Thread by @GuyPlopsky

1/Izvestia sources say that "arsenals for storage and sites for repair, maintenance & testing of [Kinzhal system] #hypersonic missiles are being prepared in several [undisclosed] regions of Russia."

A short thread on what is known about #Kinzhal units.👇
iz.ru/1274681/alekse…

2/ Firstly, an experimental Kinzhal squadron was established at the 929th V. P. Chkalov State Fight-Test Center of the Russian Ministry of Defense in 2017. The squadron was reportedly equipped with ~10 MiG-31Ks.

3/ As for operational Kinzhal units, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu disclosed in late 2021 that a separate aviation regiment has been formed, though he offered no further details.

https://twitter.com/GuyPlopsky/status/1473499874440380417

4/ In late 2020, Izvestia reported that "a principle decision was made to equip the Naval Aviation of the Northern Fleet with the Kinzhal hypersonic system. Preparation of personnel & infrastructure for the maintenance & operation of hypersonic weapons will begin next year."

5/ The Izvestia article did not provide further details either, and so its not clear which unit in the Northern Fleet's 45th Air & Air Defense Army is this article referring to and whether the regiment Shoigu mentioned a year later is in fact this unit.
iz.ru/1099851/anton-…

6/ Apart from this, the head of Russia's Southern MD, Col. Gen. Aleksander Lapin, mentioned in early 2021 that there are plans to equip the 712th Fighter Regiment (based in Kansk, Krasnoyarsk Krai) with Kinzhal by 2024.

7/The 712th Fighter Regiment is part of the 21st Mixed Aviation Division(14th Air & Air Defense Army). This division has three aviation regiments. Interestingly, in late 2018 Izvestia suggested that two of them (the 712th & 764th fighter regiments) could be equipped with Kinzhal.

8/ Izvestia's reporting from 2018 that the 712th & 764th could both become Kinzhal units has not been confirmed. Currently, both the 712th & 764th are equipped with MiG-31 interceptor variants (i.e. not the MiG-31K "Kinzhal MiGs").
iz.ru/792702/roman-k…

9/ Its therefore likely that, as Lapin noted, the 712th will indeed be at least partially re-equipped with MiG-31Ks (for Kinzhal), while the 764th will remain a fighter regiment equipped with MiG-31BMs.

10/10 Lastly, in mid-2021 Izvestia's sources noted that "the Ministry of Defense made a principle decision to send Kinzhal hypersonic systems to units in the Western MD," adding that "now the question of their deployment locations is being worked out."

https://twitter.com/GuyPlopsky/status/1401813678731653124

cc @RALee85 @KomissarWhipla @KofmanMichael @CombatAir