According to preliminary data, the Russian military has carried out at least two launches of the latest Zircon hypersonic cruise missile. This universal high-precision weapon can be launched from coastal launch complexes, as well as from submarines and surface ships.
The missile was officially adopted into service in early 2023, although the development was first announced back in 2016.
The "Zircon" is considered difficult to detect by modern air defense systems. According to estimates from open sources, the missile is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 9 (approximately 2.7 km/s), and its range is estimated to be between 400 and 1500 km.
The first tests of the "Zircon" took place in 2016: at that time, the missile reached speeds of Mach 5–6 and hit targets at a distance of up to 500 km. In 2017, a new series of tests was carried out, which made it possible to increase the speed to Mach 8 and increase the maximum flight range to 1000 km. In 2020, the first launch of the missile from a sea carrier took place — the frigate "Admiral Gorshkov."
Despite regular reports of new launches, there is still no official technical data on the system in the public domain.
Earlier www1.ru reported that pilots demonstrated unique footage of the launch of the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system from a MiG-31I fighter jet.
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