, “said Lt. Gen. Valery Gorbenko.
Along with that, Russian military expert Vladislav Shurekin also affirmed that the Kinzhal deployment would make the Arctic quieter. Starting in 2021, MiG-31 supersonic fighter pilots deployed in Siberia will begin to learn how to use the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal supersonic missile.
“The pilots using the 712 Aviation Regiment’s MiG-31 interceptors will take part in special training classes for operating Kinzhal from the end of 2021,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
By 2024, this unit will be fully received by Kinzhal. The Regiment is stationed in areas of war range in the Arctic, Far East and Central Asia. The purpose of the training is to improve the ability to use Kinzhal in special circumstances.
Talking about Russia’s plan to bring hypersonic missiles to the Arctic, this expert said Moscow would establish a powerful fighting force in the Krasnoyarsk Krai region.
In order to increase the combat capabilities of the current Russian armed forces in a short time, Russia needs military clusters with such a strategic direction. Therefore, the deployment area of MiG-31 and Kinzhal is very reasonable.
The MiG-31 can quickly maneuver from Siberia to the northeast, southeast and northwest directions. The situation in all these strategic directions is not stable, especially after the US withdrew from Afghanistan, the situation in Central Asia is more likely to develop new variables.