Russia’s half-hidden, half-open revelation of the new generation Zircon supersonic anti-ship missile, with a compact structure that can be installed on warships, is attracting attention, especially among major powers.
Revolution in naval warfare
Experts say that when the Zircon missile appears, it could create a revolution in naval combat.
Information about Russia’s Zircon anti-ship missile testing process is currently worrying US military officials.
Prototype of Zircon supersonic anti-ship missile.
Zircon was developed and standardized to use the 3C-14 multi-purpose vertical launch device combination, which can be used with Onyx and Kalibr missiles.
Based on published data, military experts say that, despite its superior features, Zircon is still the same size as its `predecessors` P-800 Onyx and Kalibr.
However, the special feature of Zircon is its flight trajectory.
The Zircon land testing process has been basically completed and it is expected to soon be equipped with the Russian Navy at the end of this decade.
Easily penetrates the Standard Missile `missile shield`.
With the above information, Zircon is more than capable of surpassing modern warships of the Ticonderoga-class cruiser and Arleigh Burke destroyer equipped with the Aegic fire coordination system and Standard Missile-6 interceptor missiles.
With a flight speed of up to Mach 3.5, an interception ceiling of 33km, a gravitational overload of 50g and an advanced probe system, the SM-6 is estimated to be able to destroy targets flying at a speed of 800m/s and at a speed of 800m/s.
Compared to Zircon, with an approaching speed of up to 1,500m/s, SM-6 will have no chance of interception even if other surveillance systems detect the target.
American experts calculate that the SM-6’s probability of intercepting the Zircon missile is only about 20-30%.
Killer for aircraft carrier groups
When fighting with large groups of warships fully equipped with multi-layer interception and jamming technology such as aircraft carrier groups, individual Zircon missile units will find it difficult to achieve the highest combat effectiveness.
The strength of an aircraft carrier group lies not only in its defensive capabilities but also in its ability to cover a wide range with aircraft units on board, but this factor is only highly effective when confronting enemy warships.
When confronting warships equipped with Zircon missiles, the problem of ensuring a control zone of up to 2,000km for the aircraft carrier group will become extremely complicated.
With Zircon missile technology, aircraft carrier groups are becoming vulnerable targets.
US Navy experts calculate that with a series of up to 15 Zircon missiles, the probability of an aircraft carrier group being disabled is up to 70-85% with a minimum loss of 2-3 escort ships.
However, the above factors are only the scenario of a comprehensive war.
According to many sources, the Pentagon is also focusing on developing hypersonic missile technology, but cannot yet possess a product equivalent to Zircon.
With the appearance of Zircon, the US Navy was forced to recalculate its methods of combat at sea, as well as build a new countermeasure platform.
According to Tuan Son (summary)
National Army
