SEVERODVINSK (Sputnik) — The prospective fifth generation Husky-class submarine, work on which is progressing at the St. Petersburg Marine Engineering Bureau, is reportedly set to be equipped by hypersonic missiles.
The 3M22 Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missile was developed in the Moscow-region city of Reutov at the NPO Mashinostroyeniya rocket design bureau. Testing began in 2015, with five successful launches achieved so far.
"The keel-laying is tentatively expected in 2023-2024," Bursuk said on a visit to the Sevmash shipyard in Northwest Russia's Arkhangelsk Region on Friday.
According to numerous reports, the Zircon is actually a modified version of the BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missile – a joint Russian-Indian design based on the P-800 Onyx missile. Therefore, the Zircon could have an effective range of about 400 kilometers.
