Russia launched another attack on Ukraine Kh-22/Kh-32 with cruise missiles and 3M22 Zircon with hypersonic anti-ship missiles.
The information was published on January 24 on the Official Air Force Telegram channel of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
According to the statement, Russian forces fired a total of 12 Kh-22/Kh-32 cruise missiles from Russian airspace over the Bryansk region. At the same time, two 3M22 Zircon rockets were fired from the temporarily occupied Crimea. The platform used to launch the Zircon missiles has not been disclosed, and their combat use remains rare.
Ukrainian air defense managed to shoot down nine of the 12 Kh-22/Kh-32 missiles. However, the Zircon missiles could not be intercepted, according to the Air Force.
The Kh-22 and Kh-32 cruise missiles were originally developed between the 1960s and 1980s for both anti-ship and land targets. Despite their high explosive power, these missiles are considered inaccurate and are available in limited quantities, according to publicly available sources.
The 3M22 Zircon missile, on the other hand, represents a new type of weapon. Although the program is secret, the missile’s use in Ukraine allowed experts to analyze the recovered parts. According to analysis, Zircon is an improved version of the Soviet supersonic 3M55 Onyx anti-ship missile, which was created in the late 1970s.
According to technical evaluations, the Zircon’s significant speed increase compared to the Onych was probably achieved through a significant reduction in mass, including the warhead, and the use of more powerful fuel and a new ramjet engine optimized for hypersonic operation.
The Ukrainian Air Force recalled that on March 25, 2024, during an early morning attack on Kyiv, the air defense managed to intercept two Zircon missiles. According to surveillance channels, the targets traveled about 580 km to the capital in about three minutes, which is about It corresponds to a speed of 11,600 km/h, i.e. exceeds Mach 9. These parameters correspond to the specified characteristics of Zircon and exclude the use of other systems such as Iskander or Kinzsal.
In a related context, on January 22nd it is Russian Ministry of Defense published a videowhich allegedly shows a Tu-22M3 strategic bomber Kh-22/Kh-32 by rocket during a flight over the Baltic Sea. The planes were escorted by Su-35S and Su-30SM fighter jets and, according to Moscow, were escorted by fighter jets from other countries at certain stages. The Russian government said that all flights were carried out in strict accordance with international airspace rules.
Sources and images: Telegram @zvezdanews | Ukrainian Air Force – Telegram @kpszsu. This content was created with the help of AI and verified 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
