Anti-ship missile, also used against land targetscombat-provenpartial data
3M22 Zircon
Tsirkon, 3M22, SS-N-33
High-speed anti-ship missile fired from warships, submarines and coastal launchers, also used by Russia against Ukrainian cities.
$5,200,000 Contract price in Russian procurement documents obtained by Militarnyi: RUB 420 million rising to RUB 450 million ($5.2 million to $5.6 million) per missile, 80 a year for 2024 to 2026. Figure given is the starting contract price. An unofficial estimate of up to $10 million (Newsweek, via Wikipedia) was not verified here.
| Maker | NPO Mashinostroyeniya (prime contractor); solid motor by NPO Iskra |
|---|---|
| Origin | Russia |
| Built | Russia |
| First combat | 7 February 2024, strike on Kyiv (identified by Ukraine's Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise from debris) |
| Length | 8 m |
| Diameter | 0.67 m |
| Warhead | 120 kg |
| Cruise speed | 8,398 km/h |
| Top speed | 9,880 km/h |
| Max range | 1,000 km |
| Propulsion | Disputed: Russia describes a scramjet; Ukrainian intelligence identifies a 3L2211 solid-fuel rocket motor (NPO Iskra), suggesting a two-stage solid rocket |
| Guidance | Radar seeker (NPP Radar MMS) with onboard computer and 3B915 guidance units, per Ukrainian intelligence |
| Launcher | Surface ships (frigate Admiral Gorshkov), submarines (Severodvinsk) and modified Bastion coastal launchers firing from occupied Crimea |
Dimensions, the 120 kg warhead and speeds come from Ukraine's Defence Intelligence (GUR), a belligerent source: 8 m long, 0.666 m diameter, Mach 8 to 9 maximum and Mach 6.8 sustained (converted at 1 Mach = 1,235 km/h; maximum uses Mach 8, which matches Russia's 2020 test claim). Russia claims about Mach 9 and a 1,000 km range; CSIS reports Russian tests at 400 to 450 km. GUR and TWZ (Aug 2026) argue it is a solid-fuel quasi-ballistic weapon rather than a scramjet cruise missile, which would explain Ukrainian claims of Patriot PAC-3 intercepts. Militarnyi reports it was fired in groups of two to four at Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia in 2024 without significant results.
Sources (15)
- Ukraine Defence Intelligence (GUR) War & Sanctions: 3M22 Zircon (length_m)
- Ukraine Defence Intelligence (GUR) War & Sanctions: 3M22 Zircon (diameter_m)
- Ukraine Defence Intelligence (GUR) War & Sanctions: 3M22 Zircon (warhead_kg)
- Ukraine Defence Intelligence (GUR) War & Sanctions: 3M22 Zircon (speed_kmh_cruise)
- Ukraine Defence Intelligence (GUR) War & Sanctions: 3M22 Zircon (speed_kmh_max)
- CSIS Missile Threat: Russia Tests Hypersonic Cruise Missile (Oct 2020) (speed_kmh_max)
- CSIS Missile Threat: Russia Test Fires Zircon Hypersonic Missile (Nov 2021) (range_km)
- CSIS Missile Threat: Russia Launches Zircon Hypersonic Missiles from Submarine (Oct 2021) (launcher)
- TWZ: Russia's Zircon May Not Be A Hypersonic Cruise Missile After All (Aug 2026) (propulsion)
- TWZ: Russia's Zircon May Not Be A Hypersonic Cruise Missile After All (Aug 2026) (guidance)
- TWZ: Russia's Zircon May Not Be A Hypersonic Cruise Missile After All (Aug 2026) (maker)
- TWZ: Russia's Zircon May Not Be A Hypersonic Cruise Missile After All (Aug 2026) (launcher)
- CNN: Russia used a Zircon hypersonic cruise missile for the first time, Ukraine claims (Feb 2024) (first_combat)
- Militarnyi: From Kalibr to Kinzhal: How Much Do Russian Missiles Really Cost? (Oct 2025) (unit_cost_usd)
- Militarnyi: From Kalibr to Kinzhal: How Much Do Russian Missiles Really Cost? (Oct 2025) (notes)
