3M22 Zircon Hypersonic Cruise Missile

Russia plans new trials of Tsirkon hypersonic missile before yearend — source

The tests will take place at a naval range of the Northern Fleet, the source specified

MOSCOW, November 22. /TASS/. New tests of the latest Tsirkon hypersonic missile will take place at a naval range of the Northern Fleet before the end of the year, a source in defense circles of Russia’s North-Western Federal District told TASS on Friday.

"A Tsirkon missile is expected to be launched from the White Sea before the end of the year. The specific date will be set as soon as the technical equipment is ready," the source said.

Specialists are now making a special stand based on a pontoon, from which the latest missile will be test-fired, the source added.

The Research and Production Association of Machine-Building, which is developing the Tsirkon, declined to comment on the missile’s planned trials.

https://tass.com/defense/1091759

Given the range of these weapons missiles based on the far east can target the US too...

1000km ballpark of Zircon is not exactly ideal for mainland USA

It would need something more fancy for that like Kinzhal with booster stage or RS-26 Rubezh

No shortage of options now

Sorry, I was meaning with the INF treaty gone they can have IRBMs with ranges up to 5,000km range that are not counted as strategic weapons that, when based in the far east or even in the far north could reach targets in the us as well as the middle east and europe and asia if necessary.

Imagine a land based variant where the Zircon missile sits in a tube with two extra missile bodies each side and with main wings and a tail wing surface that uses a solid rocket booster to get airborne and then flys a subsonic speeds at medium altitude for a few thousand kms before launching the Zircon which then climbs to operational altitude and accelerates to high speed for the last 1,000-2,000kms of the flight path to the target... as the original platform burns fuel and gets lighter it will get faster and be able to climb to higher and higher altitudes for the launch... which should be beneficial in terms of the range of the payload that is the Zircon.

Of course in its primary role 1,000km range is already plenty so developing such a booster carrier system is probably a waste of time and resources... you could scratch build a new weapon with much better performance of course...

Arrow wrote:

So we have the end of the year. There is no information about any Zircon tests. There are two options
Test canceled
The test took place but ended in failure so there is nothing to give information.

third option.

It's none of NATO's fucking business, so the Russian Military tests in secret and gives them squat.  

Arrow wrote:

Of course, that's why they wrote for a month that at the end of the year there would be a Zircon test from the 22350 frigate

What do you know about if it was tested or not ? AFAIK Gorshkov sailed with two containers that seemed to be zirkon.

Anyway the missile is still being tested so if it doesn't work they will correct it. That's why there are tests. 2020 is not a deadline. They will put it into service once it is ready.

Of course, that's why they wrote for a month that at the end of the year there would be a Zircon test from the 22350 frigate

Testing what though.

Was it a full test to hit a ground or sea target, or was it a launch test to make sure the booster rocket cleared the launcher and the missile operated normally in the launch phase?

You might plan to have a shit before you go to work in the morning, but one morning you might be sitting there and nothing is happening.... oh no... your plans failed... are you going to shoot yourself?

Perhaps you need to look up the definition of what plan means.

In twenty years time when it is sinking US carriers and ships I doubt the sailors on those ships will be thinking this missile is crap because it wasn't tested in 2019 on a frigate like they promised....

Arrow wrote:

Of course, that's why they wrote for a month that at the end of the year there would be a Zircon test from the 22350 frigate

Who wrote it? The Russians are masters of dezinformatsiya, so if you want to be an idiot and ascribe gospel truth to everything that is written in Russian media then pls do so. We'd appreciate however that you cease your endless nonsensical blabberings...

It became known about the first tests of the Zircon hypersonic missile from the ship

It became known about conducting new tests of hypersonic weapons in Russia. We are talking about tests of the Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missile, capable of destroying almost any surface ships, including aircraft carriers.

The TASS information service, citing sources in the defense structures, writes that the newest hypersonic weapons - the Zircon missile - were first tested from the side of the ship. The admiral Gorshkov frigate belonging to project 22350 is used as a carrier of the new generation of test missile weapons. It is added that the tests were carried out in January.

The Zircon was reportedly tested at a special naval training ground in the Barents Sea. The 3M22 cruise missile was not used against a sea target, but against a ground target. She successfully hit this target, which was at that time on the training ground of the Northern Urals. It is noted that a hypersonic missile covered more than 500 km.

Recall that initially it was reported about the range of the Zircon in 500 km. Now there is evidence that hypersonic Raman scattering can travel up to 1000 km, at certain sites developing a speed of 8-10 M (sound speeds).

It is known that the next series of tests for the Zircon SCR will be firing from a submarine. On what kind of submarine will be equipped with a hypersonic missile for conducting test firing, not yet reported.

https://topwar.ru/168367-stalo-izvestno-o-pervyh-ispytanij-giperzvukovoj-rakety-cirkon-s-borta-korablja.html

Arrow wrote:Only 500 km during the test. Not too much. Perhaps the previous statements with a range of 500 km are true. Although WWP said that it has a range of over 1000km

It clearly states more than 500km.

"It is noted that a hypersonic missile covered more than 500 km."

Nicely said PD

Its one of the greatest pleasures in life to take a troll and force it to eat its own shit in a public setting.

Why feed the troll. Russia has nothing to prove to self-anointed ubermenschen who can't even weld submarine hulls.

For a first test 500km+ is impressive. Generally during the first tests new missiles or systems in general, don't work because there is always a mistake that wasn't seen by the engineers and need correction and makes the system crash.

However I'm disapointed it wasn't used against a ship target because they advertize it as an anti ship missile.