In this video grab on March 1, 2018, a Russian MiG-31 fighter jet releases the new Kinzhal hypersonic missile during a test at an undisclosed location in Russia. (AP Photo)
MOSCOW, March 11 (Xinhua) -- A Russian fighter jet carried out a training and combat launch of the hypersonic missile of Kinzhal, and the missile hit the target, the Russian Ministry of Defense said Sunday.
The firing was conducted by "a MiG-31 fighter crew of the Russian Aerospace Forces" in a predetermined area, said the ministry, adding that the test went smoothly.
According to the ministry, the tactical and technical characteristics and timing indicators of the Kinzhal high-precision airborne missile system were confirmed during the launch.
Crews of the Kinzhal air system, which includes a MiG-31 interceptor and an advanced hypersonic missile, have carried out 250 flights this year, and have been trained "in full scope day and night in various weather conditions," said the ministry.
The Kinzhal system, developed on the basis of the modernized MiG-31 jet, is designed to hit land and sea targets at a range of more than 2,000 km without ever entering the enemy's air defense zone, Russian news agency TASS said in a report.
Due to the high performance of the MiG-31 aircraft and the hypersonic missile with low radar visibility and high maneuverability, Kinzhal has no known peer-rivals in any other country, according to the TASS report.