America’s shield ‘PAC-3’ vs Russia’s spear ‘Kinzhal’: Who counts more

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) finalized the delivery of the upgraded ‘Patriot PAC-3’ hit-to-kill missiles and ground operation equipment to the Air Force in December 2020. Pictured is the actual firing of the PAC-3. Photo provided by DAPA

Concept of ‘Patriot PAC-3’ operation. Photo provided by DAPA

In September, North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un visited Knevichi military airfield near Vladivostok International Airport as part of his final itinerary in Russia. He attracted attention by personally touching the hypersonic missile ‘Kinzhal’, a key equipment of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

The ‘Kinzhal(Kinzhal)’ is a hypersonic air-to-ground and air-to-ship missile that can fly more than five times the speed of sound. In 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced this new weapon system, claiming it to be “invincible.” President Putin boasted, “It can penetrate not only existing missile defense systems but also those that will be equipped in the future.”

At that time, military experts also evaluated that the existing air defense network, represented by Kinzhal, was almost powerless against hypersonic missile attacks, as President Putin confidently claimed.

In contrast, Ukraine announced on May 16th (local time) that it had intercepted and shot down six hypersonic missiles launched by Russia. Early that morning, Russia had launched a concentrated attack on the capital, Kyiv, using missiles and drones.

Ukraine then announced that it had destroyed all 18 missiles and nine drones launched by Russia. Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov tweeted, “Another incredible victory for the Ukrainian Air Force,” adding, “Last night, our air defense forces intercepted six Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles and 12 other missiles.” It was the U.S. Patriot air defense missile that intercepted Russia’s hypersonic Kinzhal (Kinzhal) in Ukraine.

Ukraine and the U.S. claim to have intercepted the Kinzhal with the Patriot, while Russia maintains the opposite stance, claiming a successful firing. The U.S.’ ‘shield’ missile defense system, the Patriot PAC-3, seems to be shaking the reputation of Russia’s ‘spear’, the Kinzhal, which was hailed as a ‘game changer’ in the battlefield. The PAC-3 is the most modern of the Patriot missiles held by the U.S.

Although the truth is unknown, the world’s attention is focused on who is the winner in the battle between Russia’s ‘spear’ Kinzhal and the U.S.’ ‘shield’ Patriot through the war between Russia and Ukraine.

According to a comprehensive analysis of foreign media reports, the official confrontation between Kinzhal and Patriot has occurred twice since the outbreak of the war between Russia and Ukraine. The Patriot defense system in Ukraine was equipped in April with the support of friendly countries, and two batteries are currently in operation. One was supported by the U.S., and the other was jointly supported by Germany and the Netherlands.

The first confrontation was on May 4th. The New York Times reported that the Kinzhal was shot down over Kyiv, analyzing it as “the first evidence that the Western missile defense system can neutralize Russia’s hypersonic missile.” Ukraine’s missile defense system has effectively returned Russia’s strike. The U.S. Department of Defense also confirmed, “We can confirm that the Ukrainian military used the Patriot missile defense system to shoot down the Russian missile.”

The second confrontation took place on May 16th. The Ukrainian military announced that it had repelled all 18 hypersonic missiles launched by Russia through the Patriot. The military staff announced that six of the 18 missiles intercepted included the Kinzhal. This is a claim that Putin’s pride, the Kinzhal, has been shattered. On the other hand, Russia announced that it had destroyed the Patriot with a precision strike using the Kinzhal, showing a conflicting argument.

Regardless, the confrontation between the spear Kinzhal and the shield Patriot has become clear due to the opposing claims of the two countries trying to secure a favorable position in the war between Russia and Ukraine. What is clear is that both weapon systems are built with world-class cutting-edge technology, and who the winner is will be watched as a paradigm that will appear in all future modern wars.

Russia’s hypersonic missile ‘Kinzhal’. Photo provided by Wikipedia

On September 16th (local time), North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un visited the Knevichi Air Force Base in Vladivostok, Russia, and is seen directly touching the hypersonic missile ‘Kinzhal’ mounted on the MiG 31 fighter jet. AFP-Yonhap News

Russia has been steadily developing hypersonic missiles. It’s a strategic calculation to break through the Western air defense network. The development of strategic weapons such as hypersonic missiles is possible because Russia is leading the world in the field of hypersonic missile development, including the Western world, the United States, Europe, and China. Using this technical prowess, Russia has reached the level of using or preparing to deploy three types of weapons in actual combat, including the ship-launched hypersonic missile ‘Zircon’ and the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) ‘Avangard’, in addition to Kinzhal. It’s ahead of the United States.

Among them, Kinzhal can reach a maximum speed of Mach 12. Its range is reported to be about 932 miles. However, the fast speed is both an advantage and a disadvantage of Kinzhal. The Canadian military specialist media ‘Canwa Defense Review’ evaluated, “Kinzhal’s infrared signal is very strong, so it can be easily detected early, giving the Patriot time to intercept.”

Moreover, the biggest drawback is that the Patriot missile defense system requires astronomical costs.

The launch pad, which consists of a maximum of eight launchers and power generation equipment, is equipped with four missile interceptors. It is known that a maximum of 1.1 billion dollars (about 1.5 trillion won) is needed to build the entire system. The actual missile cost accounts for half, 690 million dollars (about 909 billion won). Also, substantial costs are required in the maintenance process.

As the reputation of the shield Patriot increases, other air defense networks competing with the Patriot are also starting to gain attention.

The representative ones are the ‘Iron Dome’ and ‘David’s Sling’, the air defense systems jointly developed by the U.S. and used in the war between Israel and Hamas. The operation of the Iron Dome is to install missile launchers in various places and form a dome-shaped air defense network to intercept incoming enemy shells.

The German-made all-direction air defense system ‘IRIS-T SLM’ is also classified as a cutting-edge weapon. The IRIS-T air defense network consists of a missile launcher mounted on a truck, a missile, and a command vehicle. It is capable of blocking attacks from enemy fighter jets, ballistic/cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), and rockets.

The advanced ground-to-air missile system ‘NASAMS’ owned by the U.S. military is also considered an excellent air defense system. It is used to protect the U.S. White House and Congress. The maximum range is over 100 miles.

How do these air defense networks compare with the Patriot? Foreign media and experts generally rate the Patriot as a step above. The Washington Post (WP) evaluated, “Ukraine is operating several complex air defense networks supported by various countries, but if you look at the reputation alone, the Patriot is far superior.”

In the case of the Patriot, it is also a familiar defense system to us as it is the core of the Korean-style missile defense (KAMD) system. Our military is currently operating the Patriot and Cheongung 2.

By. Lee Hyun Ho