In 2018, Vladimir Putin announced that the new Kinjal hypersonic missiles, launched from MiG-31K aircraft, are “invincible” and “impossible to intercept”. The Kinjal is actually an engineered version of the Iskander and was first used by the Russians against Ukraine, but without achieving any decisive advantage.
Why did Kinjal fail? An analysis published by the Chinese, later picked up and developed by the Rand Corporation think tank, shows that the main reason is actually the design of the missile, which is still based on Cold War-era technology. Even the Chinese have doubts about the hypersonic component of the missile.
In 2023 in The Economist, a Ukrainian military explained that the first Kinjal missile they intercepted was flying at a speed of about 1,240 m/s (Mach 3.6), well below the Mach 5 threshold considered hypersonic.
The problem with the Kinjal is that when it gets close to the target, the missile slows down and becomes vulnerable. In other words Kinjal is only semi-hypersonic.
But even so, one thing is certain: Technology is advancing rapidly and future anti-aircraft systems must take into account not only the hypersonic threat, but also think about the future.
And the French apparently do.
Future MAMBA NG air defense systems will be capable of intercepting targets in the hypervelocity category
The French publication Opex360 covers this topic extensively. The French recall the statement of the CEO of the European giant MBDA, Eric Beranger, during a hearing that took place in the French Senate, when he spoke about the hypersonic threat and the new programs that MBDA is developing in this regard, both in the development of a hypersonic missile as well as in defense systems against them.
“Can we defend ourselves against hypersonic missiles today? The exact answer must be given by the Army (…) But I can give you one element: When approaching the objective, the hypersonic missiles slow down. MBDA is actively working on state-of-the-art technologies in the ASN4G hypersonic missile program,” said the MBDA CEO.
In Europe, in addition to the MBDA-led project on hypersonic defense, it is the Hypersonic Defense Interceptor [HYDIS]which is based on Aquila interceptor missiles, there is another program led by the Spanish: Hypersonic Defense Interceptor [HYDEF].
French specialized journalists also write at the same time that the European consortium Eurosam (MBDA Italy, MBDA France, Thales) is currently working on the development of the new generation of anti-aircraft systems SMP/T NG (New Generation), known more briefly – MAMBA.
Samp-t MAMBA / Exercise AIGLE, defense.gouv.fr
So far the only elements we know about MAMBA NG is that the systems will be equipped with the latest generation radars developed by Thales, it is the Ground Fire 300, as well as the Aster 30 Block 1NT interceptor missiles developed by MBDA.
The SAMP/T NG or the new MAMBA will be able to intercept cruise missiles at a distance of over 150 km as well as ballistic missiles – hypersonic by definition – with a range of more than 600 km, the quoted source added.
But the French go even further and talk about intercepting targets in the hypervelocity category.
Hypersonic flight is usually defined between speeds of Mach 5 and Mach 10 – that is, 6,174 and 12,348 kilometers per hour), while hyperspeed usually exceeds Mach 10.
This was announced by Emmanuel Chiva, an official of the French Ministry of Defense, in an interview with Le Figaro.
“The successor to the MAMBA systems [SAMP/T] it will represent a technological leap over the Patriot. It will be one of the only systems in the world capable of stopping a hypervelocity missile,” he said. So far, only the ability of future systems to intercept hypersonic missiles has been talked about.
As far as hypervelocity is concerned, the Americans have declared themselves ready to test some hypervelocity projectiles for cannon mouths.
The French partners deployed a MAMBA system in Romania as well
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, France assumed a role as European military leader in the region. The French deployed the French MAMBA air defense system in our country, which is currently located at Capu Midia and which is NATO certified.
MAMBA SAMP/T system, deployed by French forces in Romania. Photo: French Ministry of Defense via Army Recognition
At the same time, France leads a NATO Battle Group located at Cincu, in the heart of Romania. Here the French Army deployed more heavy equipment, including Caesar howitzers and Leclerc tanks. This Battle Group in which France is the framework nation will grow in stages to brigade level, a topic also addressed by DefenseRomania recently.
The SAMP/T anti-aircraft missile system was developed by the European consortium Eurosam (MBDA Italy, MBDA France, Thales). This system is capable of destroying air targets at a distance of up to 150 km and at an altitude of up to 25 km. The system is also capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at a distance of up to 25 km and at the same altitude.
The anti-aircraft missile system is based on the French Aster-30 anti-aircraft missile. The speed of the rocket is 4.5M (1,400 ms). The weight of the warhead is 20 kg, while the initial weight is 450 kg. The SAMP/T is in service with the armies of Italy, France and Singapore.
READ ALSO: A French C-130 landed for the first time in Brașov. French Atlas (transport) and A330 (air refueling) aircraft will also be able to be deployed here
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Tags: Russian Kinjal hypersonic paper France learned lesson moving hyperspeed category MAMBA system
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