Russian Warships Armed with Zircon Missiles Ready for Combat Next Year, Will Attack Ukraine?

Russian Warships Armed with Zircon Missiles Ready for Combat Next Year

International Military - The Russian navy's first warship equipped with the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile will enter into routine combat duty in early January. This was announced directly by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian president made the remarks on Wednesday during a meeting with the country's top defense officials.

“In early January next year, the Admiral Gorshkov frigate will enter combat service with the newest, I repeat once again, it has no analogues in the world, the sea-launched Zircon hypersonic missile system,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday (22/12). /2022).

At the meeting, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu also announced that the silo-based Sarmat ICBM had been deployed to Russia's strategic missile forces. The new hypersonic missile, officially known as the 3M22 Zircon, has been actively tested in recent years, having first been announced by Putin in 2019.

Admiral Gorshkov said the modern missile frigate with Russia's Northern Fleet had conducted several test launches of the new missile. However, little is known about the weapon, which is highly classified. The projectiles can reportedly reach speeds of at least Mach 9 in excess of 11,000 km/h while retaining maneuverability, making them effectively impossible to intercept.

The projectiles can travel at least 1,500 km (932 miles), Igor Krokhmal, commander of Admiral Gorshkov, revealed earlier this year. The new missile reportedly fits into the standard ship launch tubes of the Russian navy, which are equipped with older missiles such as the Kalibr cruise missile or the Onix anti-ship missile.

This compatibility could potentially allow every Russian cruise missile carrier to be fitted with the Zircon. In addition to surface ships, the new missile is expected to be installed on select cruise missile capable submarines, after the first test launch of the Zircon submarine by the nuclear-powered Severodvinsk in late 2021.