Navy Veteran Speculates on India’s New Anti-Ship Missile Acquired From Russia

India's recent announcement about the procurement of an anti-ship missile from Russia has ignited an intense guessing game which is being played out over the name of the projectile in the nation's geopolitical circles.

"Ministry of Defence today inked a contract with Russia for the procurement of Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles, in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh in New Delhi. These missiles will significantly augment the combat capabilities of the Indian Navy's submarine fleet," the MoD statement read.

Though the MoD hasn't named the missile, retired Commodore Seshadri Vasan speculated that India may have acquired the Zircon, a nuclear-capable hypersonic cruise missile from Russia, considering the Indian Navy operates an anti-ship version of the supersonic BrahMos.

"The [potential] arrival of Zircon in the Indian inventory is set to transform geopolitics dynamics in the region as no other country operates such a missile in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), especially considering that the rocket has proved its worth time and again during Russia's Special Military Operation (SMO) in Ukraine," the head of the think tank Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S) told Sputnik India.

The Zircon, with a terminal speed of Mach 9 (around 10,000 km/h), is virtually impossible to intercept, he added. In comparison, the BrahMos travels at Mach 2.8 to Mach 3.0, or roughly 3,400 to 3,700 km/h.

Furthermore, Zircon has a range of 1,000 km, which allows India to neutralise enemy warships and submarines from a significant distance, far beyond its mainland and the island territories of Lakshadweep (Arabian Sea) and the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, the pundit said.

"The kind of damage Zircon can inflict on the adversary can be gauged from the fact that it has been highly successful in the Ukraine theatre, destroying Kiev's air defences on multiple occasions," Vasan highlighted.

India is currently operating two Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBNs) with the third, INS Aridhaman, set to be commissioned later this year.

Therefore, India would want to equip these underwater vessels with the best-in-class weapons systems like the Zircon missile, the military commentator emphasised.

Since Zircon can be fitted onto these indigenous SSBNs, it would have been favoured by the Indian Navy's top brass for acquisition from Russia, he suggested.

"Zircon gives a phenomenal edge to the Indian Navy in the IOR. After all, it is battle-proven and none of India's rivals in the region has the ability to destroy a hypersonic missile at present," Vasan concluded.

Interestingly, some defence media portals, such as Army Recognition, speculate that it could be the 3M-54 Klub-S missiles as it is believed that India is set to use them for arming its fleet of Sindhughosh-class submarines.

3M-54 Klub-S missiles have been developed by the Novator Design Bureau and have a maximum range of 300 km. The military platform is propped up by a turbojet engine and has an enhanced survivability rate against the adversary's air defences due to its supersonic terminal.

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