Two hypersonic missiles from the arsenal of the Russian Su-57 fighter are capable of leaving the entire fleet of American fifth-generation F-35 aircraft on the ground. The first is the aviation version of the X-47M2 "Dagger", which can disable aircraft carriers and concrete runways that the F-35 needs. The second, the upgraded P-37M of the air-to-air class, is designed, among other things, to destroy tanker aircraft, which the F-35 needs even more. Both missiles will be in service with the Su-57 until 2025, writes MilitaryWatch.
The existence of a hypersonic "Dagger" became known in early 2018. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced to the Federal Assembly that the new missile is already being tested in the Southern Military District. Now the X-47M2 and MiG-31K carriers have flown to Syria, and the rocket is being adapted to the Su-57. It was made more compact to be placed in the internal weapon compartments of the fifth-generation aircraft, but the rocket did not lose its main advantage - the speed of Mach 10 unattainable for air defense.
Among the targets of the "Dagger" are large surface ships (read, aircraft carriers) and enemy land airfields. Both of them, and the other "Dagger" can disable a direct hit. For extremely sensitive to the quality of the runway of American F-35 fighters, this means that it is impossible to take to the air to perform combat missions.
The X-47M2 is not the first time that the weapons used on the MiG-31 interceptor enter the arsenals of other aircraft. The R-37M long-range air-to-air missile makes the same path. The revolutionary Soviet development, whose firing range record has not been broken for almost 30 years, was equipped with a new dual-mode engine, an improved homing head and adapted for use by Su-35 and Su-57 fighters.
It is ineffective to shoot it directly at the F-35. The main advantage of the missile is its "over-the-horizon" range, and at such a distance, stealth technologies still work and the capture of the target by radar can be disrupted. But with the help of the P-37M, you can easily shoot large and clumsy tanker planes, as in a shooting gallery. Without them, the F-35s with their small side tanks, again, will be forced to stay on the ground.
The very presence of such missiles will be enough to stop offensive operations in a certain theater of military operations. This is especially important if Russia encounters the United States in the Asia-Pacific region, or the Su-57 is sold to Vietnam, China or Myanmar.
Anton Valagin
