Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missile

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

Russia is going to deploy Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missile on surface ships

Concept:

• Cruise missiles differ from ballistic missiles in that they fly towards their target at lower altitudes, remaining within the Earth’s atmosphere throughout their trajectory.
• Cruise missiles are defined as “an unmanned self-propelled guided vehicle that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path and whose primary mission is to place an ordnance or special payload on a target.”
• The hallmark of a cruise missile is its incredible accuracy. Cruise missiles are also very effective at evading detection by the enemy because they fly very low to the ground (out of the view of most radar systems).
• Cruise missiles can use multiple guidance methods in order to accurately place their ordinance on the desired target and avoid missile defense systems
• Cruise missiles can be categorized by size, speed (subsonic or supersonic), and range, and whether launched from land, air, surface ship, or submarine.