Russia carried out a new attack on Ukraine using Kh-22/Kh-32 cruise missiles and hypersonic anti-ship 3M22 Zircon missiles.
The information was released on January 24 by the official Ukrainian Armed Forces Air Force channel on Telegram.
According to the statement, Russian forces launched a total of 12 Kh-22/Kh-32 cruise missiles from the airspace over the Bryansk region in Russian territory. Simultaneously, two 3M22 Zircon missiles were fired from temporarily occupied Crimea. The platform used to launch the Zircon missiles was not specified, as their combat use remains rare.
Ukrainian air defense intercepted nine of the 12 Kh-22/Kh-32 missiles. The Zircon missiles, however, 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 for both anti-ship missions and attacks on ground targets. Despite their large warheads, these missiles are considered imprecise and exist in limited quantities, according to assessments from open sources.
The 3M22 Zircon missile represents a distinct generation of weaponry. While the program is highly secretive, its use against Ukraine has allowed experts to analyze recovered components. These analyses indicate that the Zircon is a later development of the Soviet supersonic anti-ship 3M55 Onyx missile, created in the late 1970s.
Technical evaluations suggest that Zircon’s significant speed increase over the Onyx may have been achieved by substantially reducing weight, including the warhead, as well as using more powerful fuel and a new ramjet engine optimized for hypersonic flight.
The Ukrainian Air Force recalled that on March 25, 2024, during a morning attack on Kyiv, air defense successfully intercepted two Zircon missiles. Monitoring channels reported that the targets traveled approximately 580 kilometers to the capital in about three minutes, indicating estimated speeds of around 11,600 km/h, exceeding Mach 9. These parameters are consistent with Zircon’s declared characteristics and rule out the use of other systems such as Iskander or Kinzhal.
In a related context, on January 22, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a video apparently showing a strategic Tu-22M3 bomber carrying a Kh-22/Kh-32 missile during a flight over the Baltic Sea. The aircraft were escorted by Su-35S and Su-30SM fighters and, according to Moscow, accompanied in certain sections by fighters from other countries. The Russian government stated that all flights were conducted in strict compliance with international airspace regulations.
Sources and images: Telegram @zvezdanews | Ukrainian Armed Forces Air Force – Telegram @kpszsu. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
@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
