Ukrainian media has claimed that Russia fired its newest 3M22 Zircon missile at Ukraine for the first time.
A Ukrainian news agency has released a picture allegedly showing debris from the Zircon missile, marked as 3M22, indicating the use of this invincible weapon.
The media further alleges that the missile was launched towards Ukrainian capital Kyiv from occupied Crimea.
#UkraineRussiaWar #BlackSea #FPV#Avdiivka #Ivanovets #Kupyansk
Ukrainian sources report Kyiv the discovery today with new Russian hypersonic missile 3M22 Zircon.
Zircon is a scramjet-powered, nuclear-capable hypersonic cruise missile produced by Russia.
Designed for naval… pic.twitter.com/seFtWER8c8
— Koba (@Roberto05246129) February 7, 2024
However, there has been no confirmation from Ukrainian and Russian officials regarding the launch of Zircon. The News Mill has not independently verified these claims.
The Zircon: The Hypersonic Cruise Missile
The Zircon is the world’s first hypersonic cruise missile with an estimated range of 1000 km. It can target both land and sea-based targets and is claimed to have the capability to sink an aircraft carrier with a single hit.
Capable of travelling at a speed of Mach 8, the Zircon is considered to be the world’s fastest hypersonic cruise missile, surpassing even other missiles currently under development.
The missile can carry a 400 kg conventional or nuclear warhead, making it a credible nuclear deterrent against NATO, alongside the Avangard glide vehicle.
What makes it challenging?
Medium-range ballistic missiles are capable of reaching speeds between Mach 5 and Mach 10 in their terminal phases. They reach altitudes of 100 km to 300 km in their mid-course phases before descending onto targets with hypersonic speeds.
The missile defence systems use early warning radars that can detect these missiles from thousands of kilometres away to prepare for the timely launch of interceptors. These radars provide the necessary time for systems to intercept targets at high altitudes.
Meanwhile, the Zircon accelerates to a cruise speed of Mach 8 immediately after the booster separation, and its maximum flight altitude is just 28 km, giving less response time to missile defence systems due to the Earth’s curvature.
Additionally, when a missile is travelling at high speeds within the atmosphere, friction between the missile and air molecules creates a high-temperature plasma cloud around the missile. This cloud absorbs radio frequency waves, thus posing another challenge to detect and track hypersonic missiles.
Hypersonic missiles are also capable of changing course consistently to evade missile defence interceptors, creating another layer of challenge for missile defence systems.
Currently, there is no existing missile defence system that can shoot down hypersonic cruise missiles or hypersonic glide vehicles.
Does Russia need to use the Zircon in Ukraine?
While Russia has already used the KH47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic aeroballistic missile on Ukraine several times, Ukraine has repeatedly claimed that it has shot down Kinzhal missiles with US-made Patriot PAC-3 systems, without providing concrete evidence. Meanwhile, Ukraine has only a few Patriot systems guarding critical military and civilian installations.
Ukraine previously admitted that not a single P800 Onyx or Kh22 missile has been intercepted by Ukrainian surface-to-air missiles since the beginning of the war. The Kinzhal and Iskander M missiles are also performing well, despite a few missiles being shot down.
While the Kinzhal missile itself is expensive, estimated at $10 million, the Zircon costs tens of millions of dollars. There would be no significant benefit to Russia in using the super-expensive Zircon against Ukraine when other missiles are already performing well, except for showcasing its power to western countries.
Conclusion
While Ukrainian media claimed the usage of the Zircon missile in Ukraine based on debris pictures marking 3M22, confirmation from Ukrainian and Russian officials is awaited. There would be no significant benefit to Russia in this scenario, except for showcasing its advancements in hypersonic technology to rivals.
