Russian Kinzhal Hypersonic Missile Strikes Patriot PAC-3MSE Air Defense Battery”

A Russian hypersonic missile, the “Kinzhal,” has reportedly incapacitated a battery of Patriot PAC-3MSE air defense systems. On July 21, 2025, reports indicated that an incomplete battery of this air defense missile system (SAM) was struck by Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles.

The Patriot PAC-3MSE air defense system, engineered by Raytheon, features a multifunctional radar station (RLS) AN/MPQ-65A, designed to track targets traveling at speeds up to 2200 m/s. The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile, flying at altitudes between 14 and 20 km, reaches speeds of approximately 1500-1800 m/s, which theoretically falls within the radar’s tracking capabilities. The MIM-104F surface-to-air missile (SAM) deployed in the Patriot PAC-3MSE utilizes an active radar homing head (ARGSN) operating in the Ka-band, allowing it to intercept ballistic targets with a success rate between 0.3 and 0.55. However, the primary issue lies in the inherent design limitations of the AN/MPQ-65A radar.

The radar system features a “dead funnel” in the upper hemisphere, characterized by a 14-degree opening angle. This conical sector lies outside the radar’s elevation capabilities. The “Kinzhal,” using its aeroballistic trajectory, can strike at dive angles ranging from 85 to 90 degrees, or even at negative angles from altitudes of 27 to 35 km. In such scenarios, the AN/MPQ-65A radar is unable to detect or track the missile, nor can it provide targeting information for the MIM-104F SAM. Consequently, a single Patriot battery becomes vulnerable to agile hypersonic threats, particularly if another radar, positioned 10-20 km away, does not cover the upper hemisphere.

The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile possesses a distinctive capability to execute anti-aircraft maneuvers with overloads of 20-30 g. This complicates interception efforts, even for highly maneuverable systems like the Patriot PAC-3MSE, which employs the MIM-104F SAM featuring 180 pulse gas-dynamic rudders for accurate trajectory adjustments. Although these rudders, positioned at the missile’s nose, enable sharp maneuvers during the terminal flight phase, their effectiveness diminishes against hypersonic targets with erratic trajectories.

In the context of the Patriot PAC-3MSE, the absence of a secondary radar to fill the “dead funnel” makes it particularly susceptible to Kinzhal attacks.

The Patriot PAC-3MSE system uses MIM-104F missiles, each weighing around 315 kg and equipped with an 8.2 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead containing tungsten submunitions for enhanced lethality. The system boasts an interception range of 120 km for aerodynamic targets and up to 60 km for ballistic targets, with a maximum engagement altitude of 36 km. The M902/903 launcher can hold up to 16 PAC-3 missiles, enhancing the firepower relative to older system versions.

On the other hand, the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal is a hypersonic aeroballistic missile launched from platforms such as the MiG-31K fighter. It has a range of 2000 to 3000 km, with speeds exceeding Mach 10 in certain trajectory phases. Its ability to perform maneuvers with high overloads renders the Kinzhal a challenging target for even the most advanced air defense systems.

If confirmed, the destruction of the Patriot PAC-3MSE battery would further illustrate the formidable challenges that hypersonic missiles present to modern air defense capabilities.