Russia launched a new attack on Ukraine using remotely guided missiles Kh-22/Kh-32 and hypersonic anti-radar missiles 3M22 Zircon.
The information was published on January 24 by the official channel of the Ukrainian Air Force on Telegram.
According to the statement, Russian forces fired a total of 12 Kh-22/Kh-32 remotely-guided missiles from the airspace over the Bryansk region on Russian territory. At the same time, two 3M22 Zircon missiles were fired from the temporarily occupied Crimea. The platform used to launch the Zircon missiles has not been disclosed, as their combat deployment is still rare.
Ukrainian air defense managed to shoot down nine out of 12 Kh-22/Kh-32 missiles. However, according to the Air Force, the Zircon missiles could not be shot down.
The Kh-22 and Kh-32 missiles are remote-guided missiles originally developed between the 1960s and 1980s, designed for both anti-sea missions and attacks on land targets. Despite their high explosive power, these missiles are considered inaccurate and exist in limited quantities according to open source assessments.
The 3M22 Zircon projectile represents a different generation of weapons. Although the program is top secret, its use against Ukraine allowed experts to analyze the components found. Analyzes have shown that the Zircon is a later development of the Soviet 3M55 Onyx supersonic anti-ship missile from the late 1970s.
According to technical evaluations, the significant increase in speed of the Zircon over the Onyx could be achieved by significantly reducing the weight, including the warhead, using more powerful fuel and a new ramjet engine optimized for hypersonic speeds.
The Ukrainian Air Force recalled that on March 25, 2024, during the morning attack on Kyiv, air defense managed to intercept two Zircon missiles. Monitoring channels reported that the targets traveled approximately 580 kilometers to the capital in approximately three minutes, which would correspond to an estimated speed of around 11,600 km/h, above Mach 9. These parameters match the declared characteristics of the Zircon and exclude the use of other systems such as Iskander or Kinzhal.
In a related context on January 22 The Russian Ministry of Defense released the video purportedly depicting a strategic bomber Tu-22M3 carrying a missile Kh-22/Kh-32 during a flight over the Baltic Sea. The planes were escorted by Su-35S and Su-30SM fighters and, according to Moscow, accompanied on some sections by fighters from other countries. The Russian government said all flights were conducted in strict accordance with international rules on the use of airspace.
Source and images: Telegram @zvezdanews | Ukrainian 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
