It can weigh 400 kg and fly 9000 km/h.
Russia fired two ballistic missiles at Kyiv on March 25. According to preliminary information, for the second time since the beginning of the war there was “Zircon” applied. The targets were shot down by air defenses, but the debris caused significant damage.
The Air Force warned that air raids would become more frequent in the capital due to the fact that the Russian Federation began to use these missiles. If previously, during the threat of ballistics from Crimea, mainly the southern regions turned red on the map, now it will turn red from the South to Kyiv and the North.
What is known about Russian Zircon missiles, how many of them there may be in Russia and why they are dangerous, military expert Oleg Zhdanov told the TSN.ua website in a commentary.
Rocket “Zircon”: characteristics
According to Oleg Zhdanov, the Zircon is the most mysterious missile in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation today. This anti-ship a missile that is actually a modernized P-800 Onyx.
“From the very beginning it was sea-based, on ships and submarines. Then the Russian Federation, modernizing this missile, began to develop the Utes complex, a launcher for this container – Utes-100, also called “weaving”. The missile can also be used by the Bastion stationary anti-ship complex,” said the military expert.
Weighs 400 kg and flies 9000 km/h
During modernization, Russia increased the weight of the missile warhead to 300-400 kilogramsas well as its speed.
“They call this missile hypersonic. It must reach speeds of up to Mach 10 and cover about 9000 km/h”, said the military expert.
As of today, the Zircon missile has finally failed state tests in Russia. However, it has already been adopted.
“And this is already the second case of the use of Zircon, the first was in February. There may be missiles in the Russian Federation A few dozens. There is no information today that the company has developed their mass production. They have a number of research samples for testing. That’s why there are no final tactical and technical characteristics,” says Oleg Zhdanov.
Accurate range of application The missiles, according to the military expert, are also unknown for sure.
“At first they said that from 500 kilometers, then they said 600, and now some sources in Russia say that 1000. The only thing that can be said for sure is that it supersonic. As for the hypersonic one, maybe it is like a “Dagger” in some parts of the trajectory and accelerates to hypersonic speed, but this cannot be established simply by observation. It is supersonic, but the fact that Patriot can shoot it down says that there is nothing special here,” said Oleg Zhdanov.
Flies to Kyiv in 3 minutes
He says the big problem is the Zircon’s flight time. At supersonic speed, the rocket reaches Kyiv in 3-3.5 minutes from the territory of Crimea.
“We don’t know for sure where it’s being launched from – from ships in the Black Sea, from a Russian submarine, or from the mainland using the Utes complex. I’ll also note that Patriot can shoot down targets at a speed of no more than 2,100 kilometers per hour – two mach speeds. If Patriot shoots it down, which means it flies at a lower speed,” explained Oleg Zhdanov.
Bigger and more dangerous than “Dagger”
A military expert says the Zircon missile is larger and more dangerous than the Kinzhal.
“It needs to accelerate faster. And if it contains 400 kilograms of TNT, then this is 100 more than in “Dagger”. It is better because it is new and we do not know exactly either the tactical and technical characteristics or the specific properties. Right now there are downed rocket blocks, we will study them and make some kind of imaginary picture of what this rocket is,” said Oleg Zhdanov.
Can turn a house into rubble
Rocket “Zircon” highly accurate, says the military expert. It has a circular deviation from the calculated aiming point of 10-20 meters.
Oleg Zhdanov explained why, despite the fact that the missiles were shot down over Kiev, they caused significant destruction. The point is how the Patriot complex shoots it down.
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“He uses a rocket, which is also called a “flying deck.” This is a blank, it has no explosive. She knocks the ballistic missile off course to prevent it from hitting its target. Patriot guaranteed to hit into a ballistic missile if there is enough time to react. But there are two scenarios: either the rocket is destroyed in the air and it explodes – this is the best option, because then minor debris falls to the ground,” said the military expert.
The second scenario, according to him, happens more often – the rocket is partially destroyed in the air, the main part falls to the ground and explodes.
“Then we see such dire consequences. But it falls in the wrong place where it was supposed to fly; it was knocked off its trajectory,” explained Oleg Zhdanov.
A military expert says that if a Zircon hits a target, the radius of complete destruction can be up to 500 meters.
“Sure thing, it will turn a house into rubble if it hits it. If she enters a building, she manages to fly almost to the basement. If the building is five to nine floors, she will explode in the basement and the house will simply shatter into pieces. If this is a modern building with a monolithic frame base, it can pierce several floors and destroy the floor on which it will explode,” said Oleg Zhdanov.
Let us remind you that the Russian Federation hit Kyiv with Zircon. The State Emergency Service has completed rescue operations – what is known about the victims.
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2024-03-28 17:28:56
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