In recent years, the United States has been intensively developing its national missile defense system. The desire of the US government to deploy some elements of its missile defense system in Eastern Europe led to the start of the nuclear missile arms race between America and Russia.
The relevance of creating new supersonic weapons
Due to the intensive strengthening of American missile defense systems near the borders of Russia, the Ministry of Defense made a strategic decision to actively counter this with the creation of new hypersonic missiles. One of them is the ZK-22 - the Zircon hypersonic missile. Russia, according to its military experts, will be able to effectively confront any potential aggressor only if it urgently modernizes its army and navy.
The essence of modernization of the Russian Navy
Since 2011, according to the plan of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, work has been carried out to create such a unique weapon as the Zircon missile. The characteristics of supersonic missiles are distinguished by one common quality - the highest speed. They have such speed that the enemy may have difficulties not only in terms of intercepting them, but when trying to detect them. According to military experts, the Zircon cruise missile is a very effective and deterrent means of any aggression today. Product characteristics make it possible to consider this weapon a modern hypersonic sword of the Russian air fleet.
Media statements
For the first time, statements about the start of development of a complex with a sea-based hypersonic cruise missile Zircon appeared in the media in February 2011. The weapon has become the latest integrated development of Russian designers.
The alleged designation of the Zircon missile system was the abbreviation 3K-22.
In August 2011, Boris Obnosov, general director of the Tactical Missile Weapons Concern, announced that the corporation had begun developing a rocket that would reach speeds of up to 13 Machs, exceeding the speed of sound by 12-13 times. (For comparison: today the speed of shock missiles of the Russian Navy is up to Mach 2.5).
In 2012, the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation announced that in the near future the first test of the created hypersonic missile is expected.
Open sources said that the development of a ship complex with a Zircon hypersonic missile was entrusted to NPO Mashinostroyeniya. It is known that information on the technical characteristics of the installation is classified, alleged data were reported: range - 300-400 km, speed - 5-6 Mach.
There is unconfirmed information according to which the missile is a hypersonic version of BrahMos, a supersonic cruise missile that was developed by Russian designers together with Indian specialists based on the Onix P-800 missile. In 2016 (February), BrahMos Aerospace announced that a hypersonic engine for its brainchild could be developed within 3-4 years.
In March 2016, the media announced the start of tests of the Zircon hypersonic missiles, which were carried out from the ground launch complex.
In the future, it was planned to install the Zircon on the latest Russian submarines Husky. Currently, these 5th generation multipurpose nuclear submarines are being developed by the Malachite Design Bureau.
At the same time, information was published in the media that the state flight design tests of the rocket were in full swing. Upon completion, a decision is expected to take the Zircon into service with the Russian Navy. In April 2016, information was published that the tests of the Zircon rocket will be completed by 2017, and in 2018 it is planned to launch the installation in mass production.
Development and Testing
In 2011, the Tactical Missile Arms concern began designing Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missiles. The characteristics of the new weapons, according to experts, have much in common with the existing Bolid system.
In 2012 and 2013, a new missile was tested at the Akhtubinsk training ground. The TU-22M3 aircraft was used as a carrier. The results of the tests were conclusions on the cause of the unsuccessful launch and short-term flight of the warhead. Subsequent testing was carried out in 2015 using the launch complex as the carrier of the ground complex. Now, with an emergency launch, the Zircon rocket was launched. The characteristics of 2016 during testing gave a positive result, which prompted developers to announce in the media about the creation of a new hypersonic missile weapon.
Where are you planning to use new missiles?
After the completion of further planned state tests, the Husky (multipurpose nuclear submarines), the Leader cruisers, and the modernized nuclear cruisers Orlan and Peter the Great will be equipped with hypersonic missiles. The Zircon anti-ship missile will also be installed on the heavy nuclear-powered cruiser Admiral Nakhimov. The characteristics of the new superhigh-speed weapon far exceed its analogous models - for example, such as the Granite complex. Over time, it will be replaced by the ZK-22. Extremely promising and modernized submarines and surface ships will use the Zircon missile.
Specifications
- The flight range of the rocket is 1, 500 km.
- The unit has a speed of about 6 Mach. (1 Mach equals 331 meters per second).
- The warhead ZK-22 weighs at least 200 kg.
- 500 km is the radius of damage that the Zircon hypersonic missile has.
The characteristics of the guns give reason to judge the superiority of the army that owns it over the enemy who does not possess such weapons.
Engine and fuel
Hypersonic or superhigh-speed is considered to be an object whose speed is at least 4, 500 km / h. When creating such weapons, developers are faced with many scientific and technical problems. Among them, questions about how to accelerate a rocket using a traditional jet engine and which fuel to use? Russian development scientists made the decision: to accelerate the ZK-22, use a special ramjet engine, which is characterized by supersonic combustion. These engines operate on the new Decilin-M fuel, for which an increased energy intensity (20%) is inherent.
Areas of science involved in development
High temperature is the usual environment in which the Zircon rocket performs its maneuverable flight after acceleration. The characteristics of a homing system at supersonic speed during flight can be significantly distorted. The reason for this is the occurrence of a plasma cloud, which can close the target from the system and damage the sensor, antenna, and controls. To fly at hypersonic speeds, the rockets must be equipped with more advanced avionics. In the serial production of ZK-22, such sciences as materials science, engine building, electronics, aerodynamics and others are involved.
For what purpose was the Zircon rocket (Russia) created?
The characteristics obtained after state tests give reason to believe that these supersonic objects can easily overcome the enemy’s anti-tank defenses. This was made possible due to two features inherent in the ZK-22:
- The speed of the warhead at an altitude of 100 km is 15 Mach, i.e. 7 km / s.
- Being in a dense atmospheric layer, even before approaching its target, the warhead performs complex maneuvers, which complicates the work of the enemy’s missile defense.
Many military experts, both Russian and foreign, believe that achieving military-strategic parity directly depends on the presence of hypersonic missiles.
