The range of the first modification of the "Zircon" was about 500 km at a speed of 2.5 km / s . In other words, the speed of the rocket is almost eight times the speed of sound. And this means only one thing: by no means air defense you can't bring it down. For example, the reaction time of the US air defense missile system Aegis is about 8-10 seconds. "Zircon" at a speed of 2.5 km / sec during this time will fly 20-25 km. Ground-based interceptor missiles simply will not have time to catch up with him.

There is already information that the first ships to be armed with the ZK22 will be the heavy nuclear missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov and the nuclear cruiser Peter the Great. Each of them has 20 Granit missile launchers, each installation will be able to accommodate three Zircons. That is 60 advanced missiles instead of 20.

As noted by military expert Konstantin Sivkov, the adoption of the Zircon into service will lead to the fact that the role of the US aircraft carrier forces will be greatly weakened in favor of Russian nuclear cruisers.

American Congressman Trend Franks commented on the Russian military novelty in the following way: “The hypersonic era is approaching. Enemy developments fundamentally change the fundamental laws of war. " The congressman is right. The appearance of the Zircon with nuclear warheads makes any missile defense system meaningless for the next thirty years. America has already begun to rewrite its main militaristic document - military doctrine, since the techniques and scenarios indicated in the current version have lost their relevance. In particular, the West will have to radically update its defensive weapons. They have not yet figured out how to do this, but it will cost a pretty penny for US taxpayers.

The topic of "military" hypersound has been on the front pages of the world's leading publications for several decades. Moreover, this issue is raised not only by specialized media, but also by tabloids dedicated to international relations, economy, finance ...

The reason for such close attention is the likely change of the "planetary hegemon", because a country that can put the production of hypersonic aircraft (GZLA) before potential opponents, will gain real freedom in foreign policy. New offensive weapons will be inaccessible to modern defense systems, which means that the usual rhetoric of "historical parity" in the rivalry between the West and the East will remain in the past.

According to experts, Moscow and Washington have once again become participants in an undeclared duel: no one doubts the fact that the hypersonic missiles of Russia and the United States will have diametrically opposed targets - the only mystery is who will "target whom" ...

Top Secret Weapon

Today, the "ultimate weapon" is spoken about literally on every corner. Newspapers, magazines, television programs - everywhere they trumpet about the imminent approach of the "frightening prospect". And at the same time the flow is real useful information so scarce that sometimes it seems that hypersonic cruise missiles is nothing more than a figment of the imagination of science fiction writers.

Why is this happening? Yes, because, having given publicity to the results of individual developments, the military is in no hurry to reveal all the cards, because the future of the country, its ability to adequately respond to global threats and challenges from potential adversaries, are at stake. In addition, many projects have the status of state secrets, and this not only complicates the professional activities of journalists, but also "silences" those who could tell something about shifts and breakthroughs in this direction. Nevertheless, the data collected bit by bit suggest that the Russian missile forces are on the verge of a qualitative transformation, that in another year or two, and secret systems will take up combat duty ...

The emphasis on hypersound is not accidental - a target moving at a speed of three to four kilometers per second is no longer vulnerable to the vast majority of missile defense systems. Now, only intercontinental ballistic missiles can boast of such tactical and technical indicators. However, their "cruising acceleration" is realized exclusively in airless space (at great heights). As you know, a material body in space is deprived of aerodynamic maneuvering, that is, invulnerability.

A hypersonic cruise missile (Russia has yet to conduct a number of tests before the upgraded Koala model, which is how the Russian X-90 is called in NATO armies, will become a serious deterrent in relations with the "presumptuous hegemon") is an ultra-precise weapon with a radius of destruction several tens of thousands of kilometers. In fact, such a combat unit is the embodiment of the dream of the military, because, in addition to speed and "selectivity", it will have absolute invulnerability.

Not so long ago, the revelations of Boris Obnosov, the head of TRO, were leaked to the press. The director of the corporation said that in 2013, at the Akhtubinsk test site, one "dream" had already been tested, capable of reaching a speed of 5 thousand km / h. And although the rocket was able to hold out in the air for only a few tens of seconds, the designer unequivocally hinted that the final success was close, and that the American product - the notorious X-51A - was significantly inferior to the Russian one in many technical parameters.

Hypersonic cruise missiles: the Cold War that never ended

The role that the United States assigns to "hypersound" is, of course, colossal. According to intelligence, the practical implementation of the idea is part of a general strategy aimed at “forcing” Moscow to geopolitical surrender. In other words, the Pentagon is once again on a course of building a dialogue from a position of strength.

Until 2025, the moment when, according to the official doctrine, the new hypersonic missiles of Russia will have to "become operational", Washington will definitely try to "eliminate the Russian threat." Moreover, he has plenty of political and economic opportunities to influence domestic processes. However, the likelihood of direct confrontation cannot be ruled out. It is no coincidence that the number of long-range cruise missiles in the US Army is brought to 7 thousand units - an unprecedented figure since the active phase of the Cold War.

Hidden Threats, or What's Behind NASA's Space Programs?

NASA's peaceful space exploration program is actually not that friendly. Among other things, it implies that by 2020 the agency should have at its disposal a hypersonic carrier (allegedly for launching tonnage cargo into orbit). The tests carried out last summer - we are talking about the launch of the X-43A from the Kodiak test site, Alaska - showed that the true intentions of the "astronauts" are completely different less than 6.5 thousand km / sec.). In fact, there was a "demonstration performance" with the participation of a combat prototype. The result of the "peaceful" research is likely to be a hypersonic missile with a kinetic warhead.

Similar projects are being implemented by the US land and naval forces. In the American Air Force, in parallel, work is underway to study the potential of the Falcon HTV-2: during the last "California experiment", the device surpassed all expectations and developed a speed of Mach 20 (about 23,000 km / h). However, there is no need to talk about a successful start - the sample lost control and collapsed before reaching its destination. The reasons for the loss of communication with the missile remain unclear.

What will be Russia's response?

It should be understood that "military" hypersound for Russia is not a new topic. The first attempts to create "something maneuverable and superfast" were made in the USSR back in the 70s of the last century (I mean an experimental model with a bifurcated charge and a flight range of up to 3000 km; later it "entered the series" and received the name "Cold" ), and their results formed the basis for the production technology of "elusive" warheads. "Topol-M", "Bulava", "Liner" - these modifications of intercontinental ballistic missiles tend to change directional direction and flight altitude on the final leg of the route. And this is not a secret. But with regard to the presence of "aerospace aircraft" - everything is shrouded in a veil of mystery.

The Americans, for example, are betting on the Falcon and the X-51A. It is assumed that the aircraft of the new class will be able to constantly "hang" in orbit, and, if necessary, launch deadly missiles that can hit a target in a matter of minutes. There is almost no information about Russian analogues. However, the calm displayed by the country's leadership indicates that the Kremlin still has a couple of trump cards up its sleeve.

"U-71" as a tool for limiting the effectiveness of overseas missile defense

Until February of this year, there was no reliable information about Object 4202. The information about the Yu-71 warhead (Yu-71) also did not surface anywhere. But after the launch of the prototype from the Dombarovsky test site, which is near Orenburg, all the dots above the “i” were finally placed. Judging by the official report, by 2025 the local Strategic Missile Forces regiment will receive more than 20 special installations, each of which will be able to operate with "invulnerable charges." Behind this wording is hidden what has been talked about for so long - Russia's newest hypersonic missiles.

Some analysts argue that the February tests did not go entirely smoothly - they say, the carrier was the "modernized" UR-100N (UTTH), and it did not cope with the task. However, the achieved acceleration rate - about Mach 5.2 - is already a huge breakthrough. It remains to "tighten the nuts" and "tighten the bolts."

The data coming from open sources indicate that the designers of NPO Mashinostroenia (Reutov) are behind the implementation of the 4202 project, and they have been working in this direction since 2009. That is, with the observance of the secrecy regime in the military department, things are going well.

Independent experts believe that Russia's new hypersonic cruise missile is a kind of "hybrid" capable of operating both independently and as part of an intercontinental ballistic launch system. Probably, we are talking about several modifications that will have compatibility with both light Topols and heavier Sarmats (the debut of the latter is expected at the turn of 2019-2020).

The 25-140 km corridor is not the only topical area for research. Moscow is rapidly mastering the technology that allows objects to be placed on unthinkable trajectories at ultra-low altitudes with an acceleration of 3-4 Mach. Being aerodynamic targets for missile defense systems, such cruise missiles will be able to outrun interceptor charges and hit targets regardless of the saturation of the defensive shield.

Is the Pentagon ready for a meeting with Zircon?

Russian hypersonic missiles are a "closed" topic. What gets to the press is, as a rule, "intentional drain". Therefore, there is no exact information about "Zircon" even now - three years after the official "bride show" was to take place. But if we take into account the fact that last summer the military ranks approved the program for the development of hypersonic technologies immediately 6 years in advance, then the conclusion suggests itself: the phantom rocket performed well during the next exercises, its appearance in the Armed Forces is a settled issue.

It is suggested that the Zircon will become an operational element at a distance of 300 to 400 km. But what will happen in reality is still unknown. And this uncertainty greatly alarms the Pentagon - they are used to thinking that the hypersonic missiles of Russia and the United States are very similar in their tactical and technical characteristics. The birth of the "Eastern Phoenix", which possesses extraordinary abilities, is a serious cause for concern among NATO generals.

Again, the mechanism for delivering Zircon to the target is unclear. And the Americans already today are forced to puzzle over what changes they should make to their "long-suffering" missile defense system in order to minimize the potential damage from the "package".

Hypersonic missile and long-range aircraft: explosive mixture

The head of TRO admits that the first hypersonic missiles in Russia will still be based not on ground stations with MBN, but in the air - on the sides of long-range and medium-range aircraft. The reason for such changes may be the need to give the combat elements an initial speed (practical tests have shown that with a "stationary start" the ramjet engine is not activated until the start of the loaded warhead, and this negatively affects the dynamics of acceleration).

With an additional "push" from the aircraft, the Russian hypersonic cruise missile can easily cross the Mach 6 threshold. According to Obnosov, in the future (no earlier than 2030), "profile carrier rockets" will appear in service - manned vehicles accelerating to Mach 4-8.

American X-51A Waverider and domestic "Mosquito": no one is safe from failures

Overseas "partners" perceive Russia's hypersonic missiles as a nightmare. Therefore, huge sums are allocated annually from the US federal budget for the development of the air force. One of these semi-secret projects is known under the code name X-51A Waverider.

The first and, in fact, the only "open" tests of the carrier took place in 2010. Then the accelerating stage X-51 started the rocket along a steep trajectory to an altitude of 19.8 km, and the supersonic engine turned on provoked the acceleration of the prototype to Mach 4.8. But after the prototype managed to rise another 1500 meters above the ground and accelerate to Mach 5 (more than 5.5 thousand km / h), interruptions in telemetry began. Since the signal from the object was unstable, it came to a forced liquidation. By the way, according to a similar scenario, a month before the events described, the FHTV-2, an aircraft designed by Boeing, was tested. It turns out that the reason for the Falcon crash was the same disconnection (the route ran over the non-navigable region of the Pacific Ocean, so they did not blow up the prototype).

It must be said that Russia also has hypersonic missiles not thanks to a "lucky chance" - this event was preceded by dozens of unsuccessful launches and delayed launches. What is the "epic" only worth with the introduction of the anti-ship "Mosquito" (P-270)? But there it was "just" about the speed in 4 Max!

A close acquaintance with the "Koala": the Russian hypersonic missile "X-90"

The history of the creation of the "X-90" is rooted in the now distant 1971. The case concerned a strategic carrier of the middle class, applicable at low altitudes. However, the leadership of the USSR reacted very coolly to the initiative of the designers of NPO Raduga, and until 1976 they did not remember the project. In the 80s, prototypes were already accelerated to Mach 4; at the same time, the idea of \u200b\u200ba "bifurcation" of the warhead was also implemented (each charge could be aimed at a separate target, provided that the distance to it from the point of "decay" did not exceed 100 km). In 1992, for obvious reasons, all developments were “mothballed”.

Five years later, the Russian X-90 hypersonic missile was transformed into an "experimental super-speed aircraft." In NATO, the project was immediately dubbed the AS-19 Koala. It should be noted that Moscow officially insists that the "Koala" and "X-90" assemblies of the 70s have nothing in common, although experts, all as one, say otherwise.

The speed of the 1997 hypersonic missile declared by the designers is Mach 5, the range is 3500 km. After disconnecting from the TU-160M \u200b\u200b(at an altitude of 7-20 km), the wing mechanism is activated. This is followed by the start of a solid fuel accelerator, which outputs combat unit to the supersonic line, and only then the main engine is turned on.

Modern "Poplar" and "Stileta" are a new stage in the evolution of the "X-90". A large-scale military exercise in 2004 confirmed that 5000 m / s is far from the limit for a hypersonic warhead.

Moscow and Delhi: the birth of BrahMos-2

Of course, testing Russia's hypersonic missile was expensive. And it's not even about money, of which a lot has been spent on military needs over the past twenty years. The political and sometimes economic pressure of the West forced the Kremlin to "actively defend", to search for new strategic partners ...

Not so long ago the tests of "BrahMos" were completed. The joint Russian-Indian project was marked by the birth of the "winged beast", which is capable of moving at a speed of 650 m / s. But no one is going to stop there. The next stage of cooperation is "BrahMos-2" with indicators of 6.5-7 Mach. If we succeed in realizing our plans, then Moscow and Delhi will be able to share the laurels of the winner, because one can only dream of weapons with similar characteristics.

What is interesting: a high-ranking Pentagon official in an interview, answering a journalist's question about whether there are hypersonic missiles in the Russian Federation, preferred to remain silent. Although some 15 years ago, foreign experts categorically stated that the Kremlin's expectations in this area were in vain, and that Mach 7 was an unattainable limit (according to unofficial data, the scramjet engine, created by domestic designers, successfully "passed the test" back in 1998).

The presentation of the newest Russian cruise missile 3M22 "Zircon" on March 17, 2016, despite the silence of the majority of the media, did not go unnoticed by the expert community and the military. Immediately there were assumptions about the tactical and technical characteristics of the new brainchild of Rosoboronprom. Preliminary test data gave reason to believe that soon the Russian Navy and naval aviation could receive a completely new and powerful weapon... These missiles are supposed to re-equip the project 1144 TARKR of the "Orlan" type, equip the cruisers of the "Leader" project and submarines of the "Husky" type under construction.

The history of the creation of the latest rocket

The data obtained during the tests indicate that the Russian defense industry was able to create a combat cruise missile that reached hypersonic speed (5-6 times higher than the speed of sound). The 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missile turns modern air defense systems into a heap of unnecessary junk.

The emergence of the latest superweapon has its own background, consisting of a chain of important facts. Work on the creation of a rocket capable of flying at hypersonic speeds was carried out in the USSR back in the mid-70s. Back in the 70s, the Dubna design bureau "Raduga" was developing the Kh-90 cruise missile capable of developing a speed of up to 3-4 M. In flight, however, with the collapse of the Union due to lack of funding, the work was curtailed. Only 20 years later they returned to this topic again, but on the basis of new technologies.

The first information about the development of a new anti-ship complex equipped with cruise operational-tactical missiles appeared at the end of 2011.

The development of a prototype of a hypersonic missile was carried out by the Central Institute of Aviation Motors (CIAM) in the city of Lytkarino, Moscow Region.

The layout of the anti-ship missiles presented at the exhibition stands was strikingly different in its shape from the usual cigar-shaped cruise missiles. It was a box-shaped body with a flattened spade fairing. The name of the unusual missile system - "Zircon" was announced for the first time at the air show.

Parallel to this, the latest radio altimeter and automatic radio compass were developed. Research and Production Enterprise "Granit-Electron" was actively involved in the creation of navigation equipment and autopilot systems.

The main enterprise, PA Strela, which produces the Onyx anti-ship missile systems, has announced the start of preparing a production base for the production of the latest cruise missile. According to many sources, the latest weapon system will be able to radically change the situation at sea. However, after the MAKS air show, almost all information about the progress progress on the Zircon theme disappeared from public information resources.

The scant information leaked to the media was clearly insufficient. And it was only by the scale of involvement of the largest specialized enterprises in the Zircon project that one could judge the properties of this project.

What surprised the world

After the first tests, it became clear that the new missile was capable of flying twice as fast as the newest British sea-based cruise missile, the Sea Ceptor. The anti-missile missiles currently in service with NATO fleets are capable of successfully fighting the Granit anti-ship missiles and similar air vehicles, whose speed reaches 2000-2500 km / h. Western anti-missiles are powerless against the latest Russian development. The flight range of the Russian anti-ship missile system will be approximately 300-400 km, which is quite enough for effective destruction of ships outside the zone of establishing radio contact.

As it became known later, the Zircon missiles became a modernized version of the Indian sea-based cruise missile Bramos, which was created jointly by the two countries. Basis for development the latest weapons became the anti-ship complex P-800 "Onyx". The emphasis in the development of the rocket was made on its high speed. According to experts, high-speed anti-ship missiles of the new generation pose a big problem for air defense systems. There is very little time to detect a projectile flying towards the target in order not only to qualify the type of threat, but also to take adequate countermeasures.

Russian nuclear-powered cruisers of Project 1144, re-equipped with the latest cruise missiles, will once again become a real threat to the dominance of the American fleet on the seas. Initially, it is planned to equip the modernized TARKR "Admiral Nakhimov" with new missile systems. Later, the same fate awaits the flagship of the Northern Fleet TARKR "Peter the Great". The plans include the construction of atomic attack submarines of the "Husky" type, armed with hypersonic cruise missiles, this will radically shift the balance of world naval forces towards the Russian fleet.

The main technical subtleties and nuances in creating a new generation rocket

The need for a new anti-ship missile did not arise immediately. Available in service with the fleet missile systems P-600 "Granit" and P-800 "Onyx" continue to be a formidable force today. However, the developers of ultra-modern means of naval air defense are not wasting their time either. According to experts in the field of operational-tactical weapons, in a couple of years combat capabilities of sea-based cruise missiles will be exhausted due to the effectiveness of the anti-missile defense of ships.

In this regard, the idea arose of a significant modernization of the Russian Navy with new types of weapons. One of the directions of the process was the development of a new anti-ship complex with high-speed cruise missiles. The presence of such weapons on large and small ships of the fleet will become an effective deterrent at sea. The new 3M22 missile has unique tactical specifications, however, there is no exact data yet. Even preliminary data say that the new weapon is a serious step towards the emergence of new types and types of weapons.

Why is the new Russian missile called hypersonic? The fact is that today strike missiles have an average flight speed of 2-2.5 MAX. New development must fly at a speed of at least 4500 km / h, exceeding the sound barrier by 5-6 times. To create such a fast-moving projectile is not an easy task. Even at the project stage, difficulties arose with how to achieve the necessary acceleration of the rocket. The use of traditional rocket engines for these purposes should not give an effect.

Vehicles flying at supersonic speed are fundamentally different from vehicles flying at hypersonic speed. A conventional turbojet engine, after exceeding the speed of sound three times, loses thrust - the main indicator of the efficiency of an aircraft engine. Neither liquid-propellant nor solid-propellant jet engines are suitable for such weapons as cruise missiles. During the flight, the rocket performs certain evolutions that cannot be provided by operating sustainer rocket engines and turbojet engines with constant thrust.

The result of scientific and technical searches was a ramjet rocket engine capable of operating under conditions of supersonic combustion. For these purposes, even a new type of rocket fuel "Decilin-M" with increased energy consumption was developed.

During the flight of the rocket in airspace at an altitude of 50-200 meters, the shell of the projectile heats up to high temperatures, therefore, new heat-resistant alloys were used in the manufacture of the product.

For reference: The first American hypersonic aircraft "Valkyrie" developed a speed of up to 3200 km / h. The airframe was made of titanium. It was impractical and expensive to use such an expensive metal for mass production of missiles.

It was no less difficult to solve the problem of homing missiles at high speeds. Unlike the well-known aeroballistic combat systems capable of flying at hypersonic speeds and at altitudes up to 100 km, the cruise missile has a different field of application. The main flight of the rocket takes place in the dense layers of the atmosphere. Unlike ballistic missiles, the CD has a flat flight path and a shorter range. All these requirements pose new challenges for weapons developers.

In flight at hypersonic speed, due to the appearance of a plasma cloud around the projectile, a natural distortion of the target designation parameters appears. It was decided to install perfect electronic equipment on the new rocket, capable of guiding the projectile to the target at high speed, in spite of the counteraction of powerful electromagnetic fields.

The plans of the Supreme Naval Leadership regarding the combat capabilities of the new missile

For the first time, the rocket was launched at the flight test site in Aktyubinsk in 2012. The launch was carried out from the Tu-22M3 strategic missile carrier. Further launches were carried out from ground-based launchers. The complex of basic tests is already coming to an end. There are still flaws in the propulsion system and guidance system, but this, according to the creators of the rocket, can be eliminated in the near future. Preparations are underway to launch new weapons into production.

The high naval command believes that one TARKR "Peter the Great", armed with hypersonic anti-ship missiles "Zircon", will be able to single-handedly withstand an entire combat formation of ships of a potential enemy. In coastal naval theaters, Russian small and medium-sized warships equipped with the latest missile will be able to control the entire water area. In terms of range and speed, the Russian missile has no analogues either in the Turkish Navy or in the fleets of the Baltic countries.

The situation is similar with the re-equipment of the ships of the Pacific Fleet. The new weapons will significantly enhance the operational and tactical capabilities of the Pacific Fleet ships in the Pacific Ocean. This, in a way, will create a reliable foothold for strengthening the defenses of the Far Eastern borders against a real threat.

Finally

The latest developments of Russian designers have baffled the defense departments of the United States, Great Britain and China, which assess the emergence of the latest hypersonic missile as a potential threat to their navies. Today, the technical equipment of the Russian fleet with operational and tactical weapons is in a satisfied state, but constant technological progress leads to the rapid obsolescence of the combat potential of the modern fleet. Only yesterday the powerful Granit cruise missiles frightened the American admirals, but today the missile armament of Russian ships already needs improvement.

The Zircon hypersonic cruise missile is far ahead of its time in its parameters. The technologies that formed the design of the industrial design are years ahead of the technological level of armament and equipment of the fleet. New submarines, designed at the Malakhit Design Bureau, are being developed as combat platforms for a new generation of weapons.

It should not be disregarded the fact that the new frigates and corvettes, which today represent the basis of the Russian Navy, will be armed with hypersonic missiles in the future.

In China, such developments are also moving at a rapid pace. The latest Chinese anti-ship missile, the DF-21, with a range of up to 3000 km, can enter service with the PLA Navy within 2-3 years. The Americans are trying to keep up with Russia and China, working on the X-51A X-51 Wave Rider project. This hypersonic missile should not be inferior to Russian and Chinese development.

It didn’t come to the real flight of the American brainchild. China only plans to complete the work by 2020. At the operational-tactical level, the Russian hypersonic missile already has real outlines in metal, has been tested and is preparing for serial production. Time will tell what will be the future of the newest weapons. Nevertheless, modernization of the Russian fleet and rearmament of ships will begin shortly.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them

The flights of "three-fly" aircraft were accompanied by a frantic heating of the structure. The temperature of the edges of the air intakes and the leading edge of the wing reached 580-605 K, and the rest of the skin was 470-500 K. The consequences of such heating are evidenced by the fact that already at a temperature of 370 K the organic glass used for glazing the cabins softens and the fuel begins to boil.

At 400 K, the strength of duralumin decreases, at 500 K, chemical decomposition of the working fluid in the hydraulic system and the destruction of seals occur. At 800 K, titanium alloys lose the necessary mechanical properties. At temperatures above 900 K, aluminum and magnesium melt, and heat-resistant steel loses its properties.

The flights were carried out in the stratosphere at an altitude of 20,000 meters in highly thin air. Achieving 3M speed at lower altitudes was not possible - the skin temperature would have reached four-digit values.

Over the next half century, a number of measures have been proposed to combat the searing rage of atmospheric heating. Beryllium alloys and new ablation materials, composites based on boron and carbon fibers, plasma spraying of refractory coatings ...

Despite these advances, the thermal barrier remains a major obstacle to hypersound. An obligatory obstacle, but not the only one.

The supersonic flight mode is extremely expensive in terms of the required thrust and fuel consumption. And the level of complexity of this problem increases rapidly with decreasing flight altitude.

To date, none of the existing types of aircraft and cruise missiles has been able to develop a speed of 3M at sea level.

The MiG-23 became the record holder among manned aircraft. Thanks to its relatively small size, variable sweep wing and powerful R-29-300 engine, it was able to develop 1,700 km / h near the ground. More than anyone in the world!

The cruise missiles showed a slightly better result, but also failed to reach the Mach 3 "bar". Among all the diversity of anti-ship missile weapons, worldwide, only four anti-ship missiles can fly twice the speed of sound at sea level. Among them:

— ZM80 "Mosquito" (starting weight 4 tons, maximum speed at an altitude of 14 km - 2.8M, at sea level - 2M)

— ZM55 "Onyx"(starting weight 3 tons, max.speed at an altitude of 14 km - 2.6M)

— ZM54 "Caliber"

- as well as, russian-Indian "BrahMos"(launch weight 3 tons, design speed at low altitude 2M).

The most promising "Caliber" got close to the cherished 3M. Thanks to its multi-stage arrangement, its detachable warhead (which itself is the third step) is capable of developing a speed of 2.9M at the finish line. However, not for long - the separation and acceleration of the warhead is carried out in the immediate vicinity of the target. On the marching section, ZM54 flies on subsonic.

It is worth noting that there is no information about testing and practicing the ZM54 separation algorithm. Despite common name, the ZM54 rocket has little in common with those "Calibers" that staged an unforgettable fireworks display in the skies over the Caspian Sea last fall (subsonic missile launcher for strikes against land targets, index ZM14).

It can be stated that a rocket developing a speed of\u003e 2M at low altitude, in the literal sense, is only tomorrow.

You have already noticed that each of the three anti-ship missiles capable of developing 2M on the cruising leg of the flight (Mosquito, Onyx, Brahmos) has exceptional weight and size characteristics. The length is 8-10 meters, the launch weight is 7-8 times higher than the performance of subsonic anti-ship missiles. Moreover, their warheads are relatively small, they account for about 8% of the launch mass of the rocket. And the flight range at low altitude barely reaches 100 km.

The possibility of an aircraft-based missile remains in question. Due to their too long length, the Mosquito and Brahmos do not fit into the airborne landing site, they require separate launchers on the decks of the ships. As a result, the number of carriers of supersonic anti-ship missiles can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

At this point, it is worth referring to the title topic of this article.

ZM22 "Zircon" - a hypersonic sword of the Russian Navy. Myth or Reality?

The rocket that is talked about so much, but no one even saw its outline. What will this superweapon look like? What are its capabilities? And the main question - how realistic are the plans to create such an anti-ship missile system at the modern technological level?

After reading a long introduction about the torment of the creators of supersonic aircraft and cruise missiles, many of the readers, for sure, have acquired doubts about the realism of the existence of "Zircon".

A fiery arrow flying on the border of supersonic and hypersonic, capable of striking sea targets at ranges of 500 kilometers or more. Whose overall dimensions do not exceed the established limits when placed in UKSK cells.

The universal shipborne firing system 3S14 is an 8-round under-deck vertical launcher for launching the entire range of Kalibr missiles. Max. the length of the transport and launch container with the rocket is 8.9 meters. The launch weight is limited to three tons. It is planned that ten such modules (80 launch silos) will form the basis of the strike weapons on the modernized nuclear-powered Orlans.

A promising superweapon or another unfulfilled promise? Doubts are in vain.

The emergence of a supersonic anti-ship missile capable of developing a speed of 4.5M in flight is the next logical step in improving missile weapons. It is curious that missiles of similar characteristics have been in service with the world's leading fleets for 30 years. One index is enough to understand what is at stake.

Anti-aircraft missile 48N6E2 as part of the sea anti-aircraft system S-300FM "Fort":
The length and diameter of the body are standard for all missiles of the S-300 family.
Length \u003d 7.5 m, rocket diameter with folded wings \u003d 0.519 m.
The launch weight is 1.9 tons.
Warhead - high-explosive fragmentation weighing 180 kg.
The estimated range of destruction of the VC is up to 200 km.
Speed \u200b\u200b- up to 2100 m / s (SIX speeds of sound).

SAM 48N6E2 as part of the S-300PMU2 "Favorit" land complex

How justified is the comparison of anti-aircraft missiles with anti-ship missiles?

There are not many conceptual differences. Anti-aircraft 48N6E2 and promising Zircon are controllable rockets with all the ensuing consequences.

Sailors are well aware of the hidden capabilities of shipborne air defense systems. Half a century ago, during the first firing of anti-aircraft missiles, an obvious discovery was made: at the line-of-sight range, the missiles will be the first to be deployed. They have a smaller warhead mass, but their reaction time is 5-10 times less than anti-ship missiles! This tactic was widely used in "skirmishes" at sea. The Yankees damaged the Iranian frigate by "Standard" (1988). Russian sailors with the help of the "Wasp" dealt with the Georgian boats.

The bottom line is that if a conventional missile defense system with a disabled proximity fuse can be used against ships, then why create on its basis a special means to destroy surface targets? The advantage will be a high flight speed, at the turn of hypersound.

The main disadvantage is the high-altitude flight profile, which makes the missile vulnerable to penetration of enemy air defenses.

What are the main design differences between missiles and anti-ship missiles?

Guidance system.

To detect targets over the horizon, anti-ship missiles need an active radar seeker.

It is worth noting that anti-aircraft missiles with ARGSN have been used in the world for a long time. The first of them (the European "Aster") was put into service over ten years ago. A similar rocket was created by the Americans (Standard-6). Domestic analogs are 9M96E and E2 - anti-aircraft missiles of the shipborne air defense system "Redut".

At the same time, it should be easier to detect a 100-meter ship than to aim at an actively maneuvering point-sized object (aircraft or RC).

Engine.

Most anti-aircraft missiles are powered by solid-propellant rocket engines, whose operating time is limited to seconds. The operating time of the 48N6E2 rocket main engine is only 12 s, after which the rocket flies by inertia, controlled by aerodynamic rudders. As a rule, the flight range of missiles along a quasi-ballistic trajectory, with a marching section high in the stratosphere, does not exceed 200 km (the most “long-range”), which is quite enough to perform the tasks assigned to them.

Anti-ship weapons, on the other hand, are equipped with turbojet engines - for a long, for tens of minutes, flight in dense layers of the atmosphere. At a much slower speed than anti-aircraft missiles.

The creators of the 4-fly "Zircon", obviously, will have to abandon any turbojet and ramjet engines, using the proven technique with a powder turbojet engine.

The task of increasing the flight range is solved by a multistage layout. For example, the American Standard-3 interceptor missile has a range of 700 km, and the interception height is limited to low Earth orbit.

Standard-3 is a four-stage rocket (starting booster Mk.72, two main stages and a detachable kinetic interceptor with its own engines for trajectory correction). After the separation of the third stage, the speed of the combat unit reaches Mach 10!

It is noteworthy that Standard-3 is a relatively light compact weapon, with a starting weight of ~ 1600 kg. An anti-missile missile is placed in a standard ATC cell on board any American destroyer.

The interceptor missile has no warhead. The main and only damaging element is its fourth stage (infrared sensor, computer and set of engines), crashing into the enemy at full speed.

Returning to Zircon, the author sees no fundamental obstacles to an anti-aircraft missile, which has a lower speed and a flatter trajectory than Standard-3, after passing through the apogee could safely return to the dense layers of the atmosphere. After that, detect and attack the target by falling as a star on the deck of the ship.

The development and creation of a hypersonic anti-aircraft missile based on existing anti-aircraft missiles is the most optimal solution in terms of minimizing technical risks and financial costs.

A) shooting at moving sea targets at a distance of over 500 km. Due to the high flight speed of the Zircon, its flight time will be reduced to 10-15 minutes. That, will automatically solve the problem of data aging.

Previously, as now, anti-ship missiles are launched in the direction of the likely target location. By the time it arrives at the indicated square, the target can already go beyond its limits, making it impossible for its detection by the missile's seeker.

B) from previous paragraph followed by the possibility of effective firing at ultra-long distances, which will make the missile the “long arm” of the fleet. The ability to deliver operational strikes at a huge range. The reaction time of such a system is ten times less than that of an aircraft carrier wing.

C) launching an attack from the zenith, along with an unexpectedly high missile flight speed (after braking in dense layers of the atmosphere, it will be about 2M), will make most of the existing short-range defense systems ineffective ("Daggers", "Goalkeepers", RIM-116 etc.)

At the same time, negative aspects will be:

1. Altitude flight path. Within a second after the start, the enemy will notice the launch of the rocket and begin to prepare to repel the attack.

Speed \u200b\u200b\u003d 4.5M is not a panacea here. The characteristics of the domestic S-400 make it possible to intercept air targets flying at speeds up to 10M.

The new American SAM "Standard-6" has a maximum defeat height of 30 km. Last year, with its help, in practice, the farthest interception of the CC in naval history (140+ kilometers) was carried out. And the powerful radar and computational capabilities of the Aegis allow destroyers to hit targets in near-earth orbits.

2. The second problem is the weak warhead. Someone will say that at such speeds you can do without it. But this is not the case.

An anti-aircraft missile "Talos" without a warhead almost cut the target in half (exercise off the coast of California, 1968).

The Talos main stage weighed 1.5 tons (more than any of the existing missiles) and was powered by a ramjet engine. Upon hitting the target, the unused supply of kerosene detonated. The speed at the moment of impact \u003d 2M. The target was a WWII-era destroyer escort (1,100 tons), whose dimensions corresponded to the modern MRK.

The hit of Talos in a cruiser or destroyer (5000 - 10000 tons), logically, could not lead to serious consequences. In naval history, there are many cases when ships, having received numerous through holes from armor-piercing shells, remained in service. So, american aircraft carrier “Kalinin Bay” in the battle at about. Samar was punched through 12 times.

The Zircon anti-ship missile needs a warhead. However, in view of the need to ensure a speed of 4.5M and limited mass and dimensions when placed in an airborne vehicle, the mass of the warhead will not exceed 200 kg (the estimate is given based on examples of existing missiles).

Designed to break through defensive systems, hypersonic missiles are a novelty in a longstanding arms race. The Russian Zircon missile could be put into service as early as 2018. Despite numerous newspaper headlines, not much is known about this missile yet to be sure whether it poses an insurmountable threat to ships at sea.

Sputnik, the Russian state-owned news agency, touts the missile's capabilities and notes that "British carrier strike forces will be forced out of range of the Zircon missile, and carrier-based aircraft will not have enough fuel to cover the required distance." ...

A missile that threatens aircraft carriers is a cheap means of countering a deadly threat, but the threat is well known. Over the years, military planners have added other ships to aircraft carrier strike groups, equipped with missile defense systems and using their own radars and interceptor missiles to protect massive aircraft carriers from currently known rockets. It's not just speed that makes hypersonic cruise missiles a serious threat.

Speed \u200b\u200bis only a means, not an end in itself. What makes missiles difficult to intercept is what they can do with their speed. “In my opinion, the question about the Zircon rocket is its characteristics - whether it can be detected at a long distance and how fast it can maneuver in the final phase. These are more interesting questions than just speed, ”said James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for international peace (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace).

Context

Russian missiles cannot be stopped

Il Giornale 02/23/2017

"Sarmat" - the killer of the American missile defense?

The National Interest 02/16/2017

The new Russian rocket is important

The National Interest 02/01/2017 Speed \u200b\u200balone is not enough, because existing missile defense systems are designed precisely to shoot down significantly faster targets.

“This is actually a high speed for a cruise missile, but it is not particularly high when you think about ballistic missiles,” said David Wright of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Missile defense systems designed to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles are just beginning to show some success against training targets. Patriot systems are used against smaller ballistic missiles and are in service with many NATO member states, including the United States. Patriot missiles have a speed of approximately Mach 4. This is more than enough to destroy existing cruise missiles and aircraft. In addition, the Patriot missiles have shown some success in the fight against ballistic missiles flying along a predictable trajectory.

Interception is carried out at the expense of speed and detection.

The highest speed of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile is Mach 20. This is three or four times faster than the estimated speed of the Zircon rocket. However, ballistic missiles fly along a fairly clear trajectory - first up, then down, and all this in the open sky, where radars and satellites can easily track their entire flight.

“Another way to bypass the radar — at least to a certain extent — is for the rocket to fly low. The flight profile is very important to complicate detection, ”Acton said. "Even if a missile is spotted, it is unlikely to be intercepted if it is capable of maneuvering to evade a strike." Rockets are literally dodging anti-missiles trying to intercept them.

How exactly the Zircon rocket will fly will ultimately say much more about its capabilities than just data about its speed. If this rocket can move along a low trajectory, and then, after a sudden and unexpected maneuver, at the very end of its flight, hits the ship, then it will be just as deadly as everyone is trumpeting. If it is not capable of such a maneuver, then perhaps existing missile defense systems will be able to intercept it. Although it is unlikely that designers and military planners did not endow it with such capabilities. However, this kind of information is not currently available, and therefore, in any case, it is still too early to say for sure whether the Zircon missile will provide Russia with a huge advantage in sea battles.

“I take very seriously what is said about the Zircon missile, as well as the fact that it can pose a threat to american ships- said Acton. “However, speed alone is not the only important factor. According to the media, its speed is Mach 6, and this is supposedly why it cannot be stopped. In fact, this is a rather illiterate assumption. "

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the Inosmi editorial board.