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3M22 Zircon Hypersonic Missile in Development Testing for Russian Navy Kirov-class Cruiser
Navy Recognition ^ | 19 February 2016

Posted on 02/19/2016 1:58:37 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki

Russian cutting-edge hypersonic missile 3M22 of the 3K22 Zircon system is in the development trials. The Project 11442 (NATO reporting name: Kirov-class) Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered missile cruiser will carry the type following its upgrade, a shipbuilding industry source told TASS on Friday.

According to rumors, the Indo-Russian BrahMos II hypersonic cruise missile (pictured here at Defexpo 2014) is the export variant of the Russian 3M22 Zircon missile.

"The Pyotr Veliky cruiser will start its repairs in the third or fourth quarter of 2019. Its repairs and upgrade are planned to be complete in late 2022, with the ship to be equipped with Zircon hypersonic antiship missiles. Now, the missile is in the development testing and will enter service, if it passes the tests," the source said.

The tests of the 3K22 Zircon system are planned for completion by 2020. The system is expected to be unveiled in the air-launched and ship-based variants. Its characteristics are classified.

Navy Recognition understands that early rumors indicate the Indo-Russian BrahMos II hypersonic cruise missile may be an export variant of the Zircon (just as the BarhMos missile share many similarities with the Russian P-800 Oniks missile).

The planned operational range of the BrahMos-II is about 300 kilometers and its speed is set to be around Mach 7 thanks to a ramjet engine.

Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser (TARKR), the fourth Kirov class cruiser of the Russian Navy.

Pyotr Veliky is the fourth Kirov class cruiser (and the only one operational today), a class of nuclear-powered warship of the Russian Navy. It is the largest and heaviest surface combatant warships after aircraft carriers currently in active operation in the world.

As was reported in the press, the Sevmash Shipyard and the Special Machinebuilding Design Bureau (KBSM, a subsidiary of Almaz-Antei) made a deal for 10 3S-14-11442M vertical launch systems (VLS) to equip the Project 11442M Admiral Nakhimov missile cruiser being upgraded now. The contract is valued at 2.559 billion rubles ($33.5 million). Thus, the ship’s 20 inclined below-deck launchers of P-700 Granit antiship missiles (SS-N-19 Shipwreck) will be replaced with 10 VLS modules of the UKSK versatile ship-based launch system. The VLS modules will total 80. The same solution is expected to be applied to the Pyotr Veliky cruiser.

The 3S-14 VLS can launch the missiles of the Kalibr family (SS-N-27 Sizzler). In addition, the equipment for testing the VLS using mockups of the 3M-54, 3M55 and 3M22 antiship missiles is to be ready be December 2016.

The Project 11442 Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser is designed to sink hostile ships, destroy land targets and provide air defense for its formation. The cruiser carries the 130-mm AK-130 gun, land-attack, antiship and surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, Kortik SAM/gun close-in weapons systems and the Vodopad antisubmarine missile/torpedo system. The ship was launched in 1989 and commissioned with the Russian Navy in 1998. It displaces 24,500 tons and measures 251 m long. It has a full power of 140,000 hp, a speed of 31 knots and a crew of 728. The cruiser carries a Kamov Ka-27 (Helix) helicopter or a derivative thereof.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: aerospace; hypersonic; russia; zircon

1 posted on 02/19/2016 1:58:37 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
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To: sukhoi-30mki

Nice but at Mach 7 its not going to turn much so predict line of flight will not be all that hard for Aegis Class ships. and Standard is a pretty good missle too.


2 posted on 02/19/2016 2:08:27 AM PST by Bidimus1
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To: sukhoi-30mki

I was in Central America when the “Moskva” visited and was able to talk with one of its senior officers.

Their “culture of maintenance” stinks beyond anything we could even imagine and the ship was barely able to keep moving for it’s port visits.

Any weapon system used by the Russians will need some major tinkering to get it to work correctly, if reliably.

And knowing how they “weigh” their testing, the Indians must think they can do something with the tech. not necessarily the actual system.


3 posted on 02/19/2016 2:11:51 AM PST by wbarmy (I chose to be a sheepdog once I saw what happens to the sheep.)
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To: sukhoi-30mki

er, the Russians are dumping a tremendous load of diamonds to raise money that does amount to a whole lot in the big scheme of things.

oil prices are destroying them.

where are they getting the bucks to do all this and sustain an invasion that analysts say they can continue for only a year financially?

can arms sales make up that much of the difference?


4 posted on 02/19/2016 2:13:09 AM PST by dp0622
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To: sukhoi-30mki

If you get hit by that you will need some Zircon encrusted tweezers to extract it.


5 posted on 02/19/2016 2:15:41 AM PST by soycd
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To: dp0622

I’ve been asking myself the same question. How can they afford all this? Even before the sanctions and the collapse of energy prices, I was curious about it.


6 posted on 02/19/2016 2:40:05 AM PST by Carbonsteel
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To: soycd; ZirconEncrustedTweezers

Name him, ping him...


7 posted on 02/19/2016 3:20:49 AM PST by null and void (This is "They live", and most people would rather fight you than put on the glasses...)
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To: sukhoi-30mki

Since our economy is 10 times bigger than Russia’s, and since we don’t have a missile coming close to this one, I have to assume that this particular missile doesn’t exist and we have nothing to worry about.


8 posted on 02/19/2016 3:26:06 AM PST by BobL (Who cares? He's going to build a wall and stop this invasion.)
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To: Carbonsteel
I’ve been asking myself the same question. How can they afford all this? Even before the sanctions and the collapse of energy prices, I was curious about it.

Chinese investment?

9 posted on 02/19/2016 3:26:50 AM PST by PapaBear3625 (Big government is attractive to those who think that THEY will be in control of it.)
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To: sukhoi-30mki

...but that picture of the Kirov cruiser looks incredibly real. But I still don’t buy it, because we spend 10 times as much on defense as they do, therefore our ships are 10 times bigger than theirs - and we have nothing 10 times the size of that (or even 1 times).

[sorry, I’m just being cynical, applying the rationale used by others here when they were trying to get us to start WW3 over The Ukraine]


10 posted on 02/19/2016 3:30:44 AM PST by BobL (Who cares? He's going to build a wall and stop this invasion.)
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To: wbarmy

In the early 90s, a Kynda and Kara class cruisers stopped at the Norfolk Naval Station. Got a chance to tour both ships. They were disasters waiting to happen. Soviet naval architects have zero concept of water tight integrity. I didn’t see one complete watertight bulkhead on either ship. Cables passing through were not in stuffing tubes. Openings between decks without hatches. Door ways through bulkheads with out water tight doors. Never did see anything akin to repair locker. No emergency power distribution system, didn’t see any fire main or hose connections. If you dodged the missiles, a 2250 class tin can could have easily sent either of these ships to the bottom with their 5 inch guns. Guess the Soviet Navy philosophy was stay afloat just long enough to launch you main missiles and we will see the Captain gets his Hero of the Soviet Union medal presented to his widow.


11 posted on 02/19/2016 3:53:23 AM PST by Bull Snipe
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To: Bull Snipe
Guess the Soviet Navy philosophy was stay afloat just long enough to launch you main missiles

In my conversation with the senior officer, that was exactly the purpose of the"Moskva". Launch all of its tube missiles at the biggest ship in the threat, then dodge like hell.

Kind of like their artillery philosophy. Fire all of the cannons at one grid square, and keep firing until told to stop or they are forced to stop.
12 posted on 02/19/2016 4:03:44 AM PST by wbarmy (I chose to be a sheepdog once I saw what happens to the sheep.)
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To: sukhoi-30mki

Seeing all the problems the U.S. is having with it’s WaveRider hypersonic missile, I wonder how viable the Zircon/Brahmos II really is at this stage.


13 posted on 02/19/2016 6:08:53 AM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: dp0622

All military operations are sales brochures for their hardware.


14 posted on 02/19/2016 6:12:44 AM PST by AppyPappy (If you really want to irritate someone, point out something obvious they are trying hard to ignore.)
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To: AppyPappy

can they really replace the oil money with military sales?

i heard they dumped a ton of diamonds recently for not all that much.

and Syria must be costing a fortune for them.


15 posted on 02/19/2016 1:50:57 PM PST by dp0622
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To: dp0622

It’s pretty big money. But the oil thing is only temporary.


16 posted on 02/19/2016 2:45:51 PM PST by AppyPappy (If you really want to irritate someone, point out something obvious they are trying hard to ignore.)
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