Russia launched a new attack against Ukraine using cruise missiles Kh-22/Kh-32 and hypersonic anti-ship missiles 3M22 Zircon.
The information was published on January 24 by the official Telegram channel of the Air Force of Ukraine.
According to the announcement, the Russian forces launched a total of 12 Kh-22/Kh-32 cruise missiles from the airspace over the Bryansk region of Russia. At the same time, two 3M22 Zircon missiles were fired from the temporarily occupied Crimea. The platform used to launch the Zircon missiles was not disclosed, and their use in combat remains rare.
The Ukrainian air defense managed to intercept nine out of the 12 Kh-22/Kh-32 missiles. However, the Zircon missiles could not be shot down, according to the Air Force.
The Kh-22 and Kh-32 are cruise missiles originally developed between the 1960s and 1980s, designed both for anti-ship missions and attacks on land-based targets. Despite their high explosive charge, these missiles are considered imprecise and only exist in limited quantities according to open sources.
The 3M22 Zircon missile, on the other hand, represents a different generation of weapons. Although the program is classified, the use of this missile against Ukraine has allowed experts to analyze recovered components. The analysis shows that Zircon is a further development of the Soviet supersonic anti-ship missile 3M55 Onyx from the late 1970s.
According to technical assessments, the Zircon’s significant speed increase over the Onyx may have been achieved through a significant reduction in weight, including the explosive charge, use of more powerful fuel and a new ramjet engine optimized for hypersonic speeds.
The Ukrainian Air Force recalled that during a morning attack on Kyiv on March 25, 2024, the Air Force managed to intercept two Zircon missiles. Surveillance channels reported that the targets covered about 580 km to the capital in about three minutes, which corresponds to an estimated speed of about 11,600 km/h, i.e. above Mach 9. These parameters are consistent with the declared characteristics of Zircon and exclude the use of other systems such as Iskander or Kinzhal.
In a related context, it published Russian Ministry of Defense on January 22 a videoapparently showing a strategic bomber Tu-22M3 with one Kh-22/Kh-32 missile during a flight over the Baltic Sea. The planes were escorted by Su-35S and Su-30SM fighters and, according to Moscow, accompanied by other countries’ fighters on certain routes. The Russian government stated that all flights were conducted in full compliance with international aviation regulations.
Sources and images: Telegram @zvezdanews | Air Force of Ukraine – Telegram @kpszsu. This content is created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editors.
@militaryanalyseOn January 22, the Ministry of Defense of Russia released a video showing a strategic Tu-22M3 bomber carrying a Kh-22/Kh-32 missile during a flight over the Baltic Sea. Sources and images: Telegram @zvezdanews
