Ukrainian news agency Defence Express claimed that Ukrainian forces had shot down two Russian 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles launched towards Kyiv on March 25.
Defense Express posted an alleged picture of debris from the 3M22 Zircon, showing a part of the missile’s fuselage with factory markings.
Ukrainian Forces Down Two russian Zircon missiles, the Debris Will Reveal a Lot of Information (Photo)https://t.co/7q4ThAztmy pic.twitter.com/xhWWlT9kcC
— DEFENSE EXPRESS (@DEFENSEEXPRESS) March 25, 2024
On March 25, the Ukrainian air force command stated: “At about 10:30 am, Russian troops attacked Kyiv with two ballistic missiles from the temporarily occupied Crimea. The targets were destroyed, and the type is being identified.”
Defence Express’s claim of Ukrainian forces shooting down Zircon missiles has sparked significant attention from the global community as it is believed that hypersonic missiles are impossible to intercept by existing missile defence systems.
However, Ukrainian officials have not yet commented on the agency’s claim of shooting down the Zircon missile. The News Mill couldn’t independently verify the claim.
We previously reported that Russia had used the Zircon missile on February 7 for the first time, and Vladimir Putin officially confirmed its usage in the so-called special military operation a few days later.
This is the second alleged strike using the Zircon missile, and according to reports, the missiles were launched from coastal batteries in Crimea.
Claims of downing the Kinzhal missile
Notably, Defence Express was the first Ukrainian news agency to claim that Ukrainian forces had downed the Russian Kinzhal hypersonic aeroballistic missile for the first time in May 2023, with both the Ukrainian military and the Pentagon claiming to confirm the downing of the missile a few days later.
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Ukraine presented an alleged picture of the warhead section of the downed Kinzhal missile as evidence, which many experts doubt.
Vijainder K Thakur, a retired Indian air force pilot and military expert, stated: “If that is indeed a Kinzhal warhead – it could well be an Iskander-M warhead – it is an unexploded one, not a downed warhead.”
He also mentioned that the PAC-3 is a Hit-to-Kill Interceptor, which directly collides with the target instead of using a high-explosive proximity warhead. If the PAC-3 really hits the Kinzhal, it would completely destroy the warhead instead of leaving it intact.
Subsequently, Ukraine claimed to have downed Kinzhal missiles on multiple occasions, accompanied by the presentation of pictures showing missile warheads.
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While the Kinzhal is technically a ballistic missile, it is claimed to have the capability to perform mid-air manoeuvres with a terminal speed of Mach 10 to defeat missile defence systems, designating it as a hypersonic missile by Russia.
Following the Kinzhal, Iran also claimed last year to have developed a hypersonic missile named Fattah, capable of performing manoeuvres in and out of the atmosphere, similar to the Kinzhal.
A ballistic missile capable of performing extreme manoeuvres is classified as a hypersonic ballistic missile, making it extremely difficult to intercept by missile defence systems compared to traditional ballistic missiles.
Claim of downing the Zircon
In the case of the Zircon, it is a true hypersonic cruise missile claimed to be capable of travelling at a cruise speed of Mach 8-9 within the earth’s atmosphere, thereby providing less response time for missile defence systems.
The PAC-3 is the only interceptor equipped with advanced Hit-to-Kill technology in Ukraine’s arsenal capable of intercepting advanced ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
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Notably, the alleged picture of debris from Zircon appears to be the booster section of the missile, which separates from the missile and falls onto the ground after the missile covers some distance
While it is theoretically impossible to shoot down such a missile at present, Ukrainian media’s claim of downing another hypersonic missile has sparked significant attention from the global community.
