What is the Zircon Missile?

Feb. 9, 2024

In an attempt to hit a target in Kyiv, Russian forces launched a 3M22 Zircon missile recently.

About the Zircon Missile:

The 3M22 Zircon, or SS-N-33, is a scramjet-powered manoeuvring anti-ship hypersonic cruise missile developed in Russia.
Features:
- The missile is reportedly capable of flying with speeds up to Mach 9and a range of 1000 km.
- It is a two-stage missile that uses solid fuel in the first stage and a scramjet motor in the second stage.
- Zircon cruise missiles use cooled supersonic combustion ramjet engines, which power combustion by compressing air flowing at supersonic speeds due to the missile’s forward motion.
- Guidance System: Active and Passive Radar Seeker.
- Another valuable aspect of the missile is its plasma cloud. During flight, the missile is completely covered by a plasma cloud that absorbs any rays of radio frequencies and makes the missile invisible to radars.