`Russian forces launched two ballistic missiles from the Crimean peninsula aimed at the capital Kiev. The projectiles have been shot down and their types are being determined,` the Ukrainian Air Force announced on March 25.
After being intercepted, rocket fragments fell on Kiev and damaged several buildings in the Pechersk district, injuring seven people.
The Ukrainian military’s electronic portal later announced that the country’s air defense had shot down Russia’s 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missile, and posted photos of the missile’s debris during the raid.
War monitoring channels on Telegram also said that the two missiles completed the 580 km distance to Kiev in just three minutes, equivalent to a hypersonic speed of Mach 9 (11,600 km/h).
This speed shows that this is most likely not the Iskander or Kinzhal line, and coincides with the technical information of the 3M22 Zircon missile announced by Russia.
The object is believed to be a Ukrainian Zircon missile fragment obtained after Russia’s February 25 airstrike.
These symbols also match the information on the Zircon missile debris that Ukraine obtained after Russia’s airstrike on February 7, which is believed to be the first time Moscow deployed this missile model in the conflict with Russia.
This time the fragments of the Zircon shell are said to carry more information, helping Ukraine conduct in-depth analysis to study the technical characteristics of the engine, guidance system or manufacturing materials, thereby determining
Experts previously said that Russia’s introduction of Zircon hypersonic missiles into real combat will pose a new challenge for Ukraine’s air defense network, which is currently facing a shortage of ammunition due to the decline in aid from the US and the West.
Ukrainian officials have not announced the results of the technical analysis of the debris, but Defense Express cited sources saying that the Zircon missile is equipped with a ramjet engine, so it can maintain speed.
The newspaper also said the Zircon missile has a range of about 700 km, lower than the 1,000 km parameter announced by Russia.
Russian warship launches hypersonic missile to destroy ground targets
Severodvinsk submarine launched Zircon missile in October 2021.
President Putin first revealed the Zircon missile in a speech in February 2019, saying this weapon can attack targets at sea and on the ground at a speed of more than 11,000 km/h, 9 times faster.
Russia first fired the Zircon missile in October 2020, and conducted 12 test launches from surface ships and submarines in 2021, all of which hit the target.
