MOSCOW, May 3. /TASS/. Upgraded MiG-31K fighter jets armed with the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system will take part in the Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9, Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu said on Thursday.
"I want to remind you that less than a week has been left before the most important and revered holiday in Russia - Victory Day. Preparations for the military parade are in full swing," Shoigu said at the ministry’s conference call.
"Apart from advanced Su-57, Su-30SM and MiG-29SMT aircraft, upgraded MiG-31K fighters armed with the cutting-edge Kinzhal hypersonic missile systems will take part in the parade’s air component," the defense minister said.
The military parade will traditionally feature advanced weapon systems, including Tor-M2 air defense missile complexes, Terminator combat vehicles, Uran-6 and Uran-9 robotic systems, modern drones, off-road buggies and snowmobiles, Shoigu said.
The second night rehearsal of the Victory Day parade will be held in Moscow on Thursday while the final rehearsal will take place on May 6, the defense minister said.
"I want to draw the attention of the personnel involved in the events to the need to comply with safety measures and the rules of hardware operation," the minister pointed out.
The project of the Kinzhal aviation platform with a hypersonic missile carried by the MiG-31BM fighter jet was unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his State of the Nation Address to the Federal Assembly on March 1.
According to the Russian president, a missile flying at more than 10 times the speed of the sound is capable of maneuvering and overcoming existing and future air defense and anti-ballistic missile defense systems. Since December 1, 2017, Kinzhal hypersonic missile systems have been on experimental and combat duty.
The UK analytical news agency Jane’s earlier reported that aircraft armed with Kinzhal hypersonic missile systems would take part in the military parade in Moscow.
According to the agency’s data, these planes were spotted during rehearsals at the Alabino range outside Moscow.
TASS