3M22 Zircon Hypersonic Cruise Missile

Hypersonic rocket "Zircon" will ensure the dominance of Russia at sea https://regnum.ru/news/polit/2897612.html

Not much beyond the 1-2K km from RF shore- the VMF doesn't have that many surface ships & subs to patrol all the SLOCS that CSGs,etc. use.

Well getting rid of the INF treaty means shore based anti ship missiles now have no range or payload weight restrictions.

Those 32 improved Kh-22Ms might just be for use as target missiles in an upcoming exercise, or it might be a test batch.

We really don't know what sort of fuel Zircon uses, but the Kh-22M and Kh-32s use terrible toxic chemicals that can't be stored long term in the missiles and those missiles have to be fuelled after being loaded on the aircraft... which slows down arming time and makes it difficult for ground crew having to work in protective suits...

A scramjet operating on kerosene or something less toxic than the exotic materials in older missiles could be a very very good thing all round.

Tsirkon! (maybe)

Likely... but how authoritative is the source of that image?

It's just a drawing. Where's the revelation here?

The revelation comes from a few other questions... like is this just fan art so they can show a missile but not the missile, or is it a drawing based on the actual missile provided by the company that actually knows what the real missile looks like.

If the former then not much, but if the latter it is an indication of what the real thing looks like without revealing any actual secret details.

Edit:

Compared with images and computer models of US equivalents that don't actually work and are untested mockups or failed test objects, this is a drawing of a missile in final testing and about to enter operational service... that is what makes it important.

Source: Frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" went to the White Sea base for loading the Zircon missile

The second test hypersonic missile firing is expected to be carried out from the ship in April - May

MOSCOW, April 6. / TASS /. The head frigate of Project 22350 Admiral Gorshkov of the Northern Fleet went to the Belomorsk base to service and load the Zircon hypersonic missile for the next test firing. This was reported by TASS a source in the military-industrial complex.

The "frigate Admiral Gorshkov" went to the White Sea Naval Base for a series of routine maintenance, as well as loading the Zircon missile into the launcher, the source said.

According to him, "it is expected that the second test firing of a hypersonic missile will be carried out from the ship in April - May."

https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/8168519

It looks like an Iskander again, but with an angled front

Well it is rocket science but considering this missile will be operating at a very similar speed to Iskander it shouldn't be a huge surprise if they have similar shapes... though obviously the scramjet will have a large air intake on its chin while a rocket propelled model could not need such a thing...

flamming_python wrote:It looks like an Iskander again, but with an angled front

Looks more like a sharks nose.

A shark is an apex predator that hasn't changed much in the last few million years so Mother Nature Approved design/shape right there...

The Zircon hypersonic missile is planned to be adopted in 2022.

According to a source in the military-industrial complex, tests of the missile from the head frigate of project 22350 Admiral Gorshkov will be completed in 2020

“According to the plan, the ship complex with the Zircon missile should be put into service in 2022,” the agency’s source said.

He specified that tests of Zircon from the head frigate of project 22350 Admiral Gorshkov will be completed this year. The ship will hit both coastal targets and sea shields imitating enemy ships with a hypersonic missile.

In 2021, the source noted, test firing by Zircon from the head of the Project 885 multipurpose submarine (code "Ash") "Severodvinsk" will take place. "The first launch of the missile from the submarine is planned to be carried out from the surface, the second from under the water," the source added

https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/8218473

Is the Zircon being launched from underwater new or old information? Regardless this now offers some interesting offensive capabilities.Lets all pretend that the U.S. has the ballistic missile defense capabilities to intercept 1000 ICBMs simultaneously. ICBMs usually have an above 1000km flight ceiling(SLBM are basically underwater ICBMs) and all of a sudden the Bulava missiles are useless because they are being intercepted 1000kms or above not effecting the U.S. in any kind of way.

But all of a sudden the Zircons are being launched very close to the coastal regions(if they have not been blown up by Poseidon). They are already flying inside your territory would you even want to intercept a nuclear missile that is hovering 30-40 kms above your head? The blast radius might still hit people, and the radioactive fallout can still kill people. After the interception you have huge EMPs that even EMP claimed resistant electronics will not be safe from that close proximity. Ballistic missile defense systems will be fried and the next salvo of Zircons will just keep sinking deeper and deeper into territory.

The Zircon missile was already considered a pain in the ass to intercept, but god damn never have I thought it can bring new situations that say fuck you even if aliens assisted you in making those pretend alien level technology ballistic missile defenses.

It is true the Zircon could be used to tackle ABM sites, but at mach 10 it is a bit slow... launching the first SLBM or ICBM with hypersonic gliding warheads that skip the atmosphere at mach 27 or so will evade the ABM missiles and hit the radar and launch sites much faster with the following missiles being pretty safe.

Zircons in the arctic from shore bases would be useful for picking off any AEGIS cruisers wanting to play mobile ABM system and of course land based models could be bigger and longer ranged and of course any ABM system needs to be constantly scanning for targets so a simple ARM seeker should do the job most of the time... but obviously the new ICBMs with the range to attack the US from over the south pole will complicate defences enormously as will poseidon and of course unlimited range cruise missiles coming from any direction any time...

thegopnik wrote:Is the Zircon being launched from underwater new or old information? Regardless this now offers some interesting offensive capabilities.Lets all pretend that the U.S. has the ballistic missile defense capabilities to intercept 1000 ICBMs simultaneously. ICBMs usually have an above 1000km flight ceiling(SLBM are basically underwater ICBMs) and all of a sudden the Bulava missiles are useless because they are being intercepted 1000kms or above not effecting the U.S. in any kind of way.

But all of a sudden the Zircons are being launched very close to the coastal regions(if they have not been blown up by Poseidon). They are already flying inside your territory would you even want to intercept a nuclear missile that is hovering 30-40 kms above your head? The blast radius might still hit people, and the radioactive fallout can still kill people. After the interception you have huge EMPs that even EMP claimed resistant electronics will not be safe from that close proximity. Ballistic missile defense systems will be fried and the next salvo of Zircons will just keep sinking deeper and deeper into territory.

The Zircon missile was already considered a pain in the ass to intercept, but god damn never have I thought it can bring new situations that say fuck you even if aliens assisted you in making those pretend alien level technology ballistic missile defenses.

What we really need is shipping container versions of Zircon for this shit...

What a big f*cking surprise, the Anglos are resorting to their piracy tactics...not. These wankers are going to learn that it ain't the 1600s
and they will not be raiding Spanish galleons without extreme and rapid pain being meted out. And their f*ck-a** backers are not going
to succeed in creating a cover for piracy with propaganda bleating.

Washington and London, truly the centers of human intellect in their own minds.

They "privatized" their health care and social care systems, spy operations, torture and warfare. Using mercenaries as pirates is the next step.

Looks like Bykov-class OPV will be getting couple of dozen more orders if this pans out

What we really need is shipping container versions of Zircon for this shit...

Can you explain what is that "privateers" thing ? Some sort of naval black water company ?

Isos wrote:

What we really need is shipping container versions of Zircon for this shit...

Can you explain what is that "privateers" thing ? Some sort of naval black water company ?

privateer = pirate

So it is not a war zone paramilitary operation, but civilian shipping hijacking by state sponsored terrorists.

kvs wrote:

Isos wrote:

What we really need is shipping container versions of Zircon for this shit...

Can you explain what is that "privateers" thing ? Some sort of naval black water company ?

privateer = pirate

So it is not a war zone paramilitary operation, but civilian shipping hijacking by state sponsored terrorists.

Obviously, they are never going to implement this strategy...not because of morality; because it would blow up in their face. This is a psych op, nothing more, nothing less.

calripson wrote:

kvs wrote:

Isos wrote:

What we really need is shipping container versions of Zircon for this shit...

Can you explain what is that "privateers" thing ? Some sort of naval black water company ?

privateer = pirate

So it is not a war zone paramilitary operation, but civilian shipping hijacking by state sponsored terrorists.

Obviously, they are never going to implement this strategy...not because of morality; because it would blow up in their face. This is a psych op, nothing more, nothing less.

They don't have to actually put their 'name' and 'stamp' on it, they could fund it and pretend like nothing is going on, like throwing a stone and hiding your hands. And by 'mercenaries' they could just as easily mean jihadists like they backed in Syria. Mercenary could be a code-word for terrorists, because if you remember in the Afghan War they claimed those jihadists as "freedom fighters" even though they enslaved the women and killed the religious minorities in their community.

The source said that Russia will conduct about 10 more test firing "Zircon"

Starts are planned to be executed from two carriers

According to him, the firing will take place in 2020-2021. "About 7-8 launches on land and sea targets are planned from the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and 2-3 launches will be carried out from the Severodvinsk submarine, at least one of them from underwater position," the source said.

https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/8311351

MOSCOW, May 8 - RIA Novosti. Tests of the Zircon marine hypersonic cruise missile this year will be conducted with frigates of project 22350 and submarines of project 885M, said Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Alexei Krivoruchko .
The first tests of the Zircon began last December and were carried out on board the frigate of Project 22350 Admiral Gorshkov. Thus, this year the test from the submarine will be held for the first time.
"This year, [Zircon] tests are planned from surface ships of project 22350 and multipurpose nuclear submarines of project 885M," Krivoruchko told the National Defense magazine,

https://ria.ru/20200508/1571131670.html

The estimated timeline for adopting the complex is 2021–2022,” Krivoruchko told the National Defense magazine

https://ria.ru/20200508/1571131854.html

Sources: "Admiral Gorshkov" went to sea for the second test shooting "Zircon"

According to one of TASS interlocutors, the launch of a missile from a frigate should take place in the next two weeks.

The interlocutors specified that an extensive launch program of Zircon from Gorshkov was planned for 2020, the ship could fire a missile up to 7 times. "But the deadlines have moved significantly - the second launch was originally supposed to take place in mid-spring," one source said.

According to the interlocutors, the main reason for the transfer of test firing was the situation with the coronavirus.

https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/8830571

Fingers crossed.