Ukraine's military intelligence reveals capabilities of Russian Zircon missiles
Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) published new details about the Russian 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missile on Aug. 31, revealing that its actual capabilities fell short of those claimed by the Kremlin.
On August 31, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) released new intelligence on the Russian 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missile. Contrary to Kremlin claims, HUR stated the missile's actual capabilities did not match its advertised strengths. The Kremlin promoted the Zircon as an advanced weapon able to penetrate most Western air defenses, specifically designed to destroy warships.
However, HUR noted that the Zircon is slower, less powerful, and not a hypersonic missile as initially claimed. According to HUR, it is actually a ballistic missile with solid fuel, following a non-hypersonic trajectory. The missile's maximum speed was recorded at Mach 6.8, considerably lower than the previously reported Mach 9.
With a 120-kilogram warhead, the Zircon's payload is smaller than the 150-kilogram warhead of Russia's more affordable S8000 Banderol cruise missile. In August, Russia had reportedly met its annual production target for the Zircon, manufacturing 33 units by the end of July. Inspector Vadym Skibitskyi confirmed this information to RBC-Ukraine.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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