Russia's Zircon Hypersonic Missile: A Rapid Threat to Ukraine

It would take only a few minutes for the Zircon missile to strike Kiev. First tested in January 2020, the Russian "super weapon" would be able to reach Ukrainian territories in a very short time. This fact worries Ukraine, but not entirely. Ukraine: "Russian long-range bomber shot down". But for Moscow, it was just a "malfunction". What is Zircon? The Zircon, also known as 3M-22 Zircon or 3M-22 Tsirkon, is a Russian-made hypersonic cruise missile, produced by NPO Mashinostroyeniya on behalf of the Ministry of Defense. It completed tests in 2022, entering service for the Russian Navy last year. Designed to neutralize large naval units, including aircraft carriers, cruisers, and destroyers, it is deemed capable of intercepting both sea and land targets at a distance of no less than 1,000 kilometers. It can travel at speeds close to Mach 9 (i.e., 11,113 kilometers per hour) and at altitudes between 30 and 40 kilometers where the air is thinner and friction lower. The missile, launchable from both surface units and submarines, is compatible with vertical launchers already in use in the larger units of the fleet. Previous launches: First tested in January 2020 by the Admiral Gorshkov of the Russian northern fleet, the missile has already been used in the war with Ukraine on February 7 and March 25 of this year. This was revealed by the specialized site Defence Blog, according to which the six hypersonic 3M22 Zirkon missiles had been launched from ground systems located in Crimea. According to other sources, however, they were launched from submarines. Missiles available: There would be a dozen hypersonic 3M22 Zirkon missiles available to Russia. This was stated by Nataliya Gumenyuk, spokeswoman for the southern military command of Ukraine, according to whom these weapons would be hidden in military bases like Crimea. Estimated launch times: As reported by "United24 Media", it would take only a few minutes for the missiles to reach Ukraine. Specifically, a Zirkon launched from Sevastopol would arrive in Kiev in just six minutes. Even less time to reach Zaporizhzhia (3.3 minutes), Odessa (2.6 minutes), Kharkiv (5.5 minutes). A few more (6.1) minutes to hit Sumy instead. Can they be shot down? A situation, that of the Zirkon missiles, which worries Ukraine. Although, as stated by the director of the Kiev Forensic Science Research Institute Andrii Kulchytskyi, the possibility of intercepting them, as was done (but never officially confirmed) last March, is not so remote. Among the reasons, "the small warhead", not comparable to the warheads of missiles like (Khinzhal) Kh-101 and Kh-22.