Talk:Kh-47M2 Kinzhal/Archive 1

It is among them anti-ship missile
It is among them anti-ship missile. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 185.126.129.55 (talk) 12:15, 11 January 2020 (UTC)

Nomenclature
first, is Kh74M2 (by Kh74) , gzur , by ktrv (miltomsk) , not related at all with 9m720 partially derivated hyson Kinzh , is like ks172 witch partially is derived from buk (allegedly ..) (and perhaps rvv bd R37 , else?) , propulsion too , of kinzh , can be multiple , and about gzur , its supposed to be a Ru K15 (sagarika) and Shaourya wich use AIP HTPB APCP (LOX h2o2 no2 HAN or else - boosted) , based on scaled up Oniks Brahmos core (hull) or P700 / else , Zirkon is another story too. - ~ KCuCN NH3 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.33.212.195 (talk • contribs) 19:28, 22 March 2018 (UTC)


 * now, there must be stop , and here (article) need change name , not Kh74M2 , and there is no 47m2 , here or by searching Х-74М2 ГЗУР .  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.11.236.84 (talk) 20:56, 23 March 2018 (UTC)
 * there must be stop: but you're not in Russia now I'm afraid, so need to co-operate. The page you reference - http://militaryrussia.ru/blog/topic-562.html - is (a) in Russian, and therefore not a good source for the English wiki; and (b) says Project of a hypersonic cruise missile. But it isn't a cruise missile; it's a converted baby ballistic. In essence, there is no really reliable information available William M. Connolley (talk) 21:05, 23 March 2018 (UTC)
 * here http://militaryrussia.ru/blog/topic-896.html, and gzur mean hyson guided msl , is kh74m2 , isn't kinzhal , and kinzhal isn't ASM zirkon , so , I proved my points , and given data . — Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.11.236.84 (talk) 21:27, 23 March 2018 (UTC)
 * it is in foreign, sorry. Do you have any English sources? Also, if you keep reverting, the page will be semi-protected and you won't be able to edit it any more William M. Connolley (talk) 22:03, 23 March 2018 (UTC)
 * soreh, only few avaiable , those are some, and like with a thrust engine (167 , was > 176 so) , same error , and on this, same. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.55.227.66 (talk) 07:09, 27 March 2018 (UTC)
 * only few, mainly ru , and bastion and dimmy milru are 100% (astronautix rspweb else) , oX_(v v).
 * btw, the propellant and propulsion , engine of kinzh still cloudy (about) , and 9M720 723 (ss26 stone) are NOT made by KTRV corp.
 * SS-26 Stone

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.11.236.84 (talk) 22:19, 23 March 2018 (UTC)
 * You should stop spreading this about gzur and stop deleting the Kh code. All Russian air to surface missiles have a code with starts with Х, which is Kh in Russian.--Arado (talk) 07:42, 24 March 2018 (UTC)
 * btw, the same genious (psyche!!) who called S-200 SRB toys, lego-rakete ?! : v ... ////(The S-200 air defense system has excellent capabilities as a tactical ballistic missile, like Buk-1/2, or C-125 (new versions), with -75 (special versions only as ground-to-ground), s-300/400 .. .. it's official)185.124.231.84 (talk) 11:41, 21 July 2018 (UTC))
 * this system anyway isn't the same, this came out much later , years to months.

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.55.227.66 (talk) 20:32, 31 March 2018 (UTC)

This is a Russian missile and it is fine to use Russian-language sources if those are better than the English sources. Translation software helps, but we should also appreciate the contributions of Russian-speaking editors who are willing to read those sources for us, rather than hassling those editors. 2602:24A:DE47:B8E0:1B43:29FD:A863:33CA (talk) 04:23, 20 March 2022 (UTC)


 * It's not fine at all to use Russian citations for English-language wikipedia. How do you know what it says? Translation is not exact. You'd need an English-language citation of what the translation is. Letting somebody "read it for us" is original research by them.98.246.153.16 (talk) 08:16, 20 March 2022 (UTC)

Meteoric fireball
So it's moving at about 2 miles or 10,000 feet a second. Anything it hits on the way in, even a bird, will do it grief. So you are a ship or a fixed target, and you spot a fireball coming toward you. Gads! It's a Kanzhal four miles out! In the two seconds you have you direct your Auntie Em's old fashioned modified M18 Claymore mine array toward the fireball, and let the 700 times 25, 200, or whatever steel balls fly. The missile hits a pellet and is ripped wide open. Unstoppable indeed. Whatever, it's a talk page. Sudzydoogiedawg (talk) 07:59, 23 March 2022 (UTC)

More reading
Have a look at Aljazeera.com Hypersonic missiles: Why is Russia using them in Ukraine. Also Wikipedia : scramjet Sudzydoogiedawg (talk) 08:05, 23 March 2022 (UTC)

See "earth-grazing fireball" on you tube
If it is enveloped by plasma and invisible to radar, them it cannot receive guidance information and so its flight must be preprogramed, you could not hit a mobile target. If it looks like a fireball you could track it optically. A good bet the missles launched were scrutinized by satellite and Nato knows a good deal more now than it did. The carrier isn't obsolete just yet, but drone jet assisted vertical take off of fully loaded supersonic interceptors from midsized warships will likely put an end to the supercarrier. Sudzydoogiedawg (talk) 10:58, 4 April 2022 (UTC)


 * Enveloped by plasma means it will not be able to home in on a target, as the front is completely covered, but i very much doubt it means that it is completely unable to receive any form of guidance from BEHIND.  All that is needed is that an antenna sticks out enough that it can receive at all.   As long as it is in the aerodynamic "shadow", it should be workable.
 * This would potentially also explain why a larger launching aircraft can fire it at longer distances, ie. they have longer ranged missile guidance systems.  Though it may also be that they can launch it at a higher altitude and velocity. DW75 (talk) 20:02, 30 April 2022 (UTC)

Propaganda nonsense
"designed to overcome any known or planned US air or missile defense systems" this is a complete absurdity. The article should talk about the present tense, what is it, what can it do. Speculating that perhaps it can defeat missile defense systems that aren't even designed yet is just stupid-sauce.98.246.153.16 (talk) 08:06, 20 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Well, it names some specific systems. If something "hasn't been designed yet" in the sense of not even having been specified in terms of known technology or given a deployment timeline, then I'd say it is aspirational rather than "planned".  I do know there has been some breathlessness about this stuff including on the US side.  It certainly makes the defender's job a lot harder with conventional interceptors.  Anyway, the statement is sourced to several Russian and Polish language sources, so readers can tell where it is coming from.  You are right that propaganda may be involved, but we should still report on it. 2602:24A:DE47:B8E0:1B43:29FD:A863:33CA (talk) 14:29, 20 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Yeah. Ditto the nuclear warhead claim, which is substantiated by nothing more than a quote from V. Putin-- while defense scientists have concluded that hypersonics cannot deliver a nuclear payload,  for a number of reasons.
 * This article needs some editing. KenThomas (talk) 02:19, 12 March 2023 (UTC)

Another instance of use? (Ukraine, 29-Sept.-2022)
Alleged hypersonic missile strike in Dnipro, Ukraine (video only involves an explosive sound) https://twitter.com/maksymeristavi/status/1575590850783952896

ETA: It's being described as KH-22. So maybe never mind. https://twitter.com/walter_report/status/1575350804684341248 Cosmicaug (talk) 21:19, 29 September 2022 (UTC)


 * That is not Kinzhal. Too slow and Kinzhal falls perfectly down (ballistic trajectory) on the target (nukes also require this, kinda). See also this, same rocket, not Kinzhal: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UbSryaPtJyU&bpctr=1678693394 in fact here is a video that calculates the speed from your video. It may be Zircon, or Х-22, the only other hypersonic projectiles, because the sound on that video makes it obvious it is hypersonic. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1tahZ3-SJ6g https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d84r7Ifid78 2A00:1370:8184:1CE9:FB7:D624:F844:4800 (talk) 07:16, 13 March 2023 (UTC)

Video of presumed Kinzhal missile apparently traveling at Mach 10 or more
There's a video at: https://twitter.com/Harry_Boone/status/1505161731873587208 of a high-speed glowing object which I think can reasonably be assumed to be a Kinzhal. Dated 2022-03-19, the tweet is "Allegedly footage of Russian Kh-47M2 'Kinzhal' hypersonic missile launched today against of the Ukrainian armed forces underground weapons depot in Deliatyn." I don't know to what extent it would be notable enough to cite in the main article. The source seems to be this Telegram channel https://t.me/s/Cbpub but I found no such video there between 2022-03-12 and today 2022-05-11. See also the videos at https://t.me/Cbpub/29765 and https://t.me/Cbpub/29789 which seem to show similar missiles, both of which appear to stop in mid-air. So these may not be 100% reliable.

The closest approach to the camera is, I guess, 60 degrees from horizontal. With an an assumption about the field of view of the presumably cellphone camera and some extra work it would be possible to determine the elevation more accurately.

Assuming the sound is well synchronised to the video, the sonic boom arrives about 4.2 seconds after the closest approach, which means the distance is about 1.4 km and the altitude about 1.2km.

This would be unremarkable except for the fact that in those 4.2 seconds, the object is hell-and-gone from the point of closest contact. It has disappeared into a distant cloud. It is easy for me to believe that by the time the shockwave arrives at the camera, the missile is 10 times as far away as its point of closest contact, which would indicate a speed of Mach 10.

Assuming a horizontal flight path and flat topography, and by extrapolating the trajectory towards the horizon, careful analysis, based on an assumption about the camera's field of view would enable the distance of the missile to be calculated at the time when the shockwave hit the camera location. So the true speed of the missile could be estimated with reasonable certainty.

I imagine that trying to hit this missile with a non-fragmenting counter-missile would be like trying to hit a bullet with a pea-shooter. Guns or missile-launchers would need to be located in an infeasibly large number of ground locations across the missile's path. The missile's low elevation, high speed and I guess its plasma shield would make it very hard to track except with an infeasibly large number of specialised radar stations. However, in the absence of cloud cover, the visible (and presumably IR and UV) emissions of the plasma would make it easy to track from space or an aircraft.

I can't estimate to what extent the missile could detect counter-missiles, but I imagine it could vary its course somewhat in an unpredictable fashion would would make it harder to hit. At Mach 10 it travels 33 km in 10 seconds. If a fragmentation charge has an effective radius of 50 metres, can't track the missile and takes 10 seconds to aim and launch, then only small unpredictable variations in the missile's trajectory and/or errors in the tracking data would make such a counter-attack unlikely to succeed.

Robin Whittle (talk) 04:12, 11 May 2022 (UTC)


 * Not Kinshal. X-22 or Zircon. Kinshal falls perfectly down. 2A00:1370:8184:1CE9:FB7:D624:F844:4800 (talk) 07:30, 13 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Oh, that is actually fake video cause it is from 28 February. https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS8XDAjSs/ 2A00:1370:8184:1CE9:FB7:D624:F844:4800 (talk) 08:57, 13 March 2023 (UTC)

Operational range 2,000 km (1,200 mi) (Including range of launching aircraft)
Shouldn't it be "excluding range of launching aircraft"? 87.52.109.24 (talk) 11:45, 7 May 2023 (UTC)


 * No, the Russians include the range of the launching aircraft in that figure (which is an... odd way to measure it). 199.103.2.101 (talk) 16:33, 9 May 2023 (UTC)
 * I agree with the addition of this mention, not necessarily indicating it because it depends on the type of plane, should there be more than one kind doing it. AbramsRaKourskX (talk) 07:44, 11 May 2023 (UTC)

Kinzhal interception: please stop edit warring
Per WP:NOTABILITY, this interception has received significant media coverage by multiple reliable sources, like Reuters, New York Times, The Washington Post, and many more. Whether it's actually true or later proved false, it will stay, due to the media coverage. If it is indeed proven false, we will just say that the claim was proven false, provided that we have reliable sources backing it up. As a reference, here is the list of sources you can use/avoid. Green means that you can use it without too much worry. Yellow and red you should avoid.

Unfortunately, some users may not be aware of Wikipedia's policies (I'll assume good faith) and this is leading to an  edit war. For new users, the three-revert rule states "An editor must not perform more than three reverts on a single page—whether involving the same or different material—within a 24-hour period." If you break this rule, your account or IP is at risk of being  blocked and you'll no longer be allowed to edit for a certain amount of time.

If you claim that a source is not reliable, you must say why with proof; the explanation doesn't have to be long. Reverting it and saying "because it's clearly unreliable" or "false information" isn't enough. If an agreement isn't reached, resolve it in the talk page, not by reverting.

Please stop edit warring before more drastic measures like page protections or blocks get issued. Agile24 (talk) 20:48, 7 May 2023 (UTC)


 * Ukraine denied it! AP news at it again. 109.252.169.209 (talk) 01:38, 8 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Hi, as a French user, I cannot update but Newsweek reports that it is untrue as claims it the spokesman of the Ukrainian Air Force, please read ; excerpt: « Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said in a statement: "I have already refuted a thousand times, you should have seen it yesterday. There was a possibility of using ballistic missiles, but no ballistic missiles were recorded." A Ukrainian Telegram channel reporting on Ignat's statement clarified that the "air command does not confirm the media reports about the downing of the Kinzhal missile over Kyiv." The channel added that the media outlets that have suggested that have been reproached as Russia is using their information in the war against Ukraine. » Yours faithfully. --AbramsRaKourskX (talk) 13:39, 8 May 2023 (UTC)
 * The original Newsweek article from 5/5/2023 actually gave an interesting and detailed analysis. Unfortunately, the article has since been completely changed for some reason. --Rio65trio (talk) 13:29, 9 May 2023 (UTC)
 * @Rio65trio. I think it does not change anything about the fact that Ukrainian Air Force denies that there had been a Kinjal which was downed. This information should be reported in the article. AbramsRaKourskX (talk) 16:19, 9 May 2023 (UTC)
 * I totally agree with you on this point, but do you have another source on this? In the current article, these passages have unfortunately been removed. Rio65trio (talk) 18:19, 9 May 2023 (UTC)
 * If you look under the other headings here concerning the downing, you'll see that Ignat confirmed the downing the next day and spoke about it in more detail on a Ukrainian show. SincereGuy (talk) 20:38, 9 May 2023 (UTC)
 * @Rio65trio and SincereGuy, I think that those changes in Ignat's assertions should be reported… I've got another source but I'm not sure it is currently admitted as a reliable one by en.wikipedia. And Newsweek may be enough… --AbramsRaKourskX (talk) 07:39, 11 May 2023 (UTC)
 * The problem is that with an updated source we can't choose any old version we want, even though I agree that it is dubious that the meaningful quotes from Yuriy Ignat were quietly removed from the Newsweek article without any reason given. Rio65trio (talk) 13:55, 11 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Interception confirmed since the 9th May. The missile was used in an attempt to destroy a Patriot system located near Kyiv.
 * (https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/12/politics/russia-patriot-missiles-ukraine/index.html) 212.224.231.224 (talk) 22:43, 12 May 2023 (UTC)
 * It's beginning to be hardly credible because the mayor of Kiev Klitschko showed photos of the pretending-to-be a Kinzhal, although it appeared to simply be a glided-bomb ! Twice or thrice shorter ! But apparently the US press will not report those discrepancies when a lot of money (around 30 billion US dollars) is at stake for financing new interception weapons, as I read it somewhere. AbramsRaKourskX (talk) 00:53, 13 May 2023 (UTC)
 * What is hardly credible is that you ignore that a missile is made up of several parts.
 * The pictures depict several of them, the biggest being the warhead of the missile and not the missile. It does not matter that it looks like something else and you cannot discard the other parts that were also recovered.
 * Is the end of your reply as credible as the beginning ? 212.224.233.48 (talk) 20:14, 13 May 2023 (UTC)
 * I also read contradictory analytical information, so I let it run.
 * The photos could be those of a Kinzhl missile beacause it loses its envelope when flying. AbramsRaKourskX (talk) 13:45, 13 May 2023 (UTC)
 * According to a report by the German TV channel Welt, the mayor of Kiev Vitali Klitschko himself presented the disputed debris of the Kinschal to Bild journalist Paul Ronzheimer. He can be seen in the TV channel's report together with Ronzheimer. Rio65trio (talk) 14:22, 13 May 2023 (UTC)
 * I know, as I said it earlier. AbramsRaKourskX (talk) 16:53, 13 May 2023 (UTC)

Reliable sources
Any statements from the Russian gov't about the use of Kinzhal missiles in combat operations should considered as, and noted in the body text, a dubious source with a track record of falsehoods and deliberate inaccuracies. Independent verification is needed to confirm or deny the facts before these statements are published uncritically by Wikipedia 2600:1000:B030:FA96:1D29:4761:38A1:DDEA (talk) 21:55, 20 March 2022 (UTC)
 * I am glad to hear that the missile only flops down on the enemies of Russia. The article sounds as though it was written by Putin or one of his flunkies. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.152.184.146 (talk) 11:00, 23 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Do you treat other lying governments the same way? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.239.195.102 (talk) 08:23, 29 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Wikipedia is heavily US biased, are you surprised? 94.189.193.233 (talk) 15:48, 10 October 2022 (UTC)
 * Wikipedia is actually more British biased than anything. From what I've seen, most pages that mention stuff from a point of view almost always are from a British point of view. I think its because a lot of Americans who want to seem more worldly are ashamed of writing stuff from an American point of view while even the most anti-nationalistic British person has no problem seeing London as the center of the universe. 2604:2D80:6305:600:21FF:8A5D:758:ED86 (talk) 09:08, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 16 May 2023
Can you please replace "Kiev" with "Kyiv". Abagmut (talk) 06:57, 16 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Done William M. Connolley (talk) 08:09, 16 May 2023 (UTC)

Non-ballistic missile
It is not a ballistic missile, as it does not follow a parabolic trajectory but flies at low level and it is able to change its direction during flight. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Infiltrado6 (talk • contribs) 12:25, 25 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Perhaps ballistic in the sense of not cruising under sustained thrust. Perhaps also it boosts to significantly higher than the launch altitude (how high ? is this the quoted "service ceiling"?).
 * It would help to know how long the first stage SRM burns for, and if there is any propulsion from later stages. - Rod57 (talk) 12:34, 14 December 2022 (UTC)
 * It is an air launched ballistic missile. Disconnected Phrases (talk) 18:00, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

Absolutely agree. The propaganda bits about it being merely ballistic, whatever absurd source is cited for it, are directly at odds with the Janes information that it adjusts course. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.181.188.183 (talk) 17:27, 16 May 2023 (UTC)

Propaganda and Misinformation
Despite Russia's reported use of Kinzhal missiles for about a year, Ukraine has only managed to intercept one missile. Now they suddenly claim to have intercepted all six out of six missiles in a single day, without providing ANY evidence. Furthermore, the reported casualty figure of only 10,000 in the Ukrainian army after the start of the conflict in another article is also an unquestionable lie. Wikipedia is slowly destroying it's reputation as a reliable source of information with all this moral-driven propaganda and misinformation. 109.42.177.195 (talk) 16:36, 16 May 2023 (UTC)
 * No, wait for news to develop; don't tell us your analysis based on armchair speculation before the ground data have even been analyzed.
 * The event happened in the early morning of the 16th May, only just over 12 hrs ago. News reports of missile parts on the ground have surfaced in many sources this morning.  The detailed analysis of the parts, s/n's, dates manufactured, and damage analysis on each one will surely be started soon, and the UAF military and their allies will surely have a good look at it.  Don't expect some sort of final report 10 hrs after the missiles rained over Kyiv.  Wikipedia article can be improved only as these sources come in. N2e (talk) 17:35, 16 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Propaganda you say? Like how Russia reports the ranges of their air launched munitions as including the range of the aircraft plus the range of the missile? Kinzhal is literally just an air launched ballistic missile. 2605:8D80:442:E1B0:7146:5825:8970:CF03 (talk) 20:35, 16 May 2023 (UTC)

Source question
https://news.usni.org/2023/01/27/report-to-congress-on-hypersonic-missile-defense-2 is a source for the statement that hypersonic missiles would be hard to track with existing tech.

The report specifically talks about why hypersonic cruise missiles or glide vehicles are harder to track. It specifically states that ballistic missiles can be tracked with existing technology. Kinzhal is a hypersonic ballistic missile (as are almost all ballistic missiles which often reach mach 15-20). It is not either of the missiles described in the report. Just pointing that out.

This is also probably why Ukraine can shoot them down fairly easily with patriots. They are just ballistic missiles. 2605:8D80:442:E1B0:7146:5825:8970:CF03 (talk) 20:55, 16 May 2023 (UTC)

Sanity check on kinetic energy
Just musings, I was curious about the numbers and noted the citation needed so thought I would find one. This probably gets into the WP:NOR realm but this is a talk page so I think it is acceptable. "the Kinzhal has more than 432 times the on-cruise kinetic energy of a Tomahawk missile (~17.3 gigajoules, or equal to 4,100 kg TNT explosive energy)". The language is not clear if this is the energy of a Tomahawk or a Kinzhal but I am assuming Kinzhal. According to missilethreat.csis.org the launch weight is 4800 kg so saying that it flies with a kinetic energy of more than the equivalent energy as if it was entirely made of TNT seems implausible.

Just to sanity check the missilethreat article it says that the missile is 8m length 1m diameter is a volume of about 6m^3 giving a density of 700-800 kg/m^3. This feels a bit low given that it is presumably mostly fuel and explosives but maybe the diameter includes fins which could easily give a factor of 2 here. Also found this on www.military-today.com which gives the same size but a launch weight of 1000 kg giving a ludicrous density similar to balsa wood so maybe the moral of this is that it is worth sanity checking links before trying to fix a citation needed. Mtpaley (talk) 23:21, 19 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Going just by the claimed mach 10 speed and your mention of 4800 kg launch weight, if the whole launch weight is at mach 10, I get E=&half; mv2=26GJ. The 16GJ figure sounds reasonable if ~40% of the mass was ejected as spent fuel.  That does correspond to 4 tons of TNT.  TNT is maybe less energetic than rocket fuel, but more explosive.  If the type of rocket propellant is known, the mass ratio can be found using the Tsiolkovsky equation. 2602:24A:DE47:B8E0:1B43:29FD:A863:33CA (talk) 02:39, 20 March 2022 (UTC)


 * I've become skeptical of the mach 10 claim. That is really awfully fast to keep something flying in atmosphere.  I'll try to do a little math later.  This says the true speed is unknown, giving a range of mach 5-mach 12.  It also states some doubts about the target in UKR, but that's a separate matter.  This also mentions mach 5 as a generality about hypersonic missiles.  That would be a 4x difference in kinetic energy vs mach 10.  I plan to put the War Zone link into the article later today unless someone objects. 2602:24A:DE47:B8E0:1B43:29FD:A863:33CA (talk) 14:15, 20 March 2022 (UTC)
 * I actually wonder if this amount of kinetic energy makes any sense in combination with a warhead. If the warhead explodes before impact, the kinetic energy does not add much to the result, it might even deviate the explosion effect.  If, however the warhead is meant to explode on impact, the kinetic energy effects not only the target but the missile alike, therefore dismantling its front section (the warhead) probably before it can explode. Maybe the warhead still explodes but in an uncontrollable fashion 95.118.117.59 (talk) 23:07, 20 March 2022 (UTC)
 * With that much KE it's unclear how useful a conventional warhead is compared to just slamming the target like an inert bunker buster. But the missile can also carry a nuclear warhead :O. 2602:24A:DE47:B8E0:1B43:29FD:A863:33CA (talk) 06:24, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * That was my thought too. Of course having a nuclear warhead would make sense, if nuclear warheads make sense at all, but a conventional warhead seems counterproductive, better use 500kg of something heavy. 95.115.21.117 (talk) 17:36, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * "I've become skeptical of the mach 10 claim. That is really awfully fast to keep something flying in atmosphere."
 * That's probably because you're not thinking.  There are clear statements about plasma.   Well, what happens when you put out a stream of tiny air bubbles underneath the hull of a ship?   Oh yes, friction is notably reduced.   Plasma can be used in what is essentially the same way for aircraft and most likely missiles(and Russia has been playing with plasma on aircraft since at least the 90s).   It is in fact perfectly possible that the plasma-effect forming is what allows it to reach its "topspeed", by drastically reducing drag.   Anything down to a quarter isn't out of the question.   And if the plasma-effect cuts drag in half... DW75 (talk) 19:55, 30 April 2022 (UTC)
 * That's absolutely not how plasma works, and no, it wouldn't reduce drag that way.
 * The real reason it can fly that fast is because, being a derivative of a ballistic missile, it arcs up into extremely thin high altitude atmosphere during the flight. It's not doing mach 10 at low altitude, it's doing it at 150kft+. 2002:82A:4EA9:0:7C01:B690:F59A:E69F (talk) 21:32, 28 December 2022 (UTC)
 * It definitely is ballistic. How could Ukraine shoot it down? Moreover, even if it’s 2/3rds fuel by weight it’d only be able to reach at most 2857 m/s with 265 seconds of specific impulse (normal for a solid rocket). It’s so obvious that Russian propaganda has been taken as gospel here… 2605:8D80:440:8C3B:8C83:D51:262:714F (talk) 00:31, 17 May 2023 (UTC)

About the claim that a Kinzhal was shot down
The claim has been refuted. In fact, the Kyiv Independent reported: "Ihnat's denial came after the publication Defense Express alleged on May 5 that a Kh-47 Kinzhal ballistic missile could have been successfully shot down by Ukrainian air defense overnight on May 4.."

In light of the above, this claim of a Kinzhal being shot down is being deleted.

An Indian expert made the observation that the kind of debris claimed to have been produced does not seem likely at hypersonic speeds. Ashwin Baindur (User:AshLin) (talk) 13:19, 5 May 2023 (UTC)


 * The shot down was confirmed by the Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force Mykola Oleschuk on Telegram on the morning of May 6th and stated the Kinzhal missile was shot down by a Patriot missile. The official Twitter account of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense also cited this.
 * SincereGuy (talk) 08:57, 6 May 2023 (UTC)
 * This is why Wikipedia is unreliable not only is that not true but the missile in the photo looks nothing like a Kh-47. I go with Kyiv Independent report. Even defense express came out and said it was fake https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1654443972335370241 there has been lying and false flags onnboth sides lately.2601:3C5:8200:97E0:115F:FF78:7857:8826 (talk) 13:11, 6 May 2023 (UTC)
 * No, Defense Express certainly didn't say it was fake. In Defense Express's first report from May 5, it identified the wreckage of being that of a Kinzhal and stated that it had been shot down but that the publication was awaiting official confirmation. That confirmation came today and there could be reasons as to why it was first denied; the source being unaware, an attempt to mask capabilities or uncertainty (a quote in the Kyiv Independent infers operational security). The missile is clearly a Kinzhal with its distinctive thick cone. SincereGuy (talk) 16:24, 6 May 2023 (UTC)
 * The originating sources and photographs depict a nosecone from a missile which is claimed to be that of a Kinzhal, punctured. Yet they at the same time they say that the warhead is missing, and must have detonated at interception. So we have a supposed Kinzhal missile nose cone which was blown away by a warhead detonation, yet lands neatly and cleanly to be photographed, having survived a 500 kilo payload explosion. A little strange, isn't it? 87.16.164.209 (talk) 18:38, 6 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Personal incredulity is completely irrelevant. SincereGuy (talk) 20:48, 6 May 2023 (UTC)
 * I suggest waiting for some reliable western source about this, especially one that not just cites statements of belligents, and then adding it. Smeagol 17 (talk) 21:28, 6 May 2023 (UTC)
 * There aren't always "reliable Western sources" that can comment on each and every claim. There are photos which people obviously has identified as being Kinzhal and the NYT cites sources that corroborates the claim, but it could be qualified by stating it's a "claim". SincereGuy (talk) 08:33, 7 May 2023 (UTC)
 * What about Russia’s claim about taking out HIMARS launchers are they unreliable because they are not western sources? You seem to bias https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideological_bias_on_Wikipedia saying one side is always right while the other is always wrong. That being said it should be added but it should also be added that it was originally denied to add neutrality WP:NPOV 2601:3C5:8200:97E0:68EB:C57F:339A:418C (talk) 16:35, 7 May 2023 (UTC)
 * I didn't mention a "western source" initially and that is a whataboutism. Russia has never been able to produce imagery for any destroyed HIMARS and the U.S. has denied any such claims. A HIMARS is more difficult to destroy than a missile since they're far behind the frontline, not racing towards it.
 * As I wrote earlier, a qualifier should be used, i e that it is a claim. Also, as I linked to a source in an edit that was reverted, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force who initially denied the claim spoke at length about the downing in a show on the morning of May 7 (he also stated yesterday that the initial denial was for "obvious reasons"). SincereGuy (talk) 19:16, 7 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Kinzhals are solid white like seen in the wiki picture not grey. That’s one of the things I noticed and it looks to be made of concreate. Could it be fake like the wooden HIMARS? 2601:3C5:8200:97E0:586E:B0DE:6FA4:BBD3 (talk) 19:36, 6 May 2023 (UTC)
 * The Ukranian Ait Force said no Kinzhal was shot down according to this Ukranian news site: “There was a possibility of the use of ballistic missiles, but none were detected,” Ihnat said in a comment to Ukrainian boradcaster Suspilne on May 5.  He also noted that some military officials have already received reprimands for spreading false information."  The picture looks like some pipe coming out of the ground.  lol
 * https://english.nv.ua/nation/ukrainian-air-force-denies-reports-kinzhal-hypersonic-ballistic-missile-downed-over-kyiv-50322488.html BarclayDonaldson (talk) 19:58, 10 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Given that these are ballistic missiles that tracks 2605:8D80:440:8C3B:8C83:D51:262:714F (talk) 00:32, 17 May 2023 (UTC)
 * It doesn't look a Kh-47 because the pictures depict the warhead. The interception has been confirmed since the 9th May by the Pentagon.
 * https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/12/politics/russia-patriot-missiles-ukraine/index.html 212.224.231.224 (talk) 22:45, 12 May 2023 (UTC)
 * No Kh-47s had been launched against the capital in that timeframe, so it looks a bit problematic to shot down something that wasn't even there. Get your facts straight and outside russian and ukranian propaganda, because they both talk the same levels of bs 151.16.163.75 (talk) 22:19, 16 May 2023 (UTC)
 * No Kh-47s had been launched against the capital in that timeframe, so it looks a bit problematic to shot down something that wasn't even there. Get your facts straight and outside russian and ukranian propaganda, because they both talk the same levels of bs 151.16.163.75 (talk) 22:19, 16 May 2023 (UTC)

The "Foreign Reaction" section continues to state that "have concluded existing radar architectures are insufficient to detect and track hypersonic weapons." This should be changed to augment that information with a recognition that one HAS been shot down. In other words, a reader reading this section shouldn't be left with the understanding that shooting one down is impossible. Swiss Frank (talk) 08:03, 15 May 2023 (UTC)
 * So far, only the claim of an alleged shoot-down exists, but there is neither any evidence nor any independent confirmation. What the mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko presented as alleged debris from the Kinschal was identified by experts as the remains of a much smaller aerial bomb. --Rio65trio (talk) 16:10, 15 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Perhaps those uncited "experts" would explain how a "smaller aerial bomb" (as well as the Russian sources cited) would care to explain how a smaller "aerial bomb" has wound up near Kyiv recently. SincereGuy (talk) 06:03, 16 May 2023 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 16 May 2023 (2)
On 5-16-23, when the Ukranians claim to have shot down nine of them using the US Supplied Patriot air defense system.

Scraphound (talk) 08:35, 16 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Lizthegrey (talk) 14:16, 16 May 2023 (UTC)

(update, related request from different user) It appears that per this CNN article by Natasha Bertrand citing US defense sources, the Kinzhal did succeed at damaging a Patriot missile complex the night of 15 May 2023, regardless of how many were or were not shot down in the same barrage (which has not been decisively clarified in reliable sources as of yet). So I think we can at least include that success among the missile's real-world outcomes. http://www.cnn.com/2023/05/16/politics/patriot-missile-damage-ukraine/index.html

Denzera (talk) 18:43, 16 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. -Lemonaka‎  08:53, 17 May 2023 (UTC)

It is "Kyiv" not "Kiev"
The name of ukrainian capital is actually spelled "Kyiv", not "Kiev" (it is wrong name variant used by Russians) YaroMar12 (talk) 06:28, 16 May 2023 (UTC)


 * Had been Kiev for the whole west for decades, so it's fine to write it in both ways. All history books in Europe name it Kiev so in Europe we are fine with it, plus the original name was "Vladimir's Town" that is pretty comical all things considering 151.16.163.75 (talk) 22:29, 16 May 2023 (UTC)
 * "Kyiv" is the only correct way to spell the name of the Ukrainian capital. The fact that the Russian form "Kiev" has unfortunately been widely used is a consequence of Russia's imperialistic policies. The official language in Ukraine is Ukrainian, and therefore the only correct variant of transliteration is "Kyiv." You can learn about it just by googling KyivNotKiev online campaign. YaroMar12 (talk) 11:21, 17 May 2023 (UTC)
 * @YaroMar12 Hi there. Please keep the discussion civilised and respectful. This is not WP:Forum Both spellings are fine. Pixius talk 23:15, 17 May 2023 (UTC)

Cost of missile
In the Wikipedia article it says the missile costs 10$ million, in the two sources (Ukrainska Pravda and inews.co.uk), which aren't reliable, while the Ukrainian one is biased on top of that, it states "up to 10$ million and above" without any reference about how they know it.

I think it should be removed. Daimler92 (talk) 13:26, 18 May 2023 (UTC)

Mach 10 and manouverable?
I have troubles believing several of the claims in the article, especially that the missile is capable of manoeuvring at ten times the speed of sound. In 1974 an SR-71 crossed the pond at a speed of around Mach 3, to participate in the Farnborough Air Show. A split-second navigation error forced her to turn, in order to land in Farnborough. The turn was so spacious that the plane almost flew over Paris. So, I can't imagine that the Kinzhal can manoeuvre, with its tiny ailerons, at three times the speed of the SR-71 without straying far from its original path. Actually, the whole article smells of propaganda, especially since all claims are formulated as facts, without any references to neutral and reliable sources. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.118.117.59 (talk) 22:44, 20 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Maneuverability is mentioned in multiple sources as a feature of hypersonic weapons (not just Russian ones) as compared with ICBM's, which are even faster but not maneuverable. This mentions the Kinzhal and links to other background articles, but I didn't see anything backing up the claim of Mach 10.  A few said > Mach 5.  I agree with the above poster that we shouldn't report Mach 10 uncritically, but I think we should still report it with some skepticism. Regarding maneuverability, I expect the idea is not to fly around in circles but just to change the flight path enough to dodge a slower moving interceptor, and then change it again to get back on target.  Is anyone here who can read the non-English sources?  2602:24A:DE47:B8E0:1B43:29FD:A863:33CA (talk) 23:41, 20 March 2022 (UTC)
 * You are probably right, but still: manoeuvring at that speed, even a smidge? And AFAIK just by using rudders?  Their servos must be terrific; however, I still have my doubts.  Is there anybody here who has some knowledge about the physics involved? 95.115.21.117 (talk) 17:01, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * The fastest it has been observed travelling was mach 6.8. It follows a quasi-ballistic trajectory and is not very maneuverable. Your skepticism is warranted. Disconnected Phrases (talk) 19:36, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

Of course you have troubles believing the stats, that's because the US is light years behind Russia in terms of hypersonic missile technology, and missile tech in general. And no, the "claims" in this article are accurate.   F1V8V10V6!  10:58, 21 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Please deliver reliable sources. 95.115.21.117 (talk) 16:48, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * BTW: what do you mean by "the US is light years behind Russia"? Is Russia located in the Alpha-Centauri System, or the US circles Sirius?  I mean, you are aware that light years measure distances, are you? 95.115.21.117 (talk) 17:06, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * It is just a term to mean hugely distant - units are not length in trolls. Mtpaley (talk) 00:52, 24 March 2022 (UTC)
 * And now we see precisely where all these "facts" are coming from. . . 192.112.253.14 (talk) 18:28, 28 March 2022 (UTC)
 * F1V8V10V6!, physics does not care if the US is light years behind Russia or not. Transversal acceleration for a given turn radius increases with the square of velocity, so a Mach 12 missile has to exert sixteen times (!) the lift to have the same turn radius as a Mach 3 missile, all while lift-to-drag ratio being significantly worse in hypersonic regime. That is what makes these claims hard to believe -- pure physics, that's all. No country can violate laws of nature. 88.101.199.63 (talk) — Preceding undated comment added 00:26, 19 April 2022 (UTC)
 * We're so far behind Russian missile tech that we had a maneuvering hypersonic reentry vehicle in the 1980s on a Pershing missile? We're so far behind that we had functioning scramjets over a decade ago, something that Russia still hasn't actually demonstrated with evidence (though they do make claims)?
 * Sure. Russian propaganda is not a good source for things like this. 2002:82A:4EA9:0:7C01:B690:F59A:E69F (talk) 21:34, 28 December 2022 (UTC)
 * I think you meant to say US propaganda are light years behind russian?  78.57.179.116 (talk) 12:13, 18 May 2023 (UTC)

It's widely accepted that a missile can't maneuver in the final 60k feet of altitude purely based on the fact that the amount of G's and air would break the thing apart, why above that maneuvering is possible. About the mach speeds. The most expected speeds are between 5-10, so it should state that with clearly stated unknown real speed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 145.93.144.139 (talk) 09:38, 24 May 2023 (UTC)

Guideline for pronunciation
After hearing someone pronounce "Kinzhal" like "Kinzle" to rhyme with "Rapunzel", I think the article should provide some guideline to pronunciation. The correct pronunciation is more like "kin-JAHL" where the "J" is more like the "g" of "genre", or the "s" of "amnesia", than like the "j" in "jump". I've tried to provide the Russian IPA, but I'm not sure this would be helpful to most readers. Svennik (talk) 12:56, 11 June 2023 (UTC)

Some physics behind hypersonic weapons
The following article from "Scientific American": "https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-physics-and-hype-of-hypersonic-weapons/" sheds some light on the physics behind hypersonic weapons, and comes to the sobering conclusion that most of the claims are execrated, in the US, Russia and China, and are meant to generate funding.


 * I Endorse this. It's a very good read — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.25.34.234 (talk) 08:21, 17 June 2023 (UTC)

Not a hypersonic missile
Calling the Kh-47M2 a hypersonic missile is not accurate. It's an air launched Iskander that briefly reaches hypersonic speeds. All ballistic missiles reach hypersonic speeds.

https://www.csis.org/analysis/complex-air-defense-countering-hypersonic-missile-threat Disconnected Phrases (talk) 17:54, 5 May 2023 (UTC)


 * Very funny to me that this claim starts coming out immediately after one is claimed to have been intercepted.
 * it’s like a no true Scotsman.
 * A:“Hypersonic missiles are unstoppable”
 * B:”one of them may have been stopped”
 * A:”then it must not have been hypersonic” YEEETER0 (talk) 17:18, 29 May 2023 (UTC)
 * You don't seem to know what a "no true Scotsman" is. Svennik (talk) 18:02, 29 May 2023 (UTC)
 * "No true Scotsman, or appeal to purity, is an informal fallacy in which one attempts to protect their generalized statement from a falsifying counterexample by excluding the counterexample improperly."
 * an example literally taken from the Wikipedia page
 * Person A: "No Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge."
 * Person B: "But my uncle Angus is a Scotsman and he puts sugar on his porridge."
 * Person A: "But no true Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge."
 * It's the same thing as
 * Person A: "No Hypersonic is interceptable ."
 * Person B: "But my Kinzhal is a Hypersonic and he was intercepted ."
 * Person A: "But no true Hypersonic is interceptable ."
 * the unfalsifiable statement is that hypersonic missiles are not interceptable. Thus because the Kinzhal was intercepted it must not be a hypersonic missile. YEEETER0 (talk) 07:08, 2 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Not sure where the problem is. Hypersonic missiles fly at hypersonic speeds for most of the flight duration, but they slow down to below-hypersonic speeds during the terminal phase so as to overcome the air ionisation effect (always present at hypersonic speeds) which blocks the onboard radar from properly highlighting the target. They are prone to interception at that terminal phase only. This applies to all radar-guided hypersonic missiles irrespective of the country of manufacture. — kashmīrī  TALK  09:58, 2 June 2023 (UTC)
 * That's not what I'm disagreeing with. Also the "Plasma stealth" you are referring to is largely a myth. My problem is that people seem to think Hypersonics are unstoppable. Thus after Kinzhal was claimed to have been intercepted people are rushing to find reasons to say it is not hypersonic. YEEETER0 (talk) 16:28, 2 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I thought the term implied the ability to freely manoeuvre at "hypersonic" speed. Ballistic missiles follow a fixed parabolic arc through part of their journey - making their future locations predictable - and enabling them to be intercepted. If an interceptor assumes its target follows a fixed parabolic path, but the target manoeuvres away from that path, then there's no way for any current missile defence system to intercept its target. It seems the only viable counter to this is literally giant space lasers. Not an expert though. Svennik (talk) 09:53, 9 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Not an expert here, either, but the Kinzhal, like the Iskander, is reported as retargetable mid-flight and, consequently, displays a degree of manoeuvrability. Currently we only have one uncertain report of a Kinzhal being shot down, and even if true, it's virtually impossible for us to know the reasons, much less to generalise them. It could have been a mistake of the Russian crew (e.g., no/insufficient manoeuvring at terminal phase); targeting signal interception by the US/Ukraine; trajectory prediction based on target knowledge; pure luck; etc. Not even mentioning that the shot-down missile doesn't resemble the Kinzhal, and so the Ukrainian government photo might be simply part of war propaganda.
 * For now, I'd be unwilling to support any changes to the article just because of that single claim of Kinzhal interception. — kashmīrī  TALK  10:02, 10 June 2023 (UTC)
 * According to a Youtuber, the parts from the photo are from the inside of a Kinzhal. It's still part of (Russia's supposedly "hypersonic") Kinzhal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsZLJ59qtaU --Svennik (talk) 11:22, 11 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Yeah, another propaganda video. 20m20s: "That's not gonna convince everybody, especially those who've been defending Russia fervently throughout". Yeah, those who don't agree with the video and "confirmations coming from multiple [US] national intelligence agencies" (20m10s) are certainly none else but Russia apologists. Don't dare to question us, or you're with the enemy! Thank you, but no, thank you, I've lived long enough to be able to question official narratives of intelligence agencies, especially at times of war. — kashmīrī  TALK  11:44, 11 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Do you have an actual source that states that the kinzhal flies on a parabolic arc rather than an atmosphere for most of its flight? I keep people seeing people making a statement that since it’s based on the iskander in must follow a similar trajectory, but that’s not true. My understanding is it has been reprogrammed to fly in a flat path at high altitude, and then dive down when it gets close to its target. YEEETER0 (talk) 04:38, 12 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Sorry for my abrupt comment. Inexcusable. Svennik (talk) 15:59, 9 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Np YEEETER0 (talk) 04:39, 12 June 2023 (UTC)
 * You are incorrect, and have most likely been misled by propaganda. Using csis.org as the source makes very little sense. It's actually quite ludicrous. It's like sourcing the Kiev Independent. The reality is more complex, and how do you suppose an air launched missile would travel but in a parabolic trajectory? You are confusing ICBM reentry vehicles with the Kinzhal missile. While ICMB MIRVS and for instance ISS return vehicles reenter the mesosphere at hypersonic speeds, they do so in a falling capacity. For manned spacecraft, they intentionally bleed away much of their speed by atmospheric drag before they can deploy the Drogue parachute. A MIRV tries to maintain as much speed as possible while still encountering air drag. Really basic orbital mechanics, and my point is neither of them are powered when they descend though the atmosphere. The Kinzhal does not enter LEO or even close, it briefly flies through the stratosphere where the air density/pressure is ~1 millibar. As I said, it does ascend to a higher altitude to reduce air friction and then descends again still under power on its way to the target. The Kinzhal by all accounts I have read does not travel at Mach 10 when it's in the densest part of the atmosphere, IE very close to the target. But the definition of hypersonic is Mach 5 or faster. MarSwe11 (talk) 04:20, 3 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Np YEEETER0 (talk) 04:39, 12 June 2023 (UTC)
 * You are incorrect, and have most likely been misled by propaganda. Using csis.org as the source makes very little sense. It's actually quite ludicrous. It's like sourcing the Kiev Independent. The reality is more complex, and how do you suppose an air launched missile would travel but in a parabolic trajectory? You are confusing ICBM reentry vehicles with the Kinzhal missile. While ICMB MIRVS and for instance ISS return vehicles reenter the mesosphere at hypersonic speeds, they do so in a falling capacity. For manned spacecraft, they intentionally bleed away much of their speed by atmospheric drag before they can deploy the Drogue parachute. A MIRV tries to maintain as much speed as possible while still encountering air drag. Really basic orbital mechanics, and my point is neither of them are powered when they descend though the atmosphere. The Kinzhal does not enter LEO or even close, it briefly flies through the stratosphere where the air density/pressure is ~1 millibar. As I said, it does ascend to a higher altitude to reduce air friction and then descends again still under power on its way to the target. The Kinzhal by all accounts I have read does not travel at Mach 10 when it's in the densest part of the atmosphere, IE very close to the target. But the definition of hypersonic is Mach 5 or faster. MarSwe11 (talk) 04:20, 3 July 2023 (UTC)

“Hypersonic missile” label should be removed
With an air to ground missile, it is not reaching hypersonic speeds at level flight. By calling this missile a “hypersonic missile”, then technically the German V-2 rocket was hypersonic, as it reached speeds in excess of Mach 5 in descent Memelephant (talk) 19:05, 6 May 2023 (UTC)


 * It's kinda funny as 1950s GAM-87 Skybolt same type missile was even faster. RajatonRakkaus (talk) 15:49, 9 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Your case is based on pure speculation and a lack of understanding basic physics. An air launched missile on a parabolic trajectory under powered flight has to accelerate before reaching Mach 5+. That seems pretty obvious to me, since the delivery aircraft is NOT hypersonic. The V2 was ground launched and have very little in common with the Kinzhal. My question to you is how you define level flight? Basic trigonometry would suggest that in order for the missile to hit its target, it can't be on a level flight like an airliner. I have gone much deeper into how the Kinzhal operates in my post above. My Second question is how do you know the airspeed of the missile after it has been launched? Pure speculation, or do you have a source detailed source? Which would be interesting to debunk if that were the case. MarSwe11 (talk) 04:33, 3 July 2023 (UTC)

agreed. All ballistic missiles are hypersonic. It's entirely redundant. Binglederry (talk) 23:08, 12 May 2023 (UTC)


 * The bit about it being a ballistic missile is false. It is a course-adjusting hypersonic missile. 142.181.188.183 (talk) 17:30, 16 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Course-adjusting ballistic missile yes. 78.57.179.116 (talk) 12:30, 18 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Are there any sources to say it follows a ballistic trajectory rather than a flat one? Until we have a reliable source that says that we should leave the "Hypersonic" label as that what Russia calls it YEEETER0 (talk) 07:25, 2 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Yes. — kashmīrī  TALK  18:52, 18 June 2023 (UTC)

The statement from mayor klitschko should be removed
It should be removed because it is baseless propaganda that is easily disproven and degrades the trustworthiness of the wiki page itself. Regardless of what you think of the Russian story that it was a bunker busting bomb that he presented. The fact that the Kinzhal missile is far bigger than the object mayor Klitschko displayed to the press should make people think twice. The Kinzhal missile is ~8 meters long and 1 meter in diameter. Klitschko is tall, but he is not 8 meters tall. The obvious discrepancy in size can easily be observed on a photo of a Mig-31 on the ground, equipped with a Kinzhal missile under its fuselage with ground crew nearby.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/02/39/a2/0239a28951ba6aaea3096bd6db450708.jpg MarSwe11 (talk) 04:55, 3 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Even if it is propaganda and even if the debris does not show a Kinzhal missile, Klitschko's statement is relevant because it came from the mayor of Kiev, a central protagonist in this war, and was also picked up by international media. Wikipedia is not a medium of judging what is true, but of neutrally presenting the statements of both sides. The reader can then make up his own mind. Nevertheless, one could still rephrase the sentence in question as follows: "On May 10, 2023, Vitali Klitschko presented debris to Bild journalists in Kiev, claiming that it came from the allegedly downed Kinzhal missile." Rio65trio (talk) 12:52, 3 July 2023 (UTC)

Missile cost
Change Missile cost from 10 mln usd to 3-4 mln usd. The number of 10 mln usd is literally made up, there is no reliable sources that can back this up and both links used in this page to prove that is just some magazines that claimed that and those magazines werent bothered to prove this information by any means. So number of 10 mln USD is just made up. I propose to set the missile cost around 3-4 mln usd because kinzhal is just modified Iskander that can be aircraft based. Iskander itself costs around 3mln usd so there is no chance that kinzhal can cost 10mln usd and it mos likely costs around 4 mln usd.Some interesting thoughts to back my claim https://en.defence-ua.com/news/what_is_the_real_price_of_russian_missiles_about_the_cost_of_kalibr_kh_101_and_iskander_missiles-4709.html Luden1 (talk) 03:26, 12 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Wikipedia doesn't report what editors think is true but what reliable sources say, for better or for worse. — kashmīrī  TALK  20:15, 12 July 2023 (UTC)
 * But the cost of 10mln doesn't have any reliable source!!! At least the cost must be removed altogether because sole purpose of this number is to portray the as ineffective against Patriot missile system because of the rockets costs. I just dont understand why 10mln can stay up if it also have no reliable sources. Magazines that are linked to this number have absolutely no factual evidence to back this number whatsoever Luden1 (talk) 20:27, 12 July 2023 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 2 July 2023
Change Missile cost from 10 mln usd to 3-4 mln usd. The number of 10 mln usd is literally made up, there is no serious evidence that can back this up and both links used in this page to prove that is just some magazines that claimed that and those magazines werent bothered to prove this information by any means. I propose to set the missile cost around 3-4 mln usd because kinzhal is just modified Iskander that can be aircraft based. Iskander itself costs around 3mln usd so there is no chance that kinzhal can cost 10mln usd and it mos likely costs around 4 mln usd. Luden1 (talk) 11:01, 2 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Mattdaviesfsic (talk) 16:38, 2 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Why are you demanding "reliable" source from me, but not for the number of 10mln USD per rocket in my case I at least have a basis of Iskander cost. Nothing can even slightly prove that Kinzhal costs 10 MLN USD. Atleast the price tag should be removed at all from the page, 10 mln is nothing but a propaganda nonsense
 * https://en.defence-ua.com/news/what_is_the_real_price_of_russian_missiles_about_the_cost_of_kalibr_kh_101_and_iskander_missiles-4709.html Luden1 (talk) 02:02, 6 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Because that’s how wikipedia works; this isn’t the eurasian times. You can’t just say “well i think it actually costs x” 24.87.104.15 (talk) 04:11, 24 July 2023 (UTC)

hypersonic
I think it would make sense to remove a good portion of the 'hypersonic' mentions in this article. For example, phrases such as "hypersonic ballistic missile", as this article says in the opening, are semantically redundant, and are similar to saying "fruit apple" or "wooden tree". The only reason this ever became accepted language is due to russian propaganda falsely advertising this weapon system as something it is not. So we either update all articles about ballistic missiles to have 'hypersonic' littered throughout them, or we prune it from here. There are many articles from reliable sources on this topic.

example: https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a43804177/russias-kinzhal-missile-is-not-hypersonic/ Quote: "Sidharth Kaushal, Ph.D., of the U.K.-based defense think tank RUSI is similarly doubtful about the “hypersonic” label. “It doesn’t meet the maneuverability criteria for being a true hypersonic weapon,” he tells Popular Mechanics."

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/ukraine-and-the-kinzhal-dont-believe-the-hypersonic-hype/ Quote: "The term “hypersonic” is now typically used just to refer to two types of weapons that are being developed through contemporary defense programs: hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) and hypersonic cruise missiles (HCMs). The Kinzhal is neither, as it is an air-launched ballistic missile."

https://news.yahoo.com/russia-kinzhal-missile-not-hypersonic-224538598.html Quote: "The Kinzhal was never a truly hypersonic weapon – a supposedly advanced military technology that the United States and China spent years developing, but that has yielded minimal results."

https://www.businessinsider.com/patriot-kill-shot-impressive-russian-kinzhal-hypersonic-ballistic-missile-experts-2023-5 Quote: "The Kinzhal is not a "hypersonic" weapon, as Moscow often claims, which is to say the Kinzhal is not part of a new class of hard-to-kill missiles that exclusively includes highly maneuverable hypersonic glide vehicles and hypersonic cruise missiles able to maintain hypersonic speeds throughout most of the flight."

https://interestingengineering.com/culture/russias-kinzhal-missile-not-hypersonic Quote: "If Kinzhal is dubbed hypersonic, then so are all ballistic missiles in the U.S. stockpile, and even SpaceX's Falcon 9 is a hypersonic rocket."

There are many such articles out there with experts weighing in that using the word "hypersonic" with this weapon is... not academically correct in the context of what experts agree a hypersonic weapon is. Binglederry (talk) 05:49, 19 October 2023 (UTC)

Foreign Reactions
I take issue with this quote:

"U.S. defense officials have concluded that existing radar architectures are insufficient to detect and track hypersonic weapons"

there's a few issues here. The main one is that these hearings and articles are referring to hypersonic glide vehicles and hypersonic cruise missiles, of which the kinzhal is neither. So it's basically an entirely irrelevant quote to this article. And to drive the point home, the Patriot system handily intercepted and destroyed Kinzhals aimed at it, underlining the fact that these officials were not talking about air launched ballistic missiles like the kinzhal.

So yeah I think this sentence has no place in this article. Binglederry (talk) 06:06, 19 October 2023 (UTC)