from hypersound to winged bombs (VIDEO)

Why do the Russian military use anti-ship missiles to attack ground targets in cities, in particular Kyiv? Ukrainian military expert, coordinator of the Information Resistance group Alexander Kovalenko believes that this is how Russia tests relatively new and not fully developed weapons in real combat conditions, and at the same time tests whether the Zircons can penetrate the Ukrainian air defense system, which includes American Patriot air defense system: in Kyiv it is the best in Ukraine.

Earlier, the head of the military research laboratory, Andrei Kulchitsky, said that his experts had established that the warhead of the Zircons that struck Kiev did not exceed forty kilograms of explosives. This is less than the X-101 and X-22 missiles that Russia regularly fires at Ukraine. In addition, according to the expert, the Zircon missile is not finalized and “flies in the wrong place.” These words confirm Kovalenko’s version of “tests in real combat conditions.”

Researchers from the UA War Infographics project also calculated the approximate flight time of the Zircon to Ukrainian cities. If we assume that the rocket will be launched from Sevastopol in the annexed Crimea, then it can fly to Kyiv in six minutes, to Vinnitsa in five and a half minutes, and to Odessa in two and a half minutes. As analysts note, this is an approximate time, since the rocket develops different speeds at different stages of flight, and also maneuvers in flight.

– The Zircon missile, which the Russian military used to strike Kyiv this week, is an anti-ship missile. Can you explain why they attack buildings and cities with missiles that are supposed to strike ships?

– The anti-ship missile can also be used once morest land targets. In particular, the P-800 Onyx missiles are also anti-ship missiles, launched from the Bastion coastal anti-ship systems, but they have been used in Odessa and the Odessa region quite regularly since 2022.

A similar example can be given: the Ukrainian anti-ship missile system “Neptune” was created to destroy surface targets, the missile cruiser “Moskva” was destroyed from it, but it was this complex that also destroyed the S-400 “Triumph” anti-aircraft missile system at Cape Tarkhankut in 2023 , that is, a ground target.

In fact, anti-ship missile systems themselves have the function of striking a surface. A small modification can improve the guidance accuracy and other characteristics of this missile.

– Why is it anti-ship if you can hit it on land?

– Because this was originally its functionality: to destroy surface objects. Its functionality may lie in the fact that its launcher is a specialized launcher that is located on the coast near the sea or on a warship, like the Zircon in this case.

“Zircon” is itself basically the “Iskander” – the 9M723, 9M728 missile. Architecturally, it was based precisely on a ballistic missile – exactly the same as the Kinzhal, since the Kinzhal is a hypersonic missile, conditionally, but aircraft-based. That is, to put it crudely and very simply, it is an aircraft-based Iskander with a modified engine and power plant to reach hypersonic speed.

“Zircon” is actually the same “Iskander”, but modified so that it can be launched from surface carriers. In particular, this is a heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser of the Orlan type – the Pyotr Velikiy or Admiral Nakhimov, which has been under repair for more than 25 years, or nuclear submarines of the Antey type.

On the other hand, we see that they were launched from Crimea from launchers. That is, over these two years, this missile was modified to be launched from a ground launcher, which, once more, might be either an Iskander OTRK launcher, or it might be the very same Bastion ballistic missile launcher.

– Why do you think the Russian army has now resorted to using Zircon missiles? This is a completely new weapon that was put into service a year ago.

– In my opinion, these are tests in real combat conditions. Again, strikes are being delivered specifically to Kyiv and the Kyiv region for a reason. It is guaranteed that this missile would not have been shot down if it had struck Kharkov or Odessa, Zaporozhye, Dnepr – they do not have the most important thing: anti-aircraft missile systems that are capable of shooting down such missiles. But in Kyiv and the Kyiv region they are. A full-fledged high-tech layered air defense system has now been formed there – not just the best in Ukraine, but one of the best in Europe.

In Kyiv, all echelons are completely closed: small, medium and long range. But the most important thing is the presence of two long-range anti-aircraft missile systems at once: the Patriot and SAMP/T air defense systems. It is “Zircon,” in my opinion, that is being tested in Kyiv and the Kyiv region in an attempt to find out how effective it is in breaking through this layered air defense.

Now they were launching from the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea – this is almost a little more than 600 kilometers from Kyiv itself. Next time, I don’t exclude it, or following some time they will reduce the distance and, if this is really a completely modified land-type launcher, they can launch, for example, from Bryansk or the Kursk region and see how much reducing the distance and approach time increases effectiveness of breakthrough of Kyiv air defense.

– If we talk regarding Kharkov, the Russian military dropped aerial bombs on it on March 27. Ukrainian media wrote and officials said that this was some kind of UMPB D-30 guided bomb. What kind of weapon is this? Something new too?

– Not entirely new. The concept of this UMPB D-30SN aerial bomb has been in development for quite a long time – back at the turn of the 2010s, a project appeared that was a copy of the American GBU-39 SDB, better known as GLSDB. That is, when a bomb, in this case the GBU-39, is connected to a jet engine. In the case of the American version, it was the upper stage from the M26 rocket. And this would make it possible to launch these weapons, including from ground installations of multiple launch rocket systems such as M142 HIMARS or M270.

Russia also paid attention to this and tried to implement its own concept, which is very similar. And in principle they had projects, only now we are seeing the first application, and this, once more, might actually be a test in real combat conditions, with launches of these bombs, that is, a bomb plus a jet engine, for example from multiple launch rocket systems.” Tornado-S”.