This Hypersonic Missile is Key to Russian Control of the Arctic: Kh-47M2’s Massive Strike Range a Major Asset

Amid growing deployments of Russian MiG-31 Foxhound heavyweight interceptors to patrol the increasingly contested Arctic region, it was previously speculated that the aircraft could be deployed for missions beyond ensuring control of the skies. Russia's MiG-31K Foxhound, a new variant of the formidable Soviet interceptor unveiled in 2018 and designed to deliver hypersonic ballistic missiles, has since been deployed to the region. The deployment was confirmed by Russian media, citing multiple sources in the country’s armed forces. Foxhounds were equipped with Kh-47M2 hypersonic ballistic missiles - capable of striking targets up to 2000km away at speeds approaching Mach 10 with a high level of precision. The missiles are capable of evading all existing air defence systems, and are capable of both anti shipping and long range strikes on ground targets.

A test of the Kh-47M2 demonstrating its ability to perform in the Arctic’s extreme climate was carried out in mid-November. A Foxhound deploying from Olenegorsk airfield in Russia’s northern Murmansk region successfully fired the missile against a ground target at the Pemboi training ground in the Komi region of the Russian Arctic. Combined with the high endurance of the Foxhound itself, this will allow the Russian military to strike targets up to 5000km from its airbases - or longer should the aircraft refuel during flight. The platform could be vital to facilitating Russian dominance of the Arctic, with all assets from military bases to American supercarriers exposed to strikes should war in the region break out.