Russian President Vladimir Putin once said the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles were ‘undefeatable’ systems. In Ukraine, they’ve often been defeated, the UK Ministry of Defence said.
Russia’s air-launched ballistic missiles are not proving “undefeatable” in practice, UK intelligence observed on Tuesday.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) said in an intelligence update that Russia’s Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles had a “mixed combat debut” in Ukraine.
“Many of its launches have likely missed their intended targets, while Ukraine has also succeeded in intercepting attacks by this supposedly ‘undefeatable’ system,” it said.
The line about it being undefeatable came from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who used the word when it was unveiled in 2018. Other Russian officials have made much the same.
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The prompt for the update was Russia deploying the missile again for the first time in months.
