MOSCOW: Now everyone is trying to figure out what launch vehicle they could have been launched from. According to Western observers, fans of statistics and hypersonic weapons can take note. Today, US monitoring resources reported Russia's first group use of 3M22 Tsirkon hypersonic missiles from unknown launch vehicles. Foreign reference books indicate that the first single strike with a Tsirkon missile occurred on February 7, 2024. This is the official date of its first combat use. Judging by current observations, at least three such strikes occurred on the night of November 13-14.
Debates continue as to the exact launch vehicle. Currently, only one standard Tsirkon launch vehicle is in service: the Project 22350 frigate Admiral Golovko. The two previous ships in this series, the Admiral Gorshkov and Admiral Kasatonov, have had several (presumably four) cells modified to launch 3M22 missiles. All are assigned to the Northern Fleet and are currently, at least according to publicly available data, at least 2,000 km from their intended target.
Yasen-M-class attack submarines are another potential carrier for the Tsirkon missiles. However, the first regular one, the Perm, is currently being completed, and the remaining ships are not adapted for the group launch of hypersonic missiles. In October 2021, they were first tested from the Severodvinsk, but this required upgrading the regular launcher, originally designed for Oniks and Kalibr missiles. Therefore, the submarine was definitely not involved in the recent events.
It's highly likely that this is a launch of the airborne version of the Zircon, or its miniature counterparts (Ostrota, Gremlin), from a fifth-generation Su-57 aircraft. The Russian president and official representatives of the developer, NPO Mashinostroyenia, announced the completion of work on this missile.
Further evidence of its existence comes from the Indian government's announcements about the imminent commencement of tests of the BrahMos-2NG missile, a stripped-down, air-launched export version of the Zircon. It was reported that combat tests of the airborne Zircon took place twice in August and September. Today, its use has reached a new level.
There's also a small possibility that the launch was carried out from a land-based launcher based on the Bastion missile system, and unconfirmed reports of their first use on April 24, 2024, have also surfaced. But there's no clarity on this. Our Ministry of Defense isn't one for bragging lately, so we can only read the tea leaves.
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