The Zircon’s speed is believed to be between Mach 8 and Mach 9, making it one of the fastest missiles ever made.
America has all but thrown in the towel in the great race to achieve hypersonic weapons capability. Not only is China ahead of the United States in this domain, but the Russian Federation is apparently lightyears ahead of both.
One such Russian system that is redefining the face of modern warfare is the 3M22 Zircon. This impressive system has now been married to the Yasen-class nuclear-powered submarine, giving the Russians an even more impressive—and lethal—capability.
The Role of the Zircon Missile
The Zircon hypersonic missile is part of Russia’s broader modernization effort. The system represents an indigenously produced weapon that is able to overcome current NATO air defense systems. Russia initiated the development of this weapon back in 2010. A contract was awarded to NPO Mashinostroyeniya, a leading Russian defense contractor. That firm went on to develop a truly remarkable weapon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin first acknowledged the Zircon’s existence in 2016. Test launches began in 2020, with successful trials reported from platforms like the frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the Yasen-class submarine Severodvinsk. By 2022, Russia announced that the Zircon had entered serial production, and it was officially integrated into the Russian Navy’s arsenal. These milestones reflected Russia’s commitment to this technology.
Zircon is a scramjet-powered anti-ship and land-attack cruise missile. That scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet) is critical to the Zircon’s lethality, as it enables hypersonic flight. This propulsion system, combined with advanced guidance systems, allows the Zircon to evade radar detection and any countermeasures. Crucially, without the scramjet, the Zircon is just another missile.
The Zircon’s speed is believed to be between Mach 8 and Mach 9, making it one of the fastest missiles ever made. That speed drastically reduces defenders’ time to react to the missile, making it far more difficult to intercept. Most analysts believe that the Zircon will possess a range between 621 and 932 miles, meaning this system can strike far and wide.
And, unlike traditional ballistic missiles, which follow predictable parabolic trajectories, the Zircon employs a low-altitude, maneuvering flight path. Simply put, modern air defenses cannot stop these weapons.
The weapon carries a conventional high-explosive warhead—but it has been speculated that the Zircon could be equipped with a nuclear payload, if needed.
How the Zircon Missile Upsets the Established Order
Given that the Zircon is first and foremost an anti-ship missile, its threat to American surface warships—notably the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers—cannot be overstated. By threatening these assets with a weapon that is both devastating and nearly impossible to defend against, Russia seeks to shift the balance of power in maritime domains, particularly in contested regions, like the Baltic, Sea, Black Sea, and the Arctic.
The Zircon has already upset the precarious balance of military power between the United States and Russia. The growth of this system, while the Americans find it difficult to field its own similar system or to create countermeasures against hypersonic weapons, risks ensuring that the Russians enjoy the dominant position.
Unless America finds a countermeasure or its own hypersonic weapons, that balance of power with Russia will forever tilt in Moscow’s favor.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock / anelo.
