Hypersonic "Zircon" to Become an Air-Launched Missile? What is Known About It

Russia has developed the hypersonic sea-based "Zircon" missile. Equipping fifth-generation Su-57 fighters with hypersonic missiles will significantly increase the threat that the aircraft pose to naval forces.

First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Lieutenant General Alexander Maximtsev, stated that the country is currently "increasing the rate of delivery offifth-generation Su-57 aircraft with hypersonic weapons and modern aviation strike systems."

From Sea to Sky

Initially, "Zircon" was used to equip submarines and ships. The missile program played an important role in modernizing Russia's anti-ship capabilities.

Installing "Zircon" on the Su-57, which combines advanced stealth capabilities and long range, could significantly increase the threat to enemy shipping, especially given the projected growth of the Su-57 fleet to several hundred fighters by the end of the 2030s.

Candidates for the Title of Carrier Already Exist

There is also a high probability that the compact air-launched hypersonic missiles developed for the Su-57 will be more widely distributed throughout the fighter fleet. The leading candidate for the use of the new hypersonic aviation weapon is the MiG-31 strike fighter.

3M22 "Zircon"

The 3M22 "Zircon" hypersonic missile accelerates to 11,000 km/h (10.35 Mach) in the upper layers of the stratosphere (30 - 35 km). Thanks to the continuous operation of the ramjet engine, a speed of 9 to 11 thousand km/h can be maintained over most of the trajectory. However, at altitudes below 10 km, when approaching targets, it may decrease to 4 - 5M due to the same resistance.

Earlier,www1.ru reported thatthe main problem of the aviation industry in Russia has been named.

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