3M22 Tsirkon

Also known as

3M22 Zircon
3M-22 Tsirkon
3M-22 Zircon
3K22 Tsirkon
3K22 Zircon
Zircon
Tsirkon
SS-N-33
Циркон

The 3M22 Tsirkon, also rendered Zircon, is a Russian hypersonic missile associated with the 3K22 shipborne missile complex and NATO reporting name SS-N-33. Open sources attribute design and production to Reutov-based NPO Mashinostroyenia within Tactical Missiles Corporation, with documented Project 22350 and Yasen-family launch reporting, broader 3S-14/UKSK compatibility claims, and thinner public reporting on Bastion coastal-launcher integration. Russia used the missile in strikes on Kyiv during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, with reporting expanding from fragment-based 2024 evidence to larger 2026 salvos, while its advertised speed, range, warhead, guidance, and even flight-profile details remain shaped by Russian claims, fragment analysis, and secondary estimates rather than fully transparent public test data.

3M22 Tsirkon, Hypersonic anti-ship and land-attack missile, Munitions

Image source: Wikimedia Commons: Zirkon 03.12.2024.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Side: Russia

Russian forces used 3M22 Tsirkon/Zircon missiles in long-range strikes on Kyiv, with fragment-based evidence in early 2024 and larger reported salvos in 2026. KNDISE reporting linked February 7, 2024 fragments to 3M22 Zircon markings and components; March 25 reporting described two Zircons fired at Kyiv, while Reuters reported a Kyiv military-administration count of five fired at the capital in the first three months of 2024. In June 2026, Le Monde reported eight Zircons converging on Kyiv on June 2, and Ukrainian Air Force reporting relayed by ArmyInform listed six 3M22 Zircons launched in the June 15 combined attack, five of them intercepted.

Role details

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Russia
Built by: NPO MashinostroyeniaTactical Missiles Corporation
Type: Hypersonic anti-ship and land-attack missile
Service note: Russian Navy hypersonic cruise missile fielded in the 2020s and documented in Russia's strike campaign against Ukraine
Designer: NPO Mashinostroyenia

Specifications

Launch interface: 3S-14 / UKSK universal vertical launch cells on compatible Russian surface ships and submarines; Naval News also reports Bastion mobile coastal-launcher integration
Propulsion: Often described in Russian and older secondary sources as a two-stage hypersonic cruise missile; 2026 open-source analysis of debris, patents, and imagery argues the evidence better fits a rocket-propelled maneuvering quasi-ballistic system
Reported speed: Russian and secondary sources report Mach 8 to Mach 9; independent verification remains limited
Reported range: Open-source estimates range from more than 500 km to 750 km depending on trajectory, while Russian official and state-linked claims describe up to or over 1,000 km
Warhead: Unknown in official open sources; Naval News cites expert estimates of roughly 300-400 kg, while KNDISE later described a much smaller explosive fill in recovered strike fragments
Guidance: Open-source guidance details remain uncertain; Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance lists active/passive radar seeker claims but accuracy and terminal behavior are not transparent
Documented and reported launch platforms: Project 22350 Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates and Yasen-family submarines are directly documented in trial or deployment reporting; Bastion, Project 20385, Project 11356R, and modernized Project 1144 links are reported, announced, or planned compatibility claims

Performance Caveats

Public Tsirkon performance data mixes Russian official claims, secondary estimates, and fragment-based Ukrainian analysis. The record therefore treats speed, range, warhead, guidance, propulsion, and production figures as reported values rather than independently verified specifications.

After the February and March 2024 Kyiv attacks, KNDISE-linked reporting said recovered fragments showed markings and component features consistent with 3M22 Zircon, but also described a small warhead explosive fill, heavy fragmentation, and interception evidence that caveat Russian claims about the missile's combat performance.

Recent open-source analysis of debris, patents, and launch imagery has also challenged the usual scramjet-powered cruise-missile description, arguing that the available evidence fits a maneuvering quasi-ballistic rocket-propelled system more closely. That assessment remains analytical rather than an official disclosure, so the entry preserves the common Tsirkon/Zircon identity while flagging the uncertainty.

Launch Platforms

Open sources tie Tsirkon most directly to UKSK vertical launch cells aboard Project 22350 frigates and to Yasen-family submarines during test and deployment reporting. Other cited platforms are reported, announced, or planned rather than equally documented by public launch trials.

Launcher	Launcher type	Launch evidence
Project 22350 Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate	Guided-missile frigate	Admiral Gorshkov conducted multiple Tsirkon trial launches from UKSK vertical cells and began a January 2023 long-distance deployment with Tsirkon missiles loaded. Sources: Naval News: First shipborne Tsirkon test, Naval News: Russian MoD releases Tsirkon launch video, Naval News: Admiral Gorshkov Atlantic Tsirkon deployment
Yasen / Yasen-M	Nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine	Severodvinsk test-fired Tsirkon from surfaced and submerged positions in October 2021; later Sevmash reporting identified Perm as the first regular Project 885M Tsirkon carrier. Sources: Naval News: Russian submarine launches first Tsirkon missile, CSIS Missile Threat: Russia launches Zircon missiles from submarine, Sevmash: Perm float-out and Tsirkon carrier
K-300P Bastion-P	Mobile coastal-defense missile system	Naval News reporting says Tsirkon is to be fired from Bastion mobile coastal missile launchers, but the public evidence base is thinner than for ship and submarine trials. Sources: Naval News: Russia orders additional Tsirkon hypersonic missiles
Project 20385 / Gremyashchiy-class corvette	Guided-missile corvette	TASS reported Putin's statement that the Project 20385 corvette Gremyashchiy would have Tsirkon, after the ship's commander pointed to Kalibr launch containers as the future missile location. Sources: TASS: Gremyashchiy corvette to carry Tsirkon
Project 11356R / Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate	Guided-missile frigate	Naval News lists Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates among Russian Navy ships deployed or announced to deploy Tsirkon, a platform claim kept separate from the better documented Admiral Gorshkov test record. Sources: Naval News: Russia orders additional Tsirkon hypersonic missiles
Project 1144 Orlan / Kirov-class nuclear-powered guided-missile heavy cruiser	Nuclear-powered guided-missile heavy cruiser	RUSI describes Tsirkon as expected to be compatible with the 3S-14 launch system planned for Admiral Nakhimov during Project 1144 modernization, so this is treated as modernization compatibility rather than a documented firing platform. Sources: RUSI: Zircon threat assessment

Launch Architecture

Tsirkon is normally described as a naval missile for 3S-14/UKSK vertical launch cells. Public reporting is strongest for Admiral Gorshkov test and deployment activity and Yasen-family submarine tests; other platform claims remain announced, planned, or reported compatibility.

Surface ships

Project 22350 frigates are the best documented surface launch platform. Admiral Gorshkov conducted trial firings and deployed with Tsirkon missiles in 2023.

Submarines

Severodvinsk conducted surfaced and submerged test launches in 2021. Sevmash later identified Perm as the first regular Yasen-M carrier for Tsirkon.

Reported coastal launch

Naval News reporting describes Bastion mobile coastal missile launcher integration, but the public record is thinner than for Admiral Gorshkov and Severodvinsk tests.

Announced ship fits

TASS and RUSI reporting support announced or planned Tsirkon compatibility for Project 20385 and modernized Project 1144 ships, without the same public launch-trial record.

Timeline

3M22 Tsirkon Key Events

Feb 20, 2019
Russian official range and speed claim
President Vladimir Putin described Tsirkon as a hypersonic missile for sea and land targets with claimed Mach 9 speed and more than 1,000 km range.
Sources: Naval News: First shipborne Tsirkon test
Jan 1, 2020
First reported shipborne test
Naval News, citing TASS sources, reported Admiral Gorshkov fired Tsirkon from the Barents Sea against a Northern Urals ground target at more than 500 km.
Sources: Naval News: First shipborne Tsirkon test
Oct 7, 2020
Admiral Gorshkov sea-target launch
Russian MoD-reported data cited by Naval News said Admiral Gorshkov launched from the White Sea and hit a Barents Sea target at 450 km, with speed above Mach 8.
Sources: Naval News: Russian MoD releases Tsirkon launch video
Oct 4, 2021
Submarine launch from Severodvinsk
CSIS Missile Threat reported Russian announcements of surfaced and submerged Zircon launches from K-560 Severodvinsk.
Sources: CSIS Missile Threat: Russia launches Zircon missiles from submarine
Jan 4, 2023
Admiral Gorshkov deploys with Tsirkon
Naval News reported that Admiral Gorshkov began a long-distance deployment carrying Tsirkon and Kalibr missiles.
Sources: Naval News: Admiral Gorshkov Atlantic Tsirkon deployment
Feb 7, 2024
Forensic evidence links Tsirkon to Kyiv attack
KNDISE reporting cited markings and component features from fragments as preliminary evidence that Russia used a 3M22 Zircon missile in the February 7 attack on Kyiv.
Sources: Suspilne: KNDISE preliminary Zircon identification after February 7 Kyiv attack
Mar 25, 2024
Two reported Tsirkon missiles target Kyiv
Ukrainska Pravda and Defense Express reporting said Russia targeted Kyiv with two 3M22 Zircon missiles, with recovered fragments carrying markings typical of the type and matching elements from the February attack.
Sources: Ukrainska Pravda: March 25 Kyiv Zircon wreckage, Suspilne: KNDISE laboratory head on Zircon fragments
Apr 1, 2024
Kyiv reports five Zircons fired in early 2024
Reuters reported that Kyiv's military administration counted five Zircon missiles fired at the capital among more than 180 Russian missile and drone attacks in the first three months of 2024.
Sources: Reuters: Ukraine says Russia fired five Zircon missiles at Kyiv in early 2024
Jun 2, 2026
Eight-Zircon salvo reported against Kyiv
Le Monde reported that Russia fired two simultaneous salvos of four Zircon missiles from Crimea and Kursk-region launchers, with all eight converging on Kyiv during the June 2 attack.
Sources: Le Monde: June 2 Zircon salvo against Kyiv
Jun 15, 2026
Ukrainian Air Force reports six Zircons in combined attack
ArmyInform, citing the Ukrainian Air Force, reported six 3M22 Zircon missiles launched from occupied Crimea during the June 15 combined attack, with five listed as shot down or suppressed.
Sources: ArmyInform: June 15 combined attack with six Zircons