Russian hypersonic missiles in Syria

Russia has sent two MiG-31K fighter jets armed with hypersonic, nuclear-capable “carrier-killer” ballistic missiles to its base in Syria as the Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth strike force continues to sail in the eastern Mediterranean. It’s the first time Russia has deployed its Kinzhal hypersonic missile, claimed to have a maximum speed of ten times the speed of sound (Mach 10) and a range of 2,000 kilometres (1,243 miles). It’s the latest sign of Moscow adopting a high-profile aggressive stance towards Britain’s inaugural operational deployment of the Royal Navy’s £3.2 billion, 65,000-tonne carrier, which led last week to a confrontation in the Black Sea with HMS Defender, part of the strike force. The Russian base at Khmeimim in Syria’s coastal province of Latakia is being used to shadow American, British and other Nato warship exercises in the eastern Mediterranean. Three Tu22M3 Backfire-C strategic bombers are also currently at the Khmeimim airbase taking part in the Russian exercise in the eastern Mediterranean. The two MiG-31K Foxhounds will participate in monitoring “the actions of the [Royal Navy] aircraft carrier group”, Russian military reports said. The presence of Russia’s new hypersonic anti-ship missile at the Khmeimim airbase raises the stakes once again. A Russian ministry of defence video shows one of the MiG-31K Foxhounds armed with the Kinzhal hypersonic missile taking off from the base. The Backfire bombers are armed with long-range cruise missiles. The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal (Dagger) missile was one of the new generation of weapons highlighted by President Putin who claimed Russia was in the lead in developing and deploying systems capable of of reaching speeds up to Mach 20. The Avangard missile, also nuclear-capable, is claimed to have a top speed of 20 times the speed of sound. HMS Queen Elizabeth accompanied by two destroyers, two frigates, an Astute class nuclear-powered attack submarine and two support vessels, is on a 28-week, 26,000 nautical mile maiden deployment which will take it to India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and the South China Sea. The incident in the Black Sea when the Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender was hounded by Russian coastguard ships and fighter jets after leaving the south Ukrainian port of Odessa led to a series of angry statements by Moscow and London. Moscow claimed a coastguard ship fired warning shots at the Royal Navy destroyer and fighter jets dropped four bombs in front of the warship. This was denied by the Ministry of Defence in London but reports from the ship showed the crew was put on high alert and there were hostile radio messages from the Russian military. Five Russian navy warships, including a guided-missile cruiser, are participating in the eastern Mediterranean exercise.