SS-N-33 zircon

SS-N-33 zircon
General Information
Type	Anti-ship missile
Local name	3K22 zirconium, 3M22
NATO designation	SS-N-33
Country of origin	Russia
Manufacturer	NPO Maschinostrojenija
development	2000s
Technical specifications
length	8-11 m
Drive ; First stage ; Second stage	; Solid fuel booster ; ramjet engine
speed	Do 8
Range	250-500 km
Furnishing
Warhead	300–400 kg high explosive armor piercing or nuclear warhead
Weapon platforms	Ships
Lists on the subject

The Zircon is a ship-based hypersonic - anti-ship missiles of Russian production. The GRAU index for the entire system is 3K22 and the missile is designated 3M22 . The NATO code name is SS-N-33 .

development

Zirkon is a further development of the HELA (Hypersonic Experimental Flying Vehicle) by the NPO Maschinostrojenija . The HELA was first presented at the MAKS 1995 aerospace trade fair . The actual zircon was first mentioned in 2011 and then disappeared again from the publications. The first tests with a hypersonic weapon are said to have been carried out in 2012/2013, but the missile was not able to maintain the high speed for a longer period of time. In 2015, the hypersonic missile was announced as a weapon for the cruiser Admiral Nakhimov , which is expected to be modernized by 2021. The cruiser Pyotr Veliki , the only remaining ship of the Kirov class besides the Nakhimov , is also to be armed with the Zirkon, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. It is also speculated whether the Indian-Russian co-production BrahMos II is an export variant of the zircon.

technology

The weapon is under development and most of its progress and cost details are secret. There is also no publicly accessible image material and there is speculation about the performance data. The zircon guided missiles will initially be stationed primarily on ships. For this purpose, they are housed in the vertical take-off system for missiles of the 3R14 (3S14) type . From this vertical launch system and guided missiles of the type to P-800 Oniks or Cal to start. According to Russian information, the zircon is a missile with two drive stages. Since a ramjet engine does not generate any take-off thrust, the guided weapon is first launched by a solid fuel booster . If this booster is burned out and there is enough dynamic pressure, it will be blown off. After this separation, the ramjet march engine of the guided weapon is ignited. A synthetic fuel called Decilin-M is to be used as liquid fuel . This is probably similar to the JP-10 . The cruise flight should take place at an altitude of 30–40 km. At a flight speed of Mach 8 (around 10,780 km / h), zirconium should achieve a range of 250–500 km. The steering is presumably carried out with an inertial navigation system and an active radar target search is presumably used for the target location. During the flight through the earth's atmosphere at hypersonic speed , a very high level of frictional heat arises on the rocket surface and makes a heat coating necessary, especially on the rocket tip and the wings. According to Russian information, new materials are said to have been developed for this. Although zircon was primarily designed to fight ships, it should also be able to fight land targets. According to Russian media, possible targets are US command structures close to the coast.

status

The development status of Zirkon has been subject to a pronounced disinformation campaign since the start of the project. Colonel-General Viktor Bondarew , the commander of the air and space forces, reported in November 2017 that the Zircon was part of the Russian armed forces. In February 2019, Vladimir Putin announced that the introduction of zircon was imminent. At TASS and in Nezavisimaya Gazeta , however, there was still talk of tests at the end of 2019. In January 2020, Nikolai Yevmenov , the commander in chief of the Russian Navy, announced that the zircon was still suffering from “teething troubles” and that he was expecting the system to be introduced in the mid-2020s.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Jill Hruby: Russia's New Nuclear Weapon Delivery Systems - An Open-Source Technical Review. (PDF) In: nti.org. NTI - The Nuclear Threat Initiative, November 1, 2019, accessed January 28, 2020 .

^ William A. Perkins: Component integration Challenges presented by advanced layered defense systems (a2 / ad) . United States Navy 2018

↑ ^a ^b Гиперзвуковая ракета "Циркон" ослабит позиции США. In: nti.org. ОРУЖИЕ РОССИИ, April 17, 2017, accessed January 28, 2020 (Russian).

↑ ^a ^b Analysis: 3K22 and 3M22 zircon, the Next Generation Hypersonic Missile of the Russian Navy . navyrecognition.com from April 7, 2016

^ Russia and India Test Hypersonic and Supersonic Missiles

↑ All-Russian state television and radio stations named possible zirconia targets in the USA , RT Russian , February 24, 2019

↑ Бондарев: ВС РФ имеют гиперзвуковые ракеты “Циркон” и ракеты донного базирования “Скиф”

↑ Aviation International News: Putin Reveals Zircon Mach 9 Missile Specification