{
  "id": 4862447,
  "title": "Russia promised a scramjet superweapon. Ukraine says Zircon runs on solid fuel",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/russia-promised-a-scramjet-superweapon-ukraine-says-zircon-runs-on",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-01T12:34:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euromaidan Press",
    "slug": "euromaidan-press",
    "url": "https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/09/01/russia-zircon-missile-solid-fuel-mach-6-8/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ukraine's military intelligence confirmed that Russia's Zircon missile utilizes solid-propellant motors, contradicting Moscow's claims of it being a scramjet. The missile, originally designed for ships and later adapted for coastal launchers, is an anti-ship weapon. Solid fuel does not slow down the missile, as it still reaches hypersonic speeds of Mach 6.8. While Russia once claimed the missile could fly at Mach 9 and cover 1,000 kilometers, Ukrainian experts have found it to be an air-breathing solid-fuel missile. Inside the Zircon, Ukrainian intelligence identified components from US manufacturers, including a programmable gate array from Altera and an amplifier from TriQuint Semiconductor. The missile carries a 120-kilogram warhead and is assembled by Russian forensic experts.",
  "summary": "Ukraine's military intelligence puts Zircon's highest recorded speed at Mach 6.8, below Moscow's Mach 9 claim, and says both its motors are solid-fuel. Its component catalogue also names two US-manufacturer chips inside.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "Russia fired over 2,800 drones at Ukraine in August amid war tactic change",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/russia-fired-over-2-800-drones-at-ukraine-in-august-amid-war-tactic",
        "published": "2026-09-01T09:49:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Euromaidan Press",
        "title": "Former Ukrainian president has made offer to Zelenskyy amid Russia’s new type of war on Kyiv",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/former-ukrainian-president-has-made-offer-to-zelenskyy-amid-russias",
        "published": "2026-09-01T09:58:37.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Voice of Ukraine",
        "title": "Russia says strike moratoriums would delay end of war against Ukraine",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/russia-says-strike-moratoriums-would-delay-end-of-war-against-ukraine",
        "published": "2026-09-01T11:04:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}