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| Russia Deploys 3 Fighter Jets with Hypersonic Missiles to NATO Borders |
Moscow - Russia has deployed three fighter jets armed with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles to Kaliningrad, an area flanked by two NATO countries. All three will carry out combat duties around the clock. The Russian Defense Ministry on Thursday announced the deployment of three MiG-31 interceptor fighter jets to Kaliningrad.
"On Thursday, the planes were transferred to the Chkalovsk airfield in the Kaliningrad Region as part of additional strategic preventive measures," the ministry said in its announcement. The ministry said, during its flight, the three MiG-31s carried out interactions with Russian troops stationed in the area, as well as with the naval flights of the Baltic Fleet.
"The planes will be placed on combat duty 24/7 in Kaliningrad," the Russian Ministry of Defense added, as quoted by Russia Today, Friday (19/8/2022). Russia's neighbors; Finland, said on Thursday that Moscow's MiG-31 planes were suspected of having violated its airspace over the Gulf of Finland as they headed to their destination.
According to the Finnish Ministry of Defense, an investigation has been launched into the incident. The Kinzhal hypersonic missile which means dagger in English can travel at speeds of Mach 12 (approximately 14,800 kph), while continuing to perform evasive maneuvers, which are claimed to allow it to penetrate existing air defenses.
The Russian Defense Ministry added that several Kinzhal hypersonic missiles had been deployed during the operation in Ukraine. The missile is one of several hypersonic weapons systems developed for the country's military in recent years, along with the Avangard glider mounted on a silo-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and the Zircon (Tsirkon) missile to be used by the Navy.
Kaliningrad, which borders Poland and Lithuania, two NATO member states and has access to the Baltic Sea, also hosts the nuclear-capable Iskander missile.