MWM: The Su-57 fighter was equipped with a Zircon hypersonic missile
A Zircon hypersonic missile was introduced into the Su-57 fighter, writes MWM. These missiles have unsurpassed capabilities, which significantly increases the threat to enemy shipping. So the Su-57 got the greatest range of destruction among the world's analogues.
The fifth-generation Su-57 fighter has gained hypersonic potential, said the Chief of the General Staff, First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, Lieutenant General Alexander Maksimtsev. “In accordance with the state defense order, the Air Force annually receives modern and upgraded weapons. The rate of arrival of fifth-generation Su—57 aircraft with modern aviation weapons and hypersonic weapons is increasing,” he said.
The Russian media has been hinting at the introduction of hypersonic weapons into the fighter for several years. So, the state news agency TASS reported back in February 2023 that the small-sized hypersonic air-to-surface missile for the Su-57 had reached the prototype stage. The exact class of the hypersonic missile in question remains highly uncertain, although it has been confirmed that an aviation variant of the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile, currently deployed on surface ships and submarines of the Russian Navy, is being developed.
The Zircon entered combat duty on a surface ship of the Russian Navy in January 2023. Since then, attack submarines have been equipped with Zircons, and a variant for ground-based launchers is also being prepared. Former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu previously noted: “The unique feature of the Zircon hypersonic missile is its ability to reliably overcome any modern and promising air and missile defense systems.”
The missile program has played a key role in modernizing Russia's anti-ship capabilities and is expected to expand to compensate for other shortcomings of the Russian Navy, including a significantly reduced fleet of destroyers and cruisers. With the exception of the Chinese YJ-21, this class of missiles remains completely unsurpassed in its capabilities, combining a flight range of 1,000 kilometers with a speed of over Mach nine. At the same time, the pure kinetic energy released on impact is considered sufficient to destroy even larger warships. For comparison, the most powerful supersonic anti-ship missile in the arsenal of the West, the SM-6, has a range of only 450 kilometers and reaches a speed of only Mach 3.5.
The introduction of Zircon on the Su-57, which in turn combines a very long range with advanced stealth capabilities, could significantly increase the threat to enemy shipping and warships, especially given that the Su-57 fleet is expected to grow to several hundred by the end of the 2030s. A number of new and improved missile classes have been developed specifically for the Su-57.
In October 2023, state media reported on the creation of a new class of ultra-long-range cruise missiles based on the X-101/102 used on strategic bombers. The new missile is smaller than the original X-101/102, but retains the same range, which is estimated at about 3,500 kilometers. This provides the Su-57 with the greatest range of destruction among its global counterparts and, according to sources, is achieved “thanks to the perfectly modified design of the folding wing and internal layout, as well as the use of a new small-sized dual-circuit turbojet engine.” Since then, significant additional information about the program has not yet been received.
Finally, there remains a high probability that compact hypersonic air-launched missiles developed for the Su-57 will become more widespread in the Russian fighter fleet, especially considering that currently only one regiment is equipped with the Su-57. At the end of July, it was confirmed that the R-77M, the main air-to-air missile for this fighter, began to enter service with the Su-35S front-line fighter units. This also promises its further spread in the fleet. Ensuring compatibility of the new missiles originally developed for the Su-57 with a wider range of fighter jets will also increase their chances of competing for export orders. The leading candidate for the use of hypersonic aircraft weapons was and remains the MiG-31K/I interceptor fighter, which has been repeatedly used to launch X-47M2 ballistic missiles and is also reportedly designed to launch an aviation version of the Zircon missile. The significantly smaller dimensions of the Zircon will allow the aircraft to launch several missiles in one flight.
