Russia has changed the tactics of firing “Daggers”: the air defense has less time to intercept
Російський МіГ-31. Фото - росЗМІ
Russia has changed the tactics of using hypersonic Kinzhal missiles. Now MiG-31 fighter-bombers can refuel in the air before launching missiles, remaining outside the range of Ukrainian early warning systems. This significantly complicates the detection and interception of air threats.
As reported by Kyiv Post, a photo posted online by military analyst OSINT Warfare allegedly shows a Russian MiG-31K/L with a Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile under its wing undergoing mid-air refueling from an Il-78 aircraft. The photo was taken over Russian territory and has already raised concerns among military experts.
Experts believe this is a major tactical shift. Refueling allows aircraft to launch missiles from deep inside Russian territory, remaining invisible to Ukrainian monitoring systems and significantly reducing the time Ukraine has to alert the population or deploy air defenses.
In addition, the MiG-31’s increased range allows them to stay in the sky longer before striking, making it more difficult to predict the direction of attack.
This new tactic is already affecting the effectiveness of Ukraine’s air defenses. Western analysts have previously noted that the warning time for intercepting missiles has been significantly reduced, and the ability of the Kinzhal and Iskander missiles to maneuver in flight has reduced the effectiveness of Patriot systems to about 6%.
Recall, US President Donald Trump said that he had almost made a decision to transfer Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
It is worth noting that the White House administration is concerned about whether it will be possible to control the use of such missiles after their transfer to the allies and then to the Ukrainian side.
By the way, Putin stated the possible “destruction of relations” between Russia and the United States if Washington decides to supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles.