In the modern world, the arms race is incredibly relevant, even taking into account the fact that the last global conflict occurred more than seventy years ago. However, local conflicts have not stopped since then, so every year countries develop more and more new weapons, spending billions of dollars on it. Naturally, as one of the superpowers, the Russian Federation is actively participating in this process. This article will focus on one of the latest developments in the country - RCC Zircon. First you need to understand what RCC is, as well as how this technology appeared. And then it will be possible to proceed directly to the consideration of the Zircon RCC itself.
History of RCC
RCC is an anti-ship missile, that is, a type of weapon designed to destroy water targets. The first projects of such weapons appeared during the First World War, when military technologists dreamed of unmanned aerial vehicles that could freely move through the air and hit enemy targets. However, for the first time such a project was not implemented on paper, but in practice already during the Second World War. In 1943, Germany successfully used a similar anti-ship missile - and since then active production of this type of weaponry has begun.
During the Second World War, such missiles were also created by Japan and the United States of America, and fifteen years after the end of the war, the first developed anti-ship missile was used in the USSR - it was the P-15 Termite missile. Since then, various countries have made various anti-ship missiles, which are constantly evolving and improving. If the first German anti-ship missile system of 1943 could attack only at a distance of 18 kilometers, then the Soviet anti-ship missile system of 1983 P-750 Meteorite could already cover a distance of up to 5500 kilometers.
However, in the conditions of modern hostilities, the most important aspect was not the attack range and not even its strength, but invisibility - today the launched Meteorite, which is about thirteen meters long, will be instantly spotted by radars and shot down. That is why modern missiles are much smaller, but at the same time they are capable, for example, of flying most of the distance at a very low altitude, remaining invisible to enemy radars, and then right in front of the target, soar upward in order to most effectively attack this target.
Moreover, modern designers are working on the creation of anti-ship missiles, which could independently choose a target and lay a route to it, thereby greatly increasing the effectiveness of the gun. However, these are American designers - what about Russia?
It is here that you need to switch to the RCC "Zircon". The development of this rocket has been ongoing for a long time, and testing, apparently, began back in 2012, but this information is not confirmed. RCC "Zircon" should be a new word in the history of the arms race - but what is it? What data about it has already become known to the public?
What is this rocket?
The 3M22 Zircon missile is one of the latest developments of Russian military technologists. In fact, if you describe this project briefly, then this is a hypersonic operational anti-ship missile. Work on the development, production, testing and commissioning began in 2011 - it was then that the first references to the press appeared. However, in reality, the work could have been carried out earlier, but it is unlikely that anyone will publish or confirm this information. The production of this rocket is carried out by NPO Mashinostroyeniya, and other rumors appeared on the basis of this information, namely that the 3M22 Zircon rocket is a direct descendant of another project of the same manufacturer, the Bolid missile system.
Some details
So, now you know what Zircon missiles are, and also when their development began. Of course, there are supporters of the theory that the whole process was launched much earlier, but a lot of theories can be devised. As for the facts, there is documentation according to which a special group was organized in 2011, consisting of leading designers of the industry, which was tasked with developing this missile and the missile complex as a whole.
It was in 2011 that the first drawings of both the rocket itself and its various subsystems belong. All developments were carried out in NPO Mashinostroyeniya, as well as in its structural divisions, including the UPKB Detal. However, the direct mass production of these missiles will be carried out at the Strela Production Center in the city of Orenburg. These are preliminary data that may change in the future, but as of 2016, it was planned to use the Orenburg Strela to produce Zircon missiles.
Pause Development
In 2012, stunning information began to leak into the press - there was evidence that the new Zircon rocket might never be born. Many sources said that the project was either completely closed or suspended for major changes. There was no confirmation at that time, so people could only guess whether work on this project would resume.
As a result, the government of the country made a decision to merge the NPO Mashinostroyeniya working on the project with the ICB Raduga - this step was taken in order to resume work on a project so important for the country's military sphere. Zircon was obliged to enter the arsenal of the Russian Navy no matter what, therefore all necessary measures were taken to ensure that the project was unfrozen.
As a result, work on the rocket resumed, and in the spring of 2013 the public learned that some difficulties had appeared during the previous year, so work on the project was suspended, but there was no question of canceling the development of Zircon rockets.
Current situation
What is happening with this project in recent years? Naturally, during 2013 and 2014, the project was actively developed - as already mentioned, there is even information that its first tests were carried out much earlier, but this information is not confirmed. According to official sources, it was only in the summer of 2015 that it was announced that the missiles were ready for testing. Most likely, early trials did take place, however, in 2015 it was already a question of full-scale trials at the state level.
As a result, in February 2016 it was reported that the tests had already begun - and upon their completion, the readiness of the project for mass production would be announced. In April 2016, it was reported that the tests will last for a whole year and will be completed in 2017, and in 2018 serial production of Zircon anti-ship missiles will be launched. The characteristics of this missile have not yet been fully disclosed, but quite a few details are already known, which will be discussed later.
Starting equipment
The 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missile will be launched from the 11442M Russian missile cruiser. Naturally, it is impossible to launch a rocket without the use of additional equipment, simply loading it on board the ship. That is why these cruisers will be equipped with a special 3S-14-11442M launcher. This is a vertical launch unit, which significantly improves the functionality of this type of weapon. However, it is worth remembering that although these data are quite recent, they remain speculative - over time, everything can change, but today this information is the most relevant.
Control and guidance systems
Control and guidance systems that will be used to power Russian Zircon missiles have also been developed separately. This is quite logical, since it is in these systems that the main capabilities of RCC lie. As mentioned earlier, the first anti-ship missiles could not fly too far, and the guidance was rather rude. In the modern world, the conditions are completely different, so much more attention is paid to the launch, control and guidance of missiles.
Now, anti-ship missiles can fly at incredibly low altitude in order to avoid enemy radars, as well as plot their own route to the target, which is the most effective, and adjust it as you move. Zircon rocket systems have been developed at various points. For example, the autopilot and inertial navigation system was developed at NPO Granit-Electron, and the control system itself was developed at NPO Electromechanics. Also, some elements were developed by the aforementioned NPO Mashinostroyeniya, namely, UPKB Detail.
Engines
As for the engines that will power the rocket, they were developed back in 2009-2010 - of course, no one officially made a statement. Moreover, these engines were supposedly designed and manufactured for a foreign customer, however, most likely, this information was disseminated only for diverting eyes. Accordingly, by the beginning of the design of Zircon rockets, the engines for it were ready and tested in practice.
Specifications
One of the most interesting points, of course, are the technical characteristics of this rocket. What is she capable of? What competition can the leading RCC of modern times create? It is worth remembering that the last successful RCC model created on the territory of the Russian Federation was the Onyx P-800 - this missile could attack at a distance of up to 300 kilometers and flew at the same time with a speed of Mach 0.85. What can the Zircon RCC offer?
The speed of this rocket is impressive and represents one of the project’s greatest strengths. According to preliminary data, she will be able to reach speeds of about 4.5 max, however, there are suggestions that in the final product the speed will reach even six max. As for the distance at which this rocket will operate, here the creators are simply amazing. According to the first data, it will be 300-400 kilometers, but this information is not final. There is information that, by the time it is launched into mass production, the range of the Zircon anti-ship missiles will be at least 800 kilometers and can even reach thousands of kilometers.
Test
As already mentioned, the first official test of the Zircon rocket was carried out only in 2015, however, numerous sources indicate that this is not the whole truth. Yes, indeed, at the official state level, the first tests began in 2015, they took place throughout 2016 and will be completed in 2017. Based on their results, a decision will be made on the need for any improvements, after which the new RCC will be launched into mass production.
However, some suggestions are still worth a look. For example, somewhere in July-August 2012, a missile test of this missile was fired from a Tu-22M3 aircraft over Akhtubinsk - it turned out to be unsuccessful, and many sources say that it was for this reason that the development of the project was suspended the same year.
A year later, in the same place, in Akhtubinsk, another test was carried out - again the rocket was dropped from the aircraft, but this launch was unsuccessful, the flight was too short. The reason to believe that this missile was precisely the Zircon anti-ship missile system is given by an interview with the head of the KTRV, in which he said that the Russian Federation already has missiles that fly in hypersound.
In September of the same year, the third launch of a rocket from an airplane was carried out over Akhtubinsk - and it again failed. Most likely, it was a prototype of the Zircon rocket or some other hypersonic prototype that was tested at that time in the territory of the Russian Federation.
As mentioned earlier, in the summer of 2015 there was no longer any need for secret launches, as it was announced that the Zircon missile launcher was ready for full-scale state trials. And the first test happened already in December of that year - it was no longer a launch from the plane. At the Nenox training ground, a ground-based launch complex was installed, from which the first official launch was made. However, he was unsuccessful - a rocket, flying into the air, almost immediately fell to the ground.
All these tests were unsuccessful, but the rocket had to fly someday. And this happened in March 2016. At the same Nenox training ground, a launch was made from the same ground launch complex, which turned out to be successful. It was then that the media officially announced that the tests of the new Zircon anti-ship missile system began.
Carriers
So, the tests of the Zircon missile defense complex have been underway for about a year, this year it is planned to complete these tests and, with a successful set of circumstances, launch mass production. But where will these missiles go when they are ready? It was already reported above that they will be armed with the 11442M cruiser, which is currently undergoing modernization in order to be able to carry these missiles.
However, there are also longer-term plans. First, the Zircon anti-ship missiles will be installed on the Peter the Great cruiser 11442, the modernization of which is planned for 2019. In addition, the fifth generation Husky submarines will be supplied with these missiles. These nuclear multipurpose submarines have not even entered production yet. They are at the design stage. But the Zircon anti-ship missiles were created largely with the goal of integrating them into the Husky systems, which would make these submarines incredibly dangerous and deadly effective.