The Tsirkon missile delivered a direct and successful hit on the target at a range of nearly 350 kilometers, according to objective control data. The flight speed was estimated to be around 7 Mach.
The Tsirkon missile's tactical and technical features were confirmed in the tests.
The Russian Navy intends to equip the Tsirkon system with submarines and surface ships.
About Tsirkon Missile
The Tsirkon (sometimes written Zirkon) hypersonic missile was fired four times by the first-in-class frigate last year: in December, early October, and November 2020. The first Tsirkon test launch from a warship was supposed to happen in late 2019, however, it happened in January 2020 instead.
According to open sources, NPO-machinostroeniya in Reutov, Moscow region, designed the hypersonic 3M-22 missile. It's part of the 3K-22 (Tsirkon code) complex, and NATO calls it SS-N-33. The missile has a top speed of Mach 9 and can fly at altitudes of 30-40 km, increasing range and speed as air resistance decreases. Experts estimate the missile's payload to be 300-400 kg and its length to be 8-10 meters. Tsirkon will be launched from warships and submarines using universal vertical launchers 3S-14, as well as from mobile coastal missile launchers Bastion.
