The Biggest Myth Of Russian Propaganda
- 1.09.2026, 11:50
Experts are casting doubt on the actual capabilities of the "Zircon" missile.
The Russian 3M22 “Zircon” anti-ship missile may actually be much simpler than the “hypersonic” weapon Moscow has claimed it to be. According to Ukrainian intelligence and analysis of publicly available information, the missile has a solid-fuel engine, and its actual performance may differ significantly from what Russian propaganda has been promoting for years.
This is reported by Defence Express. Experts note that the lack of confirmed breakthrough hypersonic technologies, the limited warhead weighing about 120 kg, and the design features of the “Zircon” cast doubt on the Russian Federation’s claims regarding its exceptional capabilities.
How the “Zircon” Was Developed
Development of the missile began in 2010 in accordance with a Russian government decree from December 2009. NPO Mashinostroenie was appointed as the lead developer—a company that had been working for decades on ship-launched rockets with jet engines and liquid-fueled ballistic missiles. At the same time, solid-fuel systems were not its specialty, and the last Soviet project using a jet engine was the unrealized P-750 “Meteorit.”
Due to the lack of in-house expertise, NPO Mashinostroyenia commissioned the development of engines from NPO Iskra, which had previously developed boosters for the P-700 “Granit” and P-800 “Onyx” missiles. The contract called for the development of three models—3L2212, 3L2211, and 3D2202—with the first two serving as the first-stage and main-stage engines. The designation 3L2211 is also mentioned in a statement by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense.
According to experts, this indicates that the rocket was originally designed with a solid-fuel propulsion system, rather than the direct-flow hypersonic engine claimed by the Russian side.
Dimensions Limited the Missile’s Capabilities
One of the main limitations for the developers was the size of the 3S14 universal launch system, which is used on Russian ships. The missile’s length was supposed to be about 8 meters, and its diameter was not to exceed approximately 670 mm.
For comparison: the 9M723 ballistic missile of the “Iskander” system, capable of delivering a warhead weighing about 500 kg to a range of up to 390 km, is about 7 meters long and has a diameter of 920 mm. This gives it a significantly larger internal engine and fuel capacity.
Due to size constraints, Russian designers likely opted to reduce the warhead’s size. As a result, its mass is approximately 120 kg. To achieve the stated range with these parameters, experts estimate that the missile may have utilized a complex two-stage solid-fuel engine and an aeroballistic trajectory.
However, even the specified dimensions could not be fully met. The “Zircon” can only be integrated onto specific launch platforms—specifically, Project 22350 frigates, the modernized cruiser “Admiral Nakhimov,” and Project 885 “Yasen” submarines. Furthermore, launching it requires exclusively the modernized version of the “Bastion-M” coastal missile system, whereas the basic version is capable of launching only “Onyx” missiles.
How the “Hypersonic” Myth Came About
Despite this, Moscow has for years portrayed the “Zircon” as a unique hypersonic weapon. In March 2016, following the first official successful test launch, Russian media began circulating information about the alleged use of a new high-energy liquid fuel called “Decilin-M.”
In 2018, Herbert Efremov, former head of NPO Mashinostroyenia, stated that the “Zircon” possesses so-called “engine-driven hypersonic capability,” meaning it uses a hypersonic jet engine.
The 3M22 “Zircon” is not a hypersonic cruise missile.
In 2019, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claimed that the missile is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 9 and traveling distances of up to 1,000 km. This differed significantly from previous claims of a range of 400–500 km and a speed of Mach 6–8.
That same year, Russia unofficially released an image of the missile, whose design experts noted bore a resemblance to the American experimental X-51 missile developed by Boeing.
Until November 2021, Zircon tests were conducted at a range of “more than 400 km.” It was not until May 2022 that Russia announced the allegedly successful launch of the missile over a range of 1,000 km.