An Answer to the F-35? Russian Displays ‘Kinzhal’ Hypersonic Missile Armed MiG-31K Jets

Russian’s Armed Forces have displayed two MiG-31K Foxhound heavyweight combat jets at an airshow at the Dubrovichi training ground. The MiG-31K is the latest variant of the Foxhound to enter service, and has the highest speed and altitude ceiling of any modern combat platform. The aircraft are equipped with Kh-47M2 ‘Kinzhal’ hypersonic ballistic missiles, which are reportedly capable of delivery 500kg warheads to targets up to 2000km away at speeds of Mach 10. The missiles are prized for their precision and manoeuvrability, and are considered among the formidable tactical weapons in the world. The missiles made their debut alongside the MiG-31K in early 2018, and a compact variant is reportedly under development to deploy from the internal weapons bays of Russia’s Su-57 next generation fighters.

The Kinzhal has been considered by some analysts to be Russia’s ‘answer to the F-35’ - a reference to NATO’s newest and most advanced combat jet. The missile is prized for its ability to potentially neutralise enemy airfields within minutes of the outbreak of a conflict, either grounding enemy fighter units or destroying them completely before they take off. The missile has also been described as an ideal 'carrier killer' due to its advanced anti ship capabilities, meaning. F-35B and F-35C variants deployed from the U.S. Navy's warships can also potentially be neutralised without the need to engage the fighters themselves. Low combat readiness rates and high maintenance requirements of the F-35 make it particularly vulnerable to such attacks, as the aircraft spend far more time on the ground than other fighters such as the older and lower maintenance F-16. 

It is as of yet unclear how much of the Russian MiG-31 fleet will be upgraded to the MiG-31K standard, but with the country having inherited several hundred of the jets from the Soviet Union and holding an estimated 200 in reserve there is room to upgrade a significant number without reducing the number of Foxhounds assigned to interceptor and other duties. Whether the Kh-47M2 will be developed into a ground based missile following the collapse of the INF treaty, which previously restricted deployments of ground based platforms, also remain to be seen.