3M22 Zircon

3M22 Zircon

Quick Facts

Russian/US Designation	3M22 Zircon/SS-N-33
Role and Mobility	Anti-Ship Hypersonic Cruise Missile; Land-, Air-, and Submarine-Mobile
Designer/Production	NPO Mashinostroyeniya
Range	1,000 km
Warhead Type and Weight	Unknown
MIRV and Yield	Unknown
Guidance System/Accuracy	Active and Passive Radar Seeker; Unknown
Stages/Propellant	2; Solid and Scramjet
IOC/Retirement	N/A; N/A
Status/Number of Units	In development; Unknown

Overview

The 3M22 Zircon or the SS-N-33 is a maneuvering anti-ship hypersonic cruise missile developed in Russia.[i] The Zircon’s estimated range is 500 km at a low level and up to 750 km at a semi-ballistic trajectory, but the state-owned media in Russia reports the range as 1,000 km.[ii] It’s a two-stage missile that uses solid fuel in the first stage and a scramjet motor in the second stage. This missile will be incorporated into the Kirov-class battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov this year and the Pyotr Velikiy in 2022.[iii]

Strategic Implications

The Zircon missile is strategically valuable due primarily to its speed. In April 2017, it was reported that the Zircon had reached a speed of Mach 8 during a test.[iv] If that information is accurate, the Zircon missile would be the fastest in the world, making it nearly impossible to defend against due to its speed alone. Another valuable aspect of the missile is its plasma cloud. During flight, the missile is completely covered by a plasma cloud that absorbs any rays of radio frequencies and makes the missile invisible to radars. This allows the missile to remain undetected on its way to the target.[v]