Remember when UK intelligence determined Putin's unbeatable missile wasn't very good?

In Vladimir Putin's 2018 Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly, he revealed six new powerful weapons to the world that were quickly dubbed by news media as superweapons. However, one of these superweapons was determined to be lacking by the UK Ministry of Defence in a December 2023 intelligence update.

The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missile turned out to be a rather depressing dud on the battlefield according to an assessment by the UK Defense Ministry, which pointed to its mixed combat record in Ukraine.

The Kinzhal's NATO reporting name is the AS-24 Killjoy and the defence ministry noted many of the new missiles used in Ukraine had missed their marks or were shot down by Ukrainian air defense forces.

"KILLJOY has almost certainly had a mixed combat debut. Many of its launches have likely missed their intended targets, while Ukraine has also succeeded in intercepting attacks by this supposedly ‘undefeatable’ system," the UK Defense Defense Ministry's assessment explained on December 19th.

The defense ministry noted Russia likely launched the first As-24 Killjoy in August at a Ukrainian airfield on December 14th, but no details were given on whether or not the missiles struck its target.

However, the world had plenty of other examples at the time that revealed the ease with which Putin's allegedly undefeatable weapon could be bested.

Ukrainian air defense crews allegedly shot down six Kinzhal hypersonic missiles during a larger Russian barrage that saw every weapon launched against the embattled nation either intercepted or destroyed in May 2023.

According to Newsweek, Russia fired 18 missiles at Ukraine in the early morning hours of May 16th, and every single one was "detected and destroyed" according to the head of the capital's military administration Serhiy Popko, who was quoted by BBC News.

"All 18 missiles were destroyed by the forces and means of air defense of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Ukraine's General Staff noted in an update on their official social media pages. 

The report of six downed hypersonic missiles came just ten days after Ukraine claimed it shot down the very first Kinzhal ever on May 6th using an American-made MIM-104 Patriot missile defense system.

“I congratulate the Ukrainian people on a historic event,” wrote the Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk in a May 6th Telegram Post.

Photo by Telegram @MykolaOleshchuk

“Yes, we have shot down the ‘unparalleled’ Kinzhal,” Oleshchuk continued, adding that the hypersonic missile was downed on May 4th after it was launched from a MiG-31k. 

Photo Credit Wiki Commons By Alan Wilson

Oleshchuk’s message included the word “Patriot” coupled with a Ukrainian flag but the Lt. General didn’t outright say the missile was downed by the U.S. air defense system. 

According to the New York Times, U.S. officials were quickly notified of the hypersonic missile's downing and American military analysts were able to verify Ukraine’s claims.

“We will definitely report what, where, with what, and when it was shot down! All in its own time,” Olexhchuk added, which were details that proved to be game-changing. 

The Kh-47 Kinzhal is a nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile that can travel upwards of 1250 miles at speeds approaching Mach 10 according to a Reuters report. 

Photo Credit Wiki Commons By Kremlin.ru,

“It is invincible against all existing and prospective missile defense and counter-air defense systems,” Vladimir Putin said of the Kinzhal in 2018, as reported by the New York Times. 

Joe Biden was initially reluctant to supply Ukraine with Patriot air-defense systems but announced the U.S. would send the weapons platform during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's December 2022 visit to Washington. 

Ukrainian air defense crews spent months learning how to use the Patriot system in the U.S., and finished the training program at Fort Sill earlier than expected, Politico noted. 

“The Ukrainian soldiers are impressive, and absolutely a quick study,” Brigadier General Shane Morgan—the Commander of the Army’s Fires Center for Excellence—explained at the time. 

On April 19th, 2023 the first Patriot air-defense systems arrived in Ukraine, and while officials in the country praised the new weapons platforms, the Associated Press reiterated that some experts worried the Patriot wouldn't "significantly change the shape of the war.”

However, just a few weeks into the Patriot’s arrival in Ukraine, it appeared as if the air defense system would prove just as vital for Ukrainian defense as previous weapons shipments. 

“They were saying that the Patriot is an outdated American weapon, and Russian weapons are the best in the world,” Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said in an interview on Ukraine’s Channel 24 according to an Associated Press translation. 

“Well, there is confirmation that it effectively works against even a super-hypersonic missile.” Ihnat continued, adding that the downing was “a slap in the face for Russia.”

In July 2024, Ukrinform published an interview with Ukrainian Air Force Colonel Serhii Yaremenko who told the news outlet that all Kinzhal ballistic missiles Russia launched against targets in Kyiv had been shot down since the arrival of Patriot air defense systems in the country.

"When we work against ballistics, it doesn't matter to us whether it's the Kh-47M Kinzhal, or the Iskander-M, or the 48N, or a Zircon," Yaremenko said according to a translation published by The Kyiv Independent.

Yaremenko is the commander of the 95th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade and he told Ukrinform that Kyiv had been targeted by more than 20 Kinzhal missiles, none of which have hit the capital city according to the colonel. So there may have been a lot of truth in the December 2023 assessment by the UK Ministry of Defence.

"I will say only one thing: all the Kinzhals that were launched at the capital of Ukraine, from the moment it was announced that the Patriot anti-aircraft missile complex was put on combat duty, were all successfully intercepted," Yaremenko said.