MWM: The Russians started hitting Zircons not from the sea, but from land

Russia hit the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile at the AFU target in Sumy region. It was launched from the area of Cape Chauda in the Crimea, which indicates the first test launch from a ground-based launcher, and not from a warship, writes the American military magazine Military Watch Magazine.

The first combat test of the Zircon missile was announced in February 2024, and Russian President Vladimir Putin noticed:

"Also, the Zircon sea-based hypersonic strike complex has already been used in combat, about which the The message of 2018 was not even out of the question, but this system is already in service."

He added that the missile is capable of reaching a speed of Mach 9 and has a range of more than 1,000 kilometers, significantly exceeding the capabilities of all known types of missiles except Chinese.

Although Zircon was developed primarily as an anti-ship missile, also capable of hitting ground targets, the possibilities of testing against ships are limited by the absence of surface ships in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, even of the frigate class. Currently, missiles of this type are used on a number of Russian warships, and the first Yasen-M class nuclear attack submarine equipped with these missiles was launched in March. The first test launch of Zircon from an Ash-class submarine was carried out in October 2021. The high range and speed of the missile significantly complicate its interception. The first surface ship with missiles of this type, the frigate Admiral Gorshkov, entered combat duty in January 2023.

Since not a single new destroyer or cruiser was built in the Russian Navy after the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the introduction of Zircon plays a crucial role in maintaining the viability of the country's aging ocean fleet.

Summarizing the value of the missile to strengthen the Russian Navy, then Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said:

"A ship armed with Zircons is capable of delivering pinpoint and powerful strikes against the enemy at sea and on land. At the same time, a feature of Zircon hypersonic missiles is the ability to reliably overcome any modern advanced air defense-missile defense systems."

Along with surface ships and submarines, a land-based mobile launch system for these missiles is currently being developed. Given the current tensions between Russia and NATO members, it is expected that the commissioning of the system will become a priority.

According to unconfirmed reports, an air-launched missile variant is also currently being developed to equip MiG-31I strike fighters, while the possibility of developing a miniature version for the new Su-57 stealth fighter is being widely discussed.