Its main strengths are:
- its hard to shoot down or react to Mach 8 to 9 speed at high altitude and plunging
- reported manoeuvrability, and
Its main weaknesses are:
- its limited range (maybe only 400km from a submarine, though 1,000 from an aircraft), and
- light warhead (maybe only 200kg).
In the above Youtube (South Front, March 6, 2019):
- 4 mins 50 secs in - it can be vertically launched from Russian Oscar and Yasen submarines and
[may be small enough to be 533mm or 650mm torpedo tube launched from Akula or Kilo
submarines.]
- 5m 22s - could be launched from Russian submarines to hit US command and control facilities on
the US Atlantic coast. But given Zircon's limited range [assuming US SOSUS, RAP/FDS and
ASW platforms on the Atlantic coast] this would
put the Russian submarines in danger of
“detection and destruction”.
See a transcript of the South Front Youtube here https://southfront.org/russias-zircon-hypersonic-missile-challenges-us-naval-dominance/
Russia may be in a joint venture to help India develop a Zircon-looking BrahMos-2 "HSTDV".
Russian Zircon vs Kinzhal hypersonic missiles (Artwork, table courtesy IDA Strategic Intelligence).
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Pete
3 comments:
At hypersonic speeds, the skins are going to heat up tremendously, even more so when this enters the atmosphere. I AM NOT AN EXPOERT but does IR seeker work then?
KQN
Hi KQN
Yes since WWII the physics of hypersonic missiles (eg. Zircon/BrahMos II) spending minutes in the atmosphere has blocked viability.
That major hypersonic missile heatup in the denser atmosphere would indeed effect/cloud its onboard seekers, while dangerously heating up its fuel, other electronics and its warhead.
Also a hot skinned missile attracts enemy IR detection and shoot down.
Regards
Pete
Supernova at "Full Frame" has written an interesting article on Japanese mini, suicide, human reguided torpedos (called Kaitens).
See article and Comments below it at https://daisetsuzan.blogspot.com/2019/03/ozushima-kaitens-last-sanctuary.html
Pete
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