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| Specifications of Russia's Zircon Hypersonic Missile That Is Claimed To Be Impossible To Intercept |
International Military - The Admiral Gorshkov warship will show its strength to the world, especially the West, at the beginning of the year. According to the schedule, the Russian warship will begin its combat duties starting in January 2023, in the Mediterranean Sea. For this reason, Admiral Gorshkov has been equipped with the most advanced Zircon hypersonic missile.
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The Zircon hypersonic missile is even claimed by Russia as an impossible weapon to be intercepted by any advanced defense system. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Zircon hypersonic missile is capable of traveling at Mach 9 or nine times the speed of sound. Putin also claimed that the Zircon hypersonic missile is a Russian weapon unmatched in the world. In fact, some western experts admit that the Zircon hypersonic missile has a speed, maneuverability and cruising altitude that is difficult to track and intercept.
In addition, the Zircon missile has a range of up to 1,000 kilometers. At the end of May last year, the Russian Navy conducted a test of a hypersonic missile, amid the fighting in Ukraine. At that time, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Zircon missile managed to reach a training target 1,000 kilometers away in the White Sea.
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This breaks the assumptions of experts who believe the missile's range is around 250-500 kilometers, based on previous trials. The 3M22 Zircon or SS-N-33 is a hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile that operates on land, air and submarines.
The missile developed by Russia is a two-stage missile, in the first stage it uses solid fuel, while in the second stage it uses a scramjet motor. Quoting the Military Today page, the Zircon hypersonic missile has a length of 8-10 meters, with a diameter of about 0.7 meters.
Zircon is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead weighing 300-400 kilograms. The resulting explosive potential of the warhead is around 250 kT. If Russia's claim about Zircon's speed reaching Mach 9 is proven, then the Zircon missile will be the fastest cruise missile in the world that is impossible to counter.
Apart from speed, Zircon's advantage also lies in its plasma start. The Zircon missile is completely covered by a plasma cloud during flight. The plasma cloud makes the missile invisible to radar so that the missile's journey towards the target is not detected.