Russia: Hypersonic missile successfully tested
The Tsirkon hypersonic anti-ship missile could enter serial production in 2021 and be put into service a year later.
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Graphic of the 3M22 Tsirkon hypersonic missile. Photo:RBTH. |
Russia has conducted 10 tests of the 3M22 Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic anti-ship missile, hitting targets at sea hundreds of kilometers away from the launch location.TASSRussia began testing the Tsirkon missile on warships four years ago and is now preparing to test-launch it from a coastal complex, a defense industry source told RIA Novosti on December 21.
"The Tsirkon missile has repeatedly successfully destroyed sea targets at hypersonic speeds," the source said, without revealing the specific date of the latest test. Another source said that Russian warships will carry out state tests of the Tsirkon missile in 2019.
According toCNBCRussia has been testing the Tsirkon hypersonic missile since 2015. In the most recent test on December 10, the missile reached a speed of Mach 8 (eight times the speed of sound). Russia could mass-produce the Tsirkon missile in 2021 and put it into service in 2022. A representative of NPO Mashinostroyeniya, the Tsirkon developer, declined to comment on this information.
The 3M22 Tsirkon hypersonic anti-ship missile has a range of about 400 km. Some experts say that the Tsirkon missile can use the same launcher as the Kalibr and Oniks cruise missiles. The Tsirkon missile can be equipped on Project 20380 frigates, Project 22350 corvettes, Project 885 Yasen submarines and Kirov-class nuclear-powered guided missile cruisers.