World's first! Submarine-launched hypersonic weapon test-fired, Russia announces successful test-fire of Zircon by nuclear submarine

Some time ago, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the Russian nuclear-powered submarine "Severodvinsk" successfully tested the "Zircon" hypersonic missile for the first time on the 3rd, with a speed of up to 6,670 miles per hour (10,734.32448 kilometers). After the launch, the missile successfully hit a hypothetical enemy sea target in the Barents Sea. According to the objective observation and control system records, the missile hit the target and its flight met the established parameters.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the missile, with a speed of up to Mach 9 (9 times the speed of sound), can penetrate the defense systems of all Western countries.

Although the video is dark, it can be seen that the submarine was launched from the sea surface, but this is still the first known hypersonic weapon launched from a submarine-launched platform.

Immediately afterwards, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on October 4, 2021 that a Russian nuclear submarine successfully tested the "Zircon" hypersonic missile from underwater for the first time that day.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said that the "Severodvinsk" nuclear submarine successfully tested the "Zircon" missile at a depth of 40 meters in the waters of the White Sea on the 4th. Target monitoring data showed that the missile flight met the set parameters.

This is the second time that the Severodvinsk nuclear submarine has tested a Zircon missile within 24 hours. The Russian Ministry of Defense informed the media earlier on the 4th that the Severodvinsk nuclear submarine completed the Zircon missile launch on the surface on the 3rd.

The Severodvinsk (K-329) attack submarine is the first ship of the fourth-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine Yasen class in Russia. Designed by the Rubin Design Bureau, it is the first multi-purpose attack submarine of the Yasen class in Russia. As early as May this year, another Russian Yasen class nuclear submarine, the Kazan 885M special nuclear submarine, was transformed into a submarine capable of launching Zircon hypersonic missiles and was delivered to the Russian Navy on May 7. (The Severodvinsk attack submarine, as the first ship of the Yasen class, is code-named 885, and the subsequent code-name is 885M)

The "Severodvinsk" attack nuclear submarine is 111 meters long, 12 meters wide, has an underwater displacement of approximately 13,000 tons and a cruising range of 100 days. It is one of the best attack nuclear submarines in the world.

According to Russian reports, the Zircon hypersonic missile is a hypersonic missile based on the principle of an air-breathing scramjet engine. It is mainly launched from sea-based platforms and can be launched from frigates, cruisers and submarines. The maximum range is 1,000 kilometers. The maximum speed of the missile reaches about 9 times the speed of sound (about 2.65 kilometers per second at an altitude of 20 kilometers, or more than 10,000 kilometers per hour), and the warhead weight can reach 400 kilograms. The missile can destroy all types of surface ships and ground targets and cannot be intercepted by missile defense systems or air defense systems.

Russia has not announced the appearance of the Zircon missile. This is a conceptual diagram.

In July this year, a Russian surface warship tested the Zircon missile in the waters of the White Sea and successfully hit the intended target. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the frigate "Marshal Gorshkov" used the Zircon missile to strike a ground target 350 kilometers away on the coast of the Barents Sea in the waters of the White Sea. During the test, the Zircon missile flew at a speed close to Mach 7 (1 Mach is about 1,224 kilometers per hour), and the relevant tactics and technical performance were verified.

The Admiral Gorshkov frigate launches a Zircon hypersonic missile.

Russian President Vladimir Putin first announced the development of a new range of hypersonic weapons in 2018, claiming they would be able to hit almost anywhere in the world and would be beyond the reach of U.S. missile defenses.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said Russia has made "breakthrough progress" in the field of hypersonic weapons and weapons based on new physical principles and will strive to maintain its leading position.

Not long ago, the U.S. military reported that the U.S. military successfully tested a hypersonic weapon in mid-September that also uses the principle of an air-breathing scramjet engine. The speed was able to exceed five times the speed of sound, reaching 6,200 kilometers per hour (3,853 miles). This was the first successful test of the U.S. military's hypersonic air-breathing weapon concept (HAWC) since 2013. It was also the first successful hypersonic weapon test by the U.S. military, and it was a "zero breakthrough" for the U.S. military.

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) said in a statement that the missile was manufactured by Raytheon and the scramjet engine was developed by Northrop Grumman. The missile was carried into the air by an aircraft and the missile engine ignited and launched a few seconds after being released in the air.

Conceptual image of Raytheon's Hypersonic Air-Breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC)

The engine works by "mixing intake air with a hydrocarbon fuel and beginning to ignite the fast-moving mixture, propelling the cruise missile forward at speeds in excess of Mach 5."

However, the US military did not provide more information. Compared with the US military's previous publicity of various advanced weapons, this time the US military's report on key projects such as hypersonic weapons was unusually low-key. So much so that the US military said in its own news that "many details were hidden."

It cannot be ruled out that these two submarine-launched tests by Russia were aimed at similar weapons tests of the United States, which means "You just succeeded in the test, but I have already tested it on multiple platforms, including the most difficult submarine launch, and it will soon be equipped to the troops (the Russian army's 'Zircon' has not yet been equipped to the troops, but 'Vanguard' and 'Dagger' are equipped to the troops)."

The Zircon missile will be put into service next year (2022) and will first be deployed on the Russian Navy frigate Admiral Gorshkov.