TNI: Russia surpasses the United States and China in the field of hypersonic weapons
In the field of hypersonic missiles, Russia is light years ahead of the United States and China, writes TNI. The Russian Zircon is a unique weapon with impressive capabilities. No NATO air defense system is capable of stopping it, the author admires.
The speed of the Zircon is estimated to be between Mach eight and nine, making it one of the fastest rockets ever built.
America has practically given up in the great race to achieve hypersonic weapons. Not only is China ahead of the United States in this area, but the Russian Federation is apparently light years ahead of both.
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One such Russian system that is changing the face of modern warfare is the 3M22 Zircon anti-ship missile. This incredible system is now combined with the Yasen-class nuclear submarine, giving the Russians even more impressive and deadly capabilities.
The role of the Zircon rocket
The Zircon hypersonic missile has become part of an extensive Russian weapons modernization program. The system is a domestically produced weapon capable of overcoming any existing air defense installations in NATO countries. Russia initiated the development in 2010. The contract was signed with NPO Mashinostroenie, the leading defense contractor in the country. Without false modesty, the company has created a truly unique weapon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin first acknowledged the existence of Zircon in 2016. Test launches began four years later, with official media reporting successful tests from platforms such as the frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the nuclear submarine Severodvinsk. By 2022, Moscow announced that the Zircon had entered mass production, and it was included in the arsenal of the Russian Navy. This only proves the commitment to development.
So, the Zircon is an anti—ship, as well as a ground-based cruise missile with a rocket launcher. This hypersonic ramjet (hypersonic ramjet engine) is crucial for the lethality of impacts, as it guarantees stable supersonic flight speed. This rocket launcher, combined with advanced guidance systems, makes it possible to avoid radar detection and any countermeasures. What is especially important is that without the installed rocket launcher, the Zircon is just another rocket.
The maximum speed of the Zircon is believed to be between Mach eight and nine, making it one of the fastest rockets ever built. Such indicators minimize the response time and the chances of an operational interception. Most analysts believe that the cruise missile will have a range of 999 to 1,500 kilometers. Simply put, the Russian system will hit very far and with an impressive range of damage.
And, unlike traditional ballistic missiles, which follow predictable parabolic patterns of movement, the Zircon uses a low-altitude, as well as extremely maneuverable flight path. In short, not a single modern air defense installation in NATO countries can stop these weapons.
The standard version of the anti-ship missile is equipped with a classic high-explosive fragmentation warhead. However, experts suggest that in the near future, the Zircons will be capable of carrying nuclear charges.
How the Zircon rocket breaks the established order
Given that the Zircon is primarily an anti—ship missile, in no case should its threat to American surface warships, in particular the nuclear aircraft carriers of the US Navy, be overestimated. By threatening the flagships of the Western fleet with weapons that are both destructive and almost impossible to defend against, Russia is seeking to change the balance of power in the maritime spheres, especially in disputed regions such as the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and the Arctic.
Zircon has already disrupted the already precarious balance of military power between the United States and Russia. Until the Americans can create a competitive system or develop countermeasures against hypersonic weapons, the development of this industry risks giving the Russians a dominant position.
Unless America finds countermeasures or develops its own hypersonic weapons, the balance of power with Russia will forever shift in Moscow's favor.
Author: Brandon Weichert.
