The Russians launched the Zircon missile: explosions rang out in Sumy, monitors (photo)

Its exact cost is unknown, as these data are classified in the Russian Federation, but military experts assume that one "Zircon" costs about 10 million dollars, and the Russians hit Sumy with two. Focus collected everything that is known. It is noted that this is the 15th known use of "Zircon" by the Russians. The last time the Russian Armed Forces used "Zirkon" on August 21 and again for an attack on Sumy. On the morning of November 14, around 7:06 a. m.

, monitoring channels warned that a rocket had been launched from the occupied Crimea, and later reported that it was "Zirkon". There is still no official confirmation from the Air Force of Ukraine or from the military administration of Sumy. The Air Force reported only a "high-speed target" on Sumy past Okhtyrka. The Zircon missile is the latest Russian weapon. They were supposed to be adopted by the Russian Armed Forces in 2022.

It is known that the test launches of "Zircon" were in February 2022 from the Russian frigates "Admiral Gorshkov" and "Marshal Shaposhnikov". The Russians can also use the Severodvinsk nuclear submarine to launch this missile. And for ground launch — the coastal missile complex "Bastion". Another anti-ship missile - "Onyx" - is also produced from the same complex. Defense Express previously reported that the launch of this missile cannot be predicted in advance, unlike the same Daggers.

If we measure their probable launch from Crimea, then they will reach Kyiv in 7-10 minutes. And they are fixed only after launch. It is almost impossible to calculate the exact cost of the Zircon missile, since all data on its design and production are classified. The Russian Scientific and Industrial Mechanical Engineering Association, which is part of the Tactical Missiles Corporation and is located in Reut, Moscow Region, was responsible for the development of the missile.

Work on it began later in 2011, and the first tests took place in 2015. In 2020, Russian officials announced initial test successes, and in October 2021, a successful submarine-launched missile test was announced. "The price per unit, excluding development costs, can be compared with the cost of experimental missiles with similar straight-line hypersonic engines.

In particular, in specialized American publications, there are estimates of the price of the X-51A Waverider test missile at $11-20 million per unit, with a total cost of $200 million for the program, which consisted of four launches," Defense Express notes. And if you compare "Zirkon" and X-47 "Dagger", then the approximate cost of "Dagger" is about 10 million dollars, on the other hand, a rocket with a direct hypersonic engine will cost several times, if not an order of magnitude more.

At the same time, despite all the costs, "Zircon" ultimately fails to fulfill its main goal of bypassing anti-missile defenses, since, as experience has shown, it can be hit by the latest anti-missile complexes. 3M22 "Zirkon" is an anti-ship cruise missile, declared hypersonic, capable of maneuvering. During development, the main purpose of the missile was to destroy enemy surface ships equipped with anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems.

The 3M22 "Zircon" missile was never demonstrated, and the video of the tests was shot on low-quality cameras. Therefore, one can only assume what its parameters are: We will remind you that last year Focus wrote in detail about the Russian Zircon missile and the dangers it poses.