ZIRCON
The 3M22 Zircon is Russia’s most technologically ambitious sea-launched hypersonic cruise missile: not a ballistic weapon reaching hypersonic speed during re-entry, but a system designed to sustain hypersonic flight in the atmosphere through a booster-and-scramjet propulsion concept. Militarily, the Zircon is aimed primarily at high-value naval targets and the vulnerability of Western carrier strike groups; politically, it serves as Moscow’s signal that NATO naval forces can be threatened at extended range. Its real-world effectiveness, however, remains difficult to assess, as range, production numbers, accuracy and combat performance are still only partially documented in public sources.
