Russia wants to arm Tu-160 bombers with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles
Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers can be equipped with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, the modifications should take until the end of 2020, a source in Russia’s defense industry told TASS.
The source did not specify exactly which model of the bomber – the Tu-160 or Tu-160M – would be modified to carry Kinzhals.
There has been no official confirmation of this information.
The Kinzhal was presented to the public for the first time during Vladimir Putin’s state-of-the-nation address in March 2018. The missile supposedly has a top speed of Mach 10 and can maneuver throughout its flight trajectory. The missile can be used to destroy both land-based targets and ships.
According to TASS, the missile was first tested in November last year in the Arctic. At the time, the missile was fired at a land target by a MiG-31K fighter. According to the news agency’s source, the missile reached Mach 10 (around 12,000 km/h).