... is called Kh-32. This is yesterday's exercise over Baltic Sea. While everyone talks about hypersonics, this one, which was used to a devastating effect in SMO, has a range of 1,000 kilometers and flies with the speed of M=4.6.
Tu-22M3s can carry three of them. These missiles attack the target almost vertically while maneuvering violently.
They are almost impossible to shoot down by any NATO AD system, including by shipborne systems. This missile was derived from a venerable Kh-22 which still performed extremely well against 404, this one, however, has a very advanced electronics and is extremely difficult to jam. So, even a single Tu-22M3 can sink in 3-missile salvo any modern surface combatant including aircraft carriers. 500 kg of high explosives arriving at M=4.6 to target. Not a good place to be.
Any surprise to anyone? Not really. The piece discusses hypersonic technology development in the US and we all know the story, so to speak, in general. But in the middle of this article is hidden the most important point. There is no doubt that the US will eventually develop and procure some sort of a glider. But...
“I think there’s room for both” boost-glide and air-breathing
hypersonic cruise missiles “in our inventory,” Kendall asserted.
However, air-delivered hypersonic weapons are at a disadvantage, he
said, because “the idea of getting there fast is sort of countered by
the fact that you have to fly the airplane there before you launch the
missile. So you lose some of that advantage” versus forward-based
ground- or sea-launched missiles. He said he doesn’t begrudge the Army
pursuing hypersonics for long-range strike because the Air Force is
happy to have help in knocking out air defense systems and redundancy
gives an enemy more dilemmas. But, “the specific applications are going to have to be based on cost effectiveness and a number of other factors.”
It is a revealing admission of what I am on record for years now--aseroballistic missiles are not the same as air-breathers, let alone such air-breathers as 3M22 Zircon which have a start from slow-moving ships and are full blown controllable anti-shipping (and land-attack) missiles designed to hit moving targets, namely ships. The US is nowhere near in developing such weapons.
Moreover, in an emerging conflict between Russia and the US neither characteristics of upcoming US gliders nor their numbers are enough to damage modern developed air-defense (such as Russia's), not to mention the fact that this AD is being configured to US perspective hypersonic weapons which will be limited in numbers due to traditionally astronomical costs of advanced US weapon systems. It is an interesting piece which also reflects on US defense industry issues. And no matter how many fanboys will be offended by this statement, US' losing arms race to Russia is driven in large part by Russia taking a decisive technological lead in air-defense and anti-missile technologies and, of course, in a monstrously advanced field of cruise and anti-shipping missiles, which changed the naval warfare forever.
As was already reported, Russia deployed 4 TU-22M3 to Syria.
Each of them is capable of carrying 3 X-32 Mach=4.3 missiles. Together with MiG-31Ks armed with hypersonic Kinzhal, this is precisely the salvo required to destroy any surface force, namely CBG. Most likely scenario being Kinzhals removing AEGIS-equipped escorts, with X-32s finishing off the rest of the formation. This is all fitting well with Russia's response being prepared in terms of "military-technical means" to West's failure to react properly to Russia's ultimatum and the number of threats, I think, sadly, to the US military assets and the US proper will grow now really dramatically once the Olympics are closed. I told ya, get a pop-corn and buckle up.
Is a message, because today these bombers are being reconfigured into the full-blown anti-ship role and carry three Kh (X)-32 M=4.6 missiles and will carry (if not already) on their TU-22M3M version all nomenclature of modern anti-shipping missiles, including 3 Kinzhals and who knows how many Zircons. This means only one thing--patrols in the Mediterranean and "closing" all of this sea in case of NATO doing a stupid thing. Simple as that. Again, as Al Capone used to say: "one can get much further with a kind word and a gun than with a kind word alone." Why fix something that works? Exactly.
Russiagate hoax is not just imploding, now, for real, it is imploding with a serious implications for Mr. Obama--a mediocrity and small fragile man elected only because of his skin color and America, naively, thinking that he was a change everyone needed. Boy, did this guy Obama really brought a change. Now, this cesspool of Obama's top officials sing a very different song about Russiagate, because of being under the oath and fearing for their dear existence behind bars where all of them belong. I don't like this Judge Jeanine but her being a lawyer helps in her, quite correct, summary of Obama's instigated coup, which not only resulted in destroying US-Russian relations, but endangered the very existence of the United States as a nation where, at least internally, some laws were still working. Not anymore.
So, there was no collusion--we knew this all along. DNC, as I state ad nauseam, is a mafia structure designed for only one purpose--grabbing power by ANY means. I hope that after General Flynn's case was dropped at least some indictments will follow. I do not hold my breath, though--US political system is corrupt top-bottom and is dysfunctional, Wake me up when Comey, Strzok or Clapper go to jail, then I may change my mind. But at least now we have official, under oath, confirmation by all top Obama's officials that this was all BS to deny Trump presidency. If it meant destroying relations with the only nation in the world capable to wipe the United States off the map in half an hour, Obama thought it was a reasonable price to pay.
Speaking of Russia, to the greatest credit of the former US military attache to Russia, Brigadier General Zwak, he tried to mitigate this Victory Day "history" piece on the White House web-site, which created a shitstorm not just in Russia. This is laudable (in Russian). Other related news, however, are a bit unnerving for Pentagon since Russia just tested a brand new hypersonic missile (specifically stated--NOT X-32, which is very high supersonic M=4.6) for updated version of TU-22M3M (in Russian). As was predicted--saturation of Russia's forces with hypersonic weapons continues apace and we will not recognize warfare as a whole very soon. So, TU-22M3M will be able to carry not just Kinzhal but new system tailored specifically to these bombers which can strike deep into the Europe or oceans.
In other related news, this morning I read a very funny (no, really, I mean it) piece of "economic analysis".
LOL, I have an answer--because Dow is related the same way to economy as I am related to the greatest Sumo wrestlers. It is all fraud and cooked books. That is why. I also can give a hint: COVID-19 is merely a detail here, however convenient, for finding excuses for what has no relation to COVID-19 whatsoever and started long before pandemic arrived. But, hey, what do I really know.
The complex will be used during simulation of the tactical episode Aviamix, in which MiG-31Ks carrying Kinzhal, and escorted by MiG-31BMs, will annihilate "enemy's" air defense systems for provision of the use of ground-attack and close air support aviation. Hm, I wonder why such an unrealistic scenario (wink, wink)--it seems so...so...far fetched. Nah, I am being facetious--the message is clear and it is damn serious. Those who need to know, already received this message. Meanwhile, I can totally imagine (I am one myself) huge swaths of arm chair strategists, analytical and intelligence communities globally salivating waiting for possible (???) shots of Kinzhal doing its Mach=10 thingy. This, I would love to see.
In addition, SU-57s will conduct fighter escort for TU-22M3 and SU-34s during those launching missiles and bombs at targets. So, in general, to put it in simple language--this Aviadarts is about demonstrating one of the scenarios of annihilation of NATO's ABM and Air Defense systems in countries neighboring Russia. Look at the list of participants: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and, you guessed it, China. So, tomorrow, then.
TU-22M3 are slanted for further upgrades (with new avionics suites) and most are already capable of carrying deadly Kh-32 (X-32) Mach=4.2+ capable missiles with the range of 1000 kilometers. The idea to couple Mach=1.8 capable TU-22M3 with Kinzhal, which is required to be accelerated prior to launch to high supersonic speed, is only natural and that this type of coupling would be tried was never in doubt. Now it is official and it adds to a potential salvo of what is undeniably a missile which can not be intercepted by any existing weapon systems.
If Putin and Trump fail to reach at least some agreement on INF Treaty and the US will proceed with deployment of whatever will emerge as a heir to MGM-31 Pershing in Poland and Romania and any other NATO's Eastern European vassals, additional Kinzhals most likely will serve as a serious deterrent which will be coupled with new air-defenses of S-500 kind. I think this issue most likely will be discussed in Helsinki on July 16th and hopefully some kind of understanding will be reached.
The Tu-22M3 aircraft "suits perfectly" for Kinzhal hypersonic missiles’ trials by its mass and volume characteristics, he said.
