Ukrainian experts question the performance of Russia's hypersonic Zircon missile

The Ukrainians confirm the usage of a 3M22 Zircon hypersonic maneuvering missile by the Russians. Oleksandr Ruwin, director of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, noted on his Telegram channel that "this is evidenced by the markings on parts and fragments, identification of components, characteristics of weapons of this type." He added, "The missile was aimed at an area where there are no military targets, damage to civilian infrastructure has occurred, and civilians have also been harmed".

Significantly, Ruwin suggests, we can "say that the weapon does not meet the tactical and technical characteristics claimed by the adversary". It's worthwhile reminding that Vladimir Putin frequently boasted about the Zircon project, repeatedly highlighting that the missile "has no equivalents". In 2021, the Russian president asserted the missile, capable of reaching speeds up to around Mach 9, was hard to detect, with a range of 1000 kilometers (approximately 621 miles), and could notably boost Russia's defense and assault capabilities.

Alexander Leonov, general director and chief designer of NPO Mashinostroeniya, the design bureau tasked with the construction of Zircon, was granted the utmost state honorary title - Hero of the Russian Federation - by Putin’s decree for his contribution to the development of Zircons at 2021's end. This underscored the importance that the governing body attributed to the Zircons, often dubbed the "superweapon of Russia."

Possession of hypersonic missiles is reserved for a few select countries. Their development calls for technical progression and polishing of many intricate solutions. The Russians initiated working on Zircons in 2011, and the testing of this weapon started in 2015. At the Army-2021 military-technical forum, held in August 2021, the Russian Ministry of Defence signed a contract to procure Zircon missiles from the NPO Mashinostroeniya design bureau. It was announced then that the contract would be fulfilled by 2025.

The production quantity of these missiles remains unknown. However, experts from the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise remarked that the markings on the wreck of the 3M22 Zircon missile that dropped on Kyiv suggest that the missile was recently assembled and created from parts manufactured in 2023-2024.

The prospect that Russia did not previously have ready-made Zircons could explain why Putin's army did not utilize this weapon earlier in Ukraine. Contrarily, it can't be discarded that hasty construction means that Russia's "superweapon" was not perfectly developed, thus it "does not meet the tactical and technical characteristics declared by the adversary", as the analysts from KNDISE pointed out.