more than 6,000 km/h and 400 kg of explosive

The war between Russia and Ukraine has become the first in history in which hypersonic missiles have been used. The Kremlin has a very large arsenal of this type of ammunition that travels at more than 6,000 km/h while being able to perform complex maneuvers, something that until the emergence of these weapons was unthinkable. In fact, countries like Spain or even the United States do not have this technology.

Both capabilities—extreme speed and maneuverability—make this type of missile a challenge for modern anti-aircraft shields, whose detection and interception capabilities are surpassed. This Russia is making the most of it in its war against Ukraine and, on the morning of this same Monday, it carried out an attack on kyiv with the hypersonic Zircón.

The latest reports indicate that an unknown number of Zircon model hypersonic missiles were launched from the surface in Crimea, an area of ​​great conflict in recent days. The munition traveled at high speed, covering the distance from the launch point in Crimea to kyiv in 5-6 minutesas indicated Defense Blog.

Taking into account that the distance between the Crimean peninsula and kyiv is just over 600 kilometers. This gives an average speed of the entire journey that goes from 6,200 to 7,500 kilometers per hourright in the realm of hypersonic speed that begins at 6,000 km/h.

The warhead of one of the missiles that the anti-aircraft systems got knock down was found in a residential building, according to the same media. The attack was carried out on the same day that the anniversary of the Security Service of Ukraine, the country’s highest intelligence agency, is celebrated.

The first time that Russia used a Zircon missile in Ukraine was on the 7th of last February. A preliminary analysis by the kyiv Scientific Research Institute for Forensic Examinations was published just a few days later, as stated Reuters. And after identifying several fragments of the missile’s engine and parts of the steering mechanism.

The most advanced

The Zircon (Tsirkon) missile is one of Vladimir Putin’s favorite hypersonic missiles and also one of the most mature of those officially in Moscow. In a presentation speech held in February 2019, the president detailed that the system is capable of flying at 9 times the speed of sound (11,000 km/h) and reaching targets at more than 1,000 kilometers.

The system that Russia uses for the missile is based on an engine scramjetalso known as a stratojet. A very particular propellant because it does not have a first stage of compression of the gases, which enter directly into the combustion chamber. This is achieved thanks to a first stage where the missile is propelled to the speed necessary for that engine to perform as expected.

This very particular system—although increasingly widespread in the world of hypersonic missiles—allows it to reach an altitude of 28,000 meters and carry a warhead weighing between 300 and 400 kilogramsaccording to some estimates. The design of the missile draws directly from a military program carried out in the 90s, but the first prototype did not crystallize until 2017. A year earlier than expected by the Kremlin.

One of the main properties of the Zircón missile is its operation from the warships that Russia has deployed for half the world. And the intention to equip them on the most modern submarines. However, engineers under the Kremlin have also developed land-based launch systems. The take-off platform used in the last attack on kyiv is unknown.