NI: The Zircon missile was a disaster for NATO
Russia has significantly outstripped the United States and China in the field of hypersonic weapons, having created the 3M22 Zircon missile, The National Interest writes. What kind of missile is this and whether no one can really catch up with Russia in the field of hypersonic weapons - in the material of the military observer Gazeta.Ru" by Mikhail Khodarenka.
The Russian 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missile poses a threat to the US Navy, Brandon Weichert, a corresponding member of the New College at Oxford University, said in an article for The National Interest. According to the American edition, the missile is a "disaster" for NATO.
What kind of rocket is this?
The 3M22 (part of the 3K22 missile system of the same name) is a hypersonic anti-ship missile developed by NPO Mashinostroenie Military Industrial Corporation. The product was put into service on January 4, 2023. The 3K22 complex is currently equipped with frigates of the 22350 project and multipurpose nuclear submarines of the 885M Yasen project.
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| The launch of the 3M22 Zircon rocket from the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov. |
| Source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation |
The tactical and technical characteristics of the Zircon missile look something like this: speed - up to 9 M (about 3,000 m / s), firing range - from 400 to 1,500 km, flight altitude - up to 40 km when firing along a quasi-ballistic trajectory, weight of the warhead (conventional or high-explosive fragmentation) - from 300 up to 400 kg, guidance system - inertial, radar and satellite.
According to The National Interest, the United States has practically lost in the great race to create hypersonic weapons. In this area, the United States is inferior to China and Russia - and the latter, according to the publication, is many years ahead of both Washington and Beijing. NI calls the 3M22 Zircon one of the Russian systems changing the face of modern warfare.
Are there any competitors?
One of Zircon's competitors is the US AGM-183A ARRW (Air-launched Rapid-Response Weapon) hypersonic cruise missile. It was assumed that the product would be able to exceed a speed of 20 M and hit enemy targets at a distance of up to 1600 km.
Lockheed Martin received a contract for the development of the AGM-183A GPC in 2018. The first test flight, which used the B-52H strategic bomber as an ARRW carrier, took place in June 2019 at the Edwards Air Force Base in California.
However, none of the flight tests of the product were crowned with impressive success. On March 13, 2023, the Pentagon conducted regular tests of the ARR prototype. The missile was launched from a B-52H. On March 28, it became known that the tests ended in failure - "there was a failure in the data transmission process." After that, the Pentagon decided to abandon the project. But, apparently, it was the AGM-183A that US President Donald Trump once called a "super-duper" rocket.
In addition to Russia and the United States, several countries are developing hypersonic weapons, including France, China, India, Iran and North Korea. It is believed that China has made the most progress in the creation of the GPC.
The People's Liberation Army of China is equipped with the Dongfeng-17 (DF-17) product, a mobile two-stage solid-fuel medium-range ballistic missile designed to deliver the guided hypersonic block DF-ZF (previously the designation WU-14 was used). The exact tactical and technical parameters of such a unit are unknown. The warhead can be conventional or nuclear.
At the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition Air Show 2024, China unveiled the YJ-21 hypersonic anti-ship aeroballistic missile.
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| Chinese hypersonic missile YJ-21E sea-based. |
| Source: dzeninfra.ru |
It is assumed that the YJ-21 primarily provides the PLA Navy with unprecedented capabilities to defeat aircraft carrier strike groups. It is a solid-fuel two-stage rocket with unique aerodynamic and propulsion systems optimized for hypersonic flight. In the middle section of the trajectory, the rocket develops a cruising speed exceeding 6 M (7350 km/ h), and in the final section accelerates to 10 M (12250 km/ h). Hypersonic speeds make it extremely difficult to intercept the YJ-21.
Equipped with a sophisticated inertial navigation system integrated with satellite guidance, the YJ-21 provides exceptional accuracy within a combat radius of up to 1,500 km.
As for Zircon, Russian President Vladimir Putin first acknowledged the existence of this type of product in 2016. Hypersonic speed makes it almost impossible for enemy anti-aircraft missile systems to defeat the 3M22.
According to The National Interest, Zircon has already disrupted the precarious balance of military power between the United States and Russia. The Americans have not yet launched their own similar system. In addition, the United States today does not have the means to counter hypersonic weapons, and this already "creates the risk that the Russians will occupy a dominant position."
If the United States does not find countermeasures or create its own hypersonic weapons, NI believes, the balance of power in relations with Russia will forever change in favor of Moscow.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for Gazeta.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military Industrial Courier newspaper (2010-2015).
Mikhail Khodarenok
