“The hypersonic rocket complex “Dagger” – a system developed by Russia, is considered one of the latest and most dangerous developments in its class. What is a dagger rocket, what are its key characteristics, and why it is a serious threat to air defense – we tell you further. What is a Dagger rocket and how it works X-47M2 “Dagger” is a Russian aviation missile complex with”, – WRITE ON: ua.news
The hypersonic rocket complex “Dagger” – a system developed by Russia, is considered one of the latest and most dangerous developments in its class. What is a dagger rocket, what are its key characteristics, and why it is a serious threat to air defense – we tell you further.
What is a Dagger rocket and how it works
X-47M2 “dagger” is a Russian aviation rocket complex with a hypersonic aerobalistic missile. It is designed to defeat ground and surface purposes, including stationary objects, as well as aircraft carriers and cruisers. The peculiarity of the “dagger” is the launch of the carrier aircraft (mostly, upgraded Mig-31K or TU-22m3m), which allows it to reach huge speeds and heights at the initial stage of flight.
After a compartment from the carrier, the rocket accelerates to hypersonic speeds-according to various data, up to 10-12 strokes (about 12,000-14 700 km/h). Due to this speed and maneuvering in all areas of the trajectory, the “dagger” is considered an extremely difficult target for existing anti -air and missile defense systems. It is able to change the flight trajectory, which further complicates its interception.
The key characteristics of the Dagger missile
Type of rocket: Hypersonic aerobalistic rocket.
Carriers: MAG-31K modified fighters and supersonic rocket launchers-bombarders TU-22m3m.
Speed: Declared up to 10-12 snacks (over 12,000 km/h). This allows the rocket to overcome considerable distances in minutes.
Range: Official sources of the Russian Federation declare a flight range up to 2000 km from MIG-31K and up to 3000 km with TU-22m3m.
The combat part: Can carry both ordinary and nuclear combat part. The mass of the battle part is estimated at hundreds of kilograms.
Precision: High precision of goals due to the inertial guidance system and the ability to adjust the flight trajectory.
Features: Hypersonic speed, the ability to maneuver all the trajectory of flight, which makes its intercepting extremely difficult task for modern air defense systems.
What is the radius of the rocket’s dagger
When discussing the radius of lesions of the “dagger” rocket, it is important to distinguish between two concepts: the rocket flight range and the radius of damage to the target directly from the explosion of the combat part.
Rocket flight range (combat radius of the complex):
The “dagger” is an aerobalistic missile, that is, it runs from a carrier aircraft (MiG-31K or TU-22m3m). This greatly increases its overall range.
MiG-31K: The maximum range of the complex of the complex is up to 2000 kilometers.
With TU-22M3M: Flight range can exceed 3000 kilometers.
These indicators indicate how far the rocket can fly to their goal after running from the carrier.
Target’s Radius (from the explosion of the combat part):
The “dagger” can carry a regular or nuclear combat part.
Ordinary combat part: the mass of the battle part of the “Dagan” is estimated at about 500 kg. The radius of lesions from the explosion of such a combat part, as for any fugas ammunition, depends on many factors: the type of target (building, open terrain, fortifications), the material on which the rocket is hit, etc.
Direct hit can completely destroy or seriously damage the large object.
The depth of lesions on concrete structures, according to some reports, can reach up to 1.2 meters.
The destructive effect of debris and shock wave extends tens or hundreds of meters, causing harm to objects and people near the epicenter of the explosion. The specific “lesion radius” is measured within tens of tens or a maximum of hundreds of meters for ordinary BC, not kilometers. This is the local destruction zone.
Can I knock down a dagger
Since the beginning of a full -scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, “daggers” are actively used for strikes on important infrastructure, military purposes and cities. Although Ukraine has modern air defense systems, such as Patriot, a successful interception of “daggers” is a difficult challenge.
The main problem is the hypersonic speed of the rocket, which significantly reduces the time for the response of the air defense systems. In addition, the maneuvering of the “dagger” complicates the definition of its trajectory and predicting the point of impact. This requires high -skilled air defense operators and quick decision -making.
Despite its complexity, the Ukrainian air defense forces have repeatedly demonstrated the ability to intercept missiles “dagger”, which is a significant achievement and emphasizes the effectiveness of Western air defense systems. However, each such launch remains a serious challenge and requires constant intensification of Ukraine’s air defense.
For what purposes in Ukraine used a dagger
The goals on which Russia used the “dagger” missiles in Ukraine:
Airrodrome in Starokostiantyniv (Khmelnitsky region): it is one of the most often attacked objects with “daggers”. The Russians have repeatedly tried to impress this airfield used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Objects of critical energy infrastructure: in particular, during massive missile attacks, “daggers” were used for blows to power plants and substations in different regions of Ukraine (for example, Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk). It was part of the campaign for the destruction of Ukraine’s grid.
Military warehouses: for example, at the beginning of a full-scale invasion (in March 2022) Russia declared the “dagger” of large underground rockets and aviation ammunition in Ivano-Frankivsk region. It was one of the first confirmed applications of “dagger” in the war.
Objects in Lviv: On September 4, 2024, during a combined attack, the enemy launched two dagger missiles in the direction of Lviv. The goals reached the city at the same time as X-101 missiles.
The capital of Ukraine Kyiv has repeatedly become a target for “daggers”. Although most of these rockets were successfully intercepted by Ukrainian air defense (including Patriot systems), there were cases of falling fragments or hits that led to the destruction of civilian infrastructure and victims. For example, on January 2, 2024, 10 out of 10 daggers were stated, but there were significant destruction from the fall of debris.
Objects in Stryi (Lviv region): On March 24, 2024, two missiles “dagger” were hit by a critical infrastructure in Stryi.
In general, “daggers” were launched in the direction of many major cities and regions of Ukraine, although not always information about specific hit has become public, especially if the missiles were shot or not reached.
