Russia has already developed a variant of the Kinzhal that can carry a nuclear warhead, some analysts say.
Russia could theoretically convert its Kinzhal hypersonic missile to be capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, but this is very difficult to do. Newsweek writes about it.
Associate professor of nuclear science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Areg Danagulyan, reportedly believes that the overall design of the rocket is already optimized to be either conventional or nuclear-capable. Modifications are adapted for each specific version.
“Take a missile that already has a conventional version and modify it to become nuclear, which is a very complex process. It is not the same as taking out the warhead and installing a nuclear warhead,” he said.
Princeton University astrophysics professor Robert Goldston said Russia has already developed a variant of the Kinzhal that can carry a nuclear warhead.
Michael Duitsman, a research fellow at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies in Monterey, Calif., said conventional and nuclear missiles appear identical on the outside, but are different on the inside.
According to him, Russian nuclear warheads usually require additional electrical power to ensure certain functions.
“As a result, the conventional Kinzhal variant will not be able to deliver a nuclear warhead, and the nuclear variant will not be able to deliver a conventional warhead,” Deutsman said.
According to him, Russian non-strategic nuclear warheads are stored at separate bases from units capable of launching them.
“Upon receiving an order from the Russian leadership, such a unit will remove nuclear warheads from a storage bunker and deliver them to a place where a missile can be launched from. The time required for this process can take several hours.
Recall that the expert called the use of Russian hypersonic missiles “Dagger” an escalation. According to the expert, Ukraine needs a means to protect against hypersonic missiles. However, Western F-16 fighters will not help in this.
Also, the Air Force told how many “Daggers” remained in service with the Russian Federation. According to Command spokesman Yuri Ignat, the production of high-tech missiles requires a lot of money and time, but the Kremlin “does not count” money during a full-scale invasion.
