Kh-47M2 Kinzhal: a terrible investment by Russia

How the maths of this weapon make is much less impressive than it first seems.

Boys with their toys

We all know that war is a fantastic proving ground for all types of technology. Even some of the mundane items and materials we use today in our kitchens and living rooms can be by the great technological advancements made in war.

But there is another element at play here in deterrent. Just like the movie Dr Strangelove (which I make all my Russian students watch), a deadly weapon grants no fear points if nobody knows about it.

So you develop a missile, a Mach 10 missile no less, and tell the world and the world is worried. And that is how the world should stay, the last thing you want to do is fire it at your neighbour and have it shot down by anti-missile system that first came out 40 years ago.

But the Russians were ready for this, that is why they arrested, last summer, two of the scientists who were chief architects of the program and have since added a third. Should Kinzhal be a success, the charges against the trio are unrelated. Should Kinzhal fail, they have their scapegoats.

I mean, Russia even fudges the range of the Kinzhal. They say it is 2000km launched from a MIG-31 and…