Russia has successfully tested a hypersonic cruise missile called Zircon, the defense ministry said. In the published video, Russian authorities claim that it is possible to see it launch from the frigate Admiral Gorchkov in the Barents Sea in the north of the country and fly towards the sky in a steep trajectory.
It would have traveled 1,000 kilometers to its destination in the White Sea, located at the North Pole. “The flight of the hypersonic missile corresponded to the specified parameters,” they said.
The Zircon (or 3M22) is a guided anti-ship cruise missile designed to travel long distances to hit ships with its explosive charge.
It flies significantly faster than other Russian anti-ship missiles and anti-ship missiles in service in other countries.
Hypersonic weapons can exceed the speed of sound, but Zircon is capable of reaching speeds of around Mach 9 for a range of over 1,000 km and an altitude of 30-40 km, where air resistance is low and its speed can be greater.
Mach is a unit that represents the speed of sound. Mach 1 (once the speed of sound) near sea level is around 1,235 km/s. To give you an idea, a jet barely reaches the Mach 1 mark.
The speed characteristics of this missile make it inaccessible to defense systems. It is almost impossible to protect yourself from such a missile, or even to detect its launch in time.
The weapon can destroy both sea and land targets. It is envisaged to be used in ships and submarines, frigates, aircraft carriers and land military facilities that are already produced or under construction for caliber missile systems.
Zircon is the world’s first hypersonic missile launched from both a surface ship and an underwater submarine. The first official shooting took place in October 2020.
Image: Russian Ministry of Defense
new generation weapons
Russian President Vladimir Putin described Zircon as part of a new generation of unique weapons systems and praised Zircon during the invasion of Ukraine. Russia continues to conduct high-profile weapons tests as part of its strategy to show the world its prowess in missile technology.
In March, Russia announced the use of Kinjal hypersonic missiles in Ukraine – previously only demonstrated in tests. Moscow said that they are highly maneuverable and also challenge all air defense systems.
“The Kinjal aviation missile system with hypersonic ballistic missiles destroyed a large underground storage facility for missiles and aviation munitions for Ukrainian troops in Delyatin in the Ivano-Frankovsk region,” said Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The Kinjal is called the “ideal weapon” by Putin and is capable of hitting a target more than 2,000 km away.
Russia has also tested the Sarmat, a new nuclear-capable intercontinental missile capable of carrying 10 or more warheads and capable of hitting even the United States.
The Sarmat is a high-range, fifth-generation weapon capable of circumnavigating all continents and hitting a target almost anywhere in the world without being stopped by any available anti-missile shield.
Also known as the Devil 2, this missile is part of a trio of other hypersonic missiles touted as “invincible” by Putin in 2018. This type of air-to-ground device exceeds the speed of sound when performing vertical and horizontal maneuvers.
source: Noticias
