Russia’s hyper-sonic Zircon missile to go into serial production in 2018

Russia test firing Zircon missile source here.

Russia’s hyper-sonic Zircon missile to go into serial production in 2018. (Tass).

Russia’s cutting-edge hypersonic missile Tsirkon (Zircon), which is now undergoing state tests is expected to go into serial production in 2018, a source in the Russian military-industrial complex told TASS on Tuesday.

"State tests of Zircon are scheduled for completion in 2017 in accordance with the contract, and the missile’s serial production is planned to be launched next year", the source said.

In mid-February, a source in the Russian shipbuilding industry told TASS that Russian cutting-edge hypersonic missile 3M22 of the 3K22 Zircon system was in the development trials.

The Project 11442 (NATO reporting name: Kirov-class) Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) nuclear-powered missile cruiser will carry the type following its 2019 upgrade, a shipbuilding industry source told TASS

Russia’s heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov will get in the course of modernization the Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic missiles.

When Pyotr Velikyi and Admiral Nakhimov reenter service, their current missile launch systems will be replaced with ten 3S-14 vertical launch systems—each of which carries eight rounds.

Indeed, Sevmash—the shipyard refurbishing Admiral Nakhimov—signed a contract earlier last year with Almaz-Antey to provide those systems. The addition of the 3S-14 would enable each ship to carry eighty cruise missiles onboard.

While the Zircon would give the two Kirov-class battlecruisers greatly improved firepower against surface ships, the warships are also being provisioned with long-range Kalibr cruise missiles. Those weapons, which were recently used against Moscow’s enemies in Syria would afford the giant warships a very potent land-attack and long-range anti-surface warfare capability.

Meanwhile, both ships will also receive an upgraded air defense capability with the addition of a naval variant of the long-range S-400 and the mid-range Poliment-Redut missile systems.

Earlier reports had suggested that the warships might receive the developmental S-500 missile system.

The tests of the 3K22 Zircon system are planned for completion by 2020. The system is expected to be unveiled in the air-launched and ship-based variants. Its characteristics are classified. According to open sources, the new missile’s range may reach 400 kilometers and it will travel five to six times faster than the speed of sound. Read the full story here.