According to Tal Inbar and Yair Ramati, two senior analysts, the photos of wreckage found in Kyiv indicate that this was probably the first operational shot of the ZIRCON hypersonic cruise missile in a sea-to-ground mode.
Markings identify it as “3M22”. The Zircon is a hypersonic cruise missile developed by the Scientific Production Association of Machine Building (NPO Mashinostroyeniya). It utilizes a solid booster and a SCRAMJET engine, with a maximum range of 1,000 km and a warhead weighing approximately 300 kg. Zircon’s cruising speed is Mach 8 at an altitude of 30 to 35 km. Guidance against land targets is likely achieved through GNSS and INS.
