Russia has been vigorously developing hypersonic weapons in recent years, and the 3M22 zircon missile for maritime operations is one of the important plans. The missile has now entered the stage of live ammunition testing, and the first test has been completed. The second live ammunition test fire is about to be carried out.
According to a source from the Russian defense industry, the Russian Navy’s 22350-class Admiral Gorshkov’s new frigate has arrived at the naval base in Belomorskaya. The frigate will be loaded with the latest hypersonic 3M22 zircon missile here for a new launch test. Zircon is a scramjet-type high-mobility anti-ship hypersonic cruise missile.
According to the Russian Navy, the Zircon missile will be tested for the second time from April to May this year. The
zircon missile was originally planned to be tested from warships at the end of 2019, but the actual test firing time was postponed to January 2020. The 22350-class frigate Admiral Gorshkov launched this new missile from the Barents Sea. The TASS news agency quoted a source as saying that the zircon missile flew over 500 kilometers in the test fire and reached a target area somewhere in the northern Urals. But the Russian side did not specify whether the missile has reached the target position and hit the target?
From the very beginning, the frigate Admiral Gorshkov was selected to participate in the Zircon missile test mission. The frigate is also equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles and Onix 3M-55 anti-ship missiles, and its shipboard general vertical launcher can also launch hypersonic missiles. The Zircon missile was first successfully launched on a coastal platform in December 2018. Even the Americans at the time admitted that there was no other missile of its kind in the world that could fly at speeds exceeding Mach 8.
Zircon’s most missions are still used for anti-ship, but it can also be used to attack ground targets. This missile is launched using the same launcher as the Onix P-800 and Kalibr 3M-54. In addition, zircon hypersonic missiles can also be carried by heavy warships, including the 23560 nuclear-powered destroyer, the Yasen-M nuclear submarine of the 885M project, the 949AM nuclear submarine of the Antey class, and the fifth-generation nuclear submarine under development.
Because zircon missiles can be easily launched via ground launchers like Kalibr cruise missiles. Therefore, in this case, if they are deployed in Europe and the Pacific, they will be able to deal with US medium-range ballistic missile launchers.
Although the Russian side did not disclose the detailed technical and tactical characteristics of the zircon missile, according to Internet news, the supersonic 3M-22 zircon missile was designed by the NPO-machinostroeniya of Roitov in the Moscow region. It is 3K-22 which NATO calls SS-N-33. The missile can generate a speed of Mach 9 and fly at an altitude of 30-40 km. Its range and speed will increase as the air resistance decreases. Experts estimate that the payload is 300-400 kg and the length of the missile is 8-10 meters. Zircon will be launched from the 3S-14 universal vertical launcher for warships and submarines and the Fort Mobile Coastal Missile Launcher. However, due to confidentiality measures, the outside world has not seen the true content of the zircon missile.
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