According to unofficial data, the first full-time underwater carrier of the hypersonic missile "Zircon" will be the multipurpose nuclear submarine "Perm" project 885M. Earlier it became known that the first full-time surface carrier of the complex will be the frigate Admiral Golovko.
TASS reported about the first full-time underwater carrier "Zircon" with reference to a source in the military-industrial complex. "Among the submarines of the 885M project, the first full-time carrier of the Zircons will be the fifth Perm submarine, which will structurally differ slightly from its predecessors," the agency quotes him as saying. There is no official confirmation of the information.
The source noted that they want to transfer the submarine to the fleet in 2025. Perm will become the fifth boat of the upgraded 885M project and the sixth, if we talk about the family of submarines of the Yasen project as a whole. Perm was laid in 2016.
In comparison with the basic version, the project 885M submarine has a reduced length, updated equipment, optimized contours and a reduced noise level. The improved version carries the same armament as the usual "Ash": the boat has eight shafts for missiles of the type "Caliber", "Zircon" and "Onyx", as well as ten torpedo tubes.
Earlier, "Zircon" has already been launched from a submarine. During recent tests, Severodvinsk of Project 885 performed target shooting in the Barents Sea.
Test launch of the hypersonic missile "Zircon" from the nuclear submarine "Severodvinsk" / ©Ministry of Defense of Russia
The new missile will be used not only by submarines, but also by surface ships of the Russian Navy. As the first full-time carrier of the complex, the frigate Admiral Golovko is called, which was launched last year and which, if plans do not change, will be commissioned in 2022.
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| Frigate "Admiral Golovko" project 22350. |
| Source: Northern Shipyard |
The most powerful surface carrier of the Zircon will be the heavy nuclear cruiser Admiral Nakhimov, which is currently undergoing modernization. The Navy should receive it in 2023.
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| Admiral Nakhimov. |
| Source: BMPD |
"Zircon", or 3M22, was developed by specialists of NPO Mashinostroeniya. It is considered as a replacement for the outdated Soviet anti-ship missile P-700 "Granite".
The detailed characteristics of the "Zircon" are unknown. It was reported that during the tests the rocket reached a speed of M = 8. The mass of its warhead can be 300-400 kilograms. The range of the missile, according to some reports, exceeds 1000 kilometers, but more modest indicators were also called - up to 400 kilometers.
The program itself is steadily moving forward. As of today, flight design tests of the missile from a surface carrier have been completed . In August, it became known about the signing of the first contract for the supply of "Zircons".
